What can my No. 1 Mk. 3 be converted to?

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Eb1

Eb1

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I am of the nature to like the .303 British, but I'd like to have my Enfield converted to another caliber with a new barrel, and made a little more easy to carry in the woods.

What calibers am I looking at, and can someone recommend someone? Thanks.
 
No, don't.

If you have to spend that much money, get into hand loading and custom build your .303 loads to do what you want to do.

There are no other cartridges that will offer any better performance at the pressures your Lee-Enfield is capable of safely handling.

Don't go there!

If you must cut it down?
I guess????
It's your rifle!

But they aren't going to make any more.

Rc
 
rc, I hand load for it now. I use 174 grain .312 round nose with BLC-2 or H4895.

It is an all matching 1943 Lithgow. It has the green band around the stock which tells me it is a range/match rifle. There were three bands for training rifles. Red = Parade (not able to fire), Yellow = Used for exercise and maneuvers, and Green = able to fire (some used for matches). That is what my research has told me.

I cannot see the rear sight any longer to shoot good with it. I don't shoot well with traditional sights. I prefer a peep sight, and a rear sight that is not so far down the barrel.
I was thinking of maybe a wildcat of some sort, and having the receiver tapped for a scope So I could use it for hunting. Maybe a 6.5/303. lol

As it is now it just sits more that it gets used, and that bothers me.
 
I don't trust no drill mounts. I think they are a waste of money. If they were rail mounted then that is different, but they are not. Being able to hit what you shoot at by adding a scope or peep isn't ruining the rifle. I would think it is making it useful.
 
Before you go to converting to s different caliber, consider purchasing conversion chambers. Seems to me a 32-20 or 327 mag chamber would be wonderful in a .303
 
Don't convert a Mklll to any other caliber.
If it was a No2 Mkl or Mkll I might suggest .45/70, .7.62X51, .45 acp all live well in these stronger actions.
The original Mkll was initially produced for a .42 caliber black powder cartridge, then adapted to Black Powder .303 and finally qualified with the cordite loaded .303 and as such unless you go with mild loaded .45/70, which is somewhat pointless considering the cost of converting one of these rifles, the action just isn't strong enough for anything better than the original .303 smokeless load.
 
The 303-25 was once a popular conversion here in Australia. It's now a curio round, I'm not aware of any company loading it.
I agree with the others, sell the gun to a collector and use the funds for a sporting rifle designed for a scope.
If you must convert your gun, then ATI make a polymer stock and a no gunsmith scope mount.
Info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.303/25
&
http://www.cabelas.ca/product/111/ati-enfield-monte-carlo-stock
&
https://www.marstar.ca/dynamic/product.jsp?productid=74932
 
Robert said:
I would sell it to a collector and use that money to fund a new rifle. Or hunt around, there are tons of already converted Enfield's out there. Heck had I the money I'd buy it to go with my 1941 Lithgow.
Click to expand...
I agree, sell the rifle and buy a more to your liking hunting rifle. Please don't destroy a fine rifle. There used to be many but over the past 70 years most have been destroyed.

Eb1 said:
rc, I hand load for it now. I use 174 grain .312 round nose with BLC-2 or H4895.
Click to expand...
On a slight side note, I just started reloading for the 303 British and loaded up 40 rounds using 4 different charges of BL-C(2) and was wondering what charge you are using with a 174gr bullet? I didn't get to shoot them yet because of the weather. Just wondering if you found something that shoots well in your rifle that might shoot well in mine.
 
You need a new rifle.

Don't turn a racehorse into a mule... just buy a new horse. Your Enfield will sell for more than what it will take to buy something that will perfectly suit your needs.


Willie

.
 
Do a search for Elwood Epps. He was a Canadian gunsmith who loaded a range of widlcats on the 303 case up to at least 40 caliber. I looked hard at the 375 version but ended up with a Siamese Mauser instead.

It's your rifle and they made millions of them. Convert it if you want to. Or sell it and buy something else. Your choice.

Kevin
 
I'd like to have my Enfield converted to another caliber with a new barrel, and made a little more easy to carry in the woods.
Click to expand...

Are you looking for a new rifle or a new project? If the former, I'd be happy to discuss buying it off of you so that you can get what you want. PM me if interested.
 
I have several hunting rifles. Anything from .44 Mag to .25-06, and all in between. I just hate seeing this rifle my dad gave me sit in the safe. I like Tom303's rifle. it seems pretty versatile, and is kept a .303 caliber rifle.
I'd like to have a shorter, scoped version of a .303 that would be useful, but the 77/44 and 30-30s are fine for that job, and the .25-06 can handle the long range deer hunting although it has become my go to deer rifle. Great caliber for whitetail the .25-06 is, and one of the 30-30s is now 445 Supermag. SO there is the big bore boomer.

I am bored I guess.

@AA
I am loading 44 grain BLC-2 with the Hornady 174 .312 RN. It is pretty warm in my rifle, and shoots on avg 2" to 3" groups at 100 yards. I can't get BT bullets to shoot very well in my rifle. I like the round nose in the .303 anyway. I think the RN has more pop to animals.
 
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I would think that you could sell the No1 and turn around and purchase a No4 with the peep sight or a semi sporter one to experiment with and scope to your liking and have some money left over.
 
Agree it's a waste of money to mess with a nice No1 when you can probably use a sporterized No4 as a starting point to scope. I wouldn't bother changing caliber either.
 
I'd either look around for a sporterized #4 Mk I set up for a scope, ( I've got one that is a sweet shooter) or start looking at a budget sporting rifle like a Savage Axis or a Ruger American or any number of used sporting rifles. The OP said he can't see iron sights that well anymore (neither can I) and wanted something a little easier to carry in the woods. I don't know the weights but I've picked up an Axis and an American and they feel quite comfortable, plus, they are both all ready for whatever optics the new owner wants on them. Something like that in 7mm-08 or .308 would be a light, handy rifle that could be had for less money than a major conversion of a Lee-Enfield. Any decent Lee-Enfield that's as yet unmodified deserves to stay that way. They're a piece of history and worth more if in good, original shape.
 
Please don't do this to your father's rifle........

Give it a good home if you don't like it for what it is. Or hang onto it for your own kids.
 

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Ditchtiger, converting a .303 to 762X54 would involve a hell of a lot more than "minor chamber work." The Russian round has a much larger rim that would not fit the bolt face and extractor. The rounds do not stack well in an Enfield's magazine and they won't feed out of it. The shoulder on the .303 is much further forward than the Russian's. To get a proper chamber you would have to set the Enfield's barrel back so many threads there wouldn't be enough left to secure the barrel in the receiver. Set the two rounds side by side and look at them. The problems will be obvious.

Too bad it wouldn't work. 7.62X54 is a lot cheaper and more plentiful than .303.

And put me in the "leave it alone" category. That rifle is a priceless piece of history.
 
While i agree that you should not convert it; i have a No.1mk.3 in .410 that i shoot trap and birds with... it was converted in India, with a floor plate thrown in to make it single shot. I ground the plate's rivets out, and after attempts to get a no. 1 mag to work reliably failed, added a Saiga .410 mag.

/Station#8 of Skeet can be almost accomplished with the long bayonet...
//for some reason, most shooters are surprised to see someone shooting Skeet with a bayonet fixed....
 
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