Enfield help

[Antihero]

I dont really know much about the Enfield or surplus guns in general so please bear with me...

Ive read that the rechambered to 308 enfield should only be fired with 7.62x51, isnt this the 308 and 7.62x51 the same round? Maybe military surplus ammo is a bit weaker than commercial ammo?

How is the accuracy of the 308 versions? As i remember the 303 is .311 so wouldnt the barrel be a bit to big for the .308?

I keep seeing the #4 mk1 versions for very cheap, is this one of the better Enfields?

This is more of a fun gun than anything serious but i would like it to be bear worthy(since i live in bear country) and fairly accurate. Would i be happier with an enfield or Mosin M44 carbine?

And finally anything i need to look out for when i end up getting either?

 

[Walkalong]

isnt this the 308 and 7.62x51 the same round?

Yep. It is. Had an enfield once, but mine was a thuttyoughtsix.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

The Lee-Enfields that are available in 7.62 NATO were not rechambered, so bore diameter is correct. They were built from the ground up in that chambering.

These are all the Indian No.2 rifles, based on the the British No. 1 Mk.III SMLE. However, they were built in the 60s using more modern steel than the No. 1s, which would not be safe to rebarrel to 7.62 NATO.

The Brits rebarreled some No.4s L-Es to 7.62 NATO, but those rifles were a stronger design than the No.1 and made of better steel.

7.62 NATO is dimensionally the same as .308 Winchester. However, commerical .308 may be loaded to higher pressures than 7.62 NATO. The rifles shouldn't kaboom with .308s but extensive use with hot commercial ammo or handloads could lead to excesive headspace. I'd stick with surplus or new ammo made to NATO specs.

 

[Bjg0082]

Welcome to THR!

I'll start by saying I own a 2a1 Enfield in 7.62 x 51 and I love it. I've fired commercial .308 out of it and not had problems. There are some folks who would call that a liability however.

The rechambered enfield you're talking about im going to assume is the 2a on AIMSurplus. It's basically a No1mk3 enfield (ww1 design) with a 1960's modern barrel chambered in 7.62 x 51 nato.

The No4. Enfield is a WW2 era battlerifle designed for .303. I owned one and loved it. Good rifles, accurate, smooth action. The ammo however is more expensive and harder to find. Commercial .303 is just fine but can be pricey.
Surplus .303 is nearly always corrosive and requires you clean your rifle after its use. Not just solvent either, I used to pour hot water down the barrel after using surplus. Other guys say windex, soapy water, ect...

Hope that helps.

 

[SMLE]

The Ishapore 2As and 2A1s are built from the ground up to be 7.62 rifles. They are fine to shoot with FACTORY 308 Winchester ammo, even the so called "Light Magnum"

Read this: http://www.smellysmleshooters.net/ammopressure.htm

Now, go enjoy your rifle!

 

[mrmeval]

As stated the 2A and 2A1 take 7.62 Nato just fine. Be aware that if you get any Enfield chambered in .308 that is not a British armory sniper conversion it's a bubba and can be a dangerous bubba. There are 'jungle' carbines made by Gibbs rifle company that are bubbas of 2A and/or 2A1 rifles, those are safe to shoot.

http://world.guns.ru/rifle/rfl04-e.htm

But some SMLEs were left in military service, as a training, target and, especially, sniper rifles, known as Enfield L39 and L41, rechambered to the new standard 7.62mm NATO ammunition, and served well until the late 1980s, when there were replaced by the L96 sniper rifles.

 

[Antihero]

Well you learn something new every day, i was always under the impression that the 308 was a rechambered 303. Now that i know different a whole new world opens up for me...and its a happy world full of cheap and cool surplus guns.

So since the 308 is now viable im leaning towards it instead of the 303 just for the sake of ammo availability. So the Ishapore 2A seems to be the best right? And please be kind to the Enfield newb, but where is the model number on these located? When checking out the gun is there anything(besides the normal funcionality)markings-wise to look for?

Im fairly certain i will be changing the stock, is there any company that sells something thats not black polymer? I prefer stocks with around a 15"length of pull for comfort. This often forces me to use a slip on recoil pad regardless of the gun so i dont feel as if im breathing on the front sight, but i would really like not to on this so any help is appreciated.

And a finally newbie question..What is the barrel length on the Ishapore 2a?

 

[mrmeval]

It's printed on the 'band' that's to the rear of the receiver. The 'band' is really the mount point for the rear buttstock.

For a stock I highly recommend the Advanced Technology monte carlo, it fits to the sholder well and points exceptionally well. But keep the wood and metal handy so you can return the rifle to original condition.

If you get one and need to remove the stove paint citristrip seems to be the best though I've not tried it. I used Red Devil stripper but they discontinued it and don't have a replacement that I can tell.

 

[MrDig]

As someone else stated the chamber pressures for NATO rifles are spec'ed to handle civilian ammo. This is for the safety of the soldier shooting the weapon, and to allow the soldier to Scavange for ammo if necessary. While 7.62 NATO rounds have less chamber pressure than .308 civilian rounds, the rifles themselves are designed to withstand the pressure for a number of very logical and important reasons.
I own 3 Ishapore 2A/2A1 rifles they are fine shooters and when cleaned up and restored are a fine looking rifle. They are a little rough when you strip them down to the bare metal and look best when enameled due to the forgiving nature of enamel coatings. As for the furniture well most of the time it is beat up and has stock repair. If you want replacement stocks are available from Numrich and Boyds, Sporter stocks are available too.