nyathi
Member
I recently inherited a Lee Enfield No4 Mk1 from my father. It was a gun he used in Bisley shooting between 1958 and 1970. The rifle was not fired in the last 35 odd years (before it came to me) but kept fairly well oiled. I now use it for shooting at a club where we are only allowed to shoot with .303 British military rifles as issued. Competitions take place once a month when we shoot from a different distance, starting from 100 metres in January up to 900 metres in September. The competition normally is 3 sighters + 10 shots to count from the prone position in approx 20 minutes. My experience was that I always start well with the non-counting sighters spot on after which the grouping opens up badly - 100 meters 6-8 inch diameter - indicating that something happens when the barrel gets hotter.
I've shown the rifle to a gunsmith who pushed his barrel scope in and showed me that there is some pitting of the rifling present. He ascribes it to the ammo that was used in the old days that caused barrel deterioration of the rifle was not cleaned soon after a shoot. But he says that he does not explain the size of the group. (I must also say that I shoot a lot better with a good rifle 4-6 inch diameter groups 100 metres)
I have noticed that the front wooden cover of the barrel can rattle around the barrel at the front end - and was told that's the way these guns were made. I've also heard that some people have found that the accuracy improves if that movement is removed through either glassbedding or cork bedding or a cork ring packing (terms that are all foreign to me).
The particluar gunsmith (who I happen to know is an excellent gunsmith) says that he tried to pack three No4 Mk1's in his life and only one of them was reasonably successful and therefore does not even try it anymore - saying that it is more of an art than a science to pack these things and he feels that he obviously does not have the touch.
Any advice on where do I start and what do I do ?
Regards,
I've shown the rifle to a gunsmith who pushed his barrel scope in and showed me that there is some pitting of the rifling present. He ascribes it to the ammo that was used in the old days that caused barrel deterioration of the rifle was not cleaned soon after a shoot. But he says that he does not explain the size of the group. (I must also say that I shoot a lot better with a good rifle 4-6 inch diameter groups 100 metres)
I have noticed that the front wooden cover of the barrel can rattle around the barrel at the front end - and was told that's the way these guns were made. I've also heard that some people have found that the accuracy improves if that movement is removed through either glassbedding or cork bedding or a cork ring packing (terms that are all foreign to me).
The particluar gunsmith (who I happen to know is an excellent gunsmith) says that he tried to pack three No4 Mk1's in his life and only one of them was reasonably successful and therefore does not even try it anymore - saying that it is more of an art than a science to pack these things and he feels that he obviously does not have the touch.
Any advice on where do I start and what do I do ?
Regards,
