Question about a 303 Enfield

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jon_in_wv

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I recently bought a 303 enfield for about 100 bucks. I took it to my gunsmith to have him check the headspace and he called me this morning with bad news. He said the headspace was WAY out of spec and even with a different bolt head he feels I would have to turn in the barrel. Basically he said I would probably have a few hundred dollars into this gun to make it a shooter. :( It is a decent looking gun and a friend of mine has several WWII era guns as wallhangers in his house. Maybe I'll just give it to him as a gift. Is there a lower cost alternative to making this gun work or should I just get another gun?
 
I might just get it double checked if I was you. It seems kinda weird for it to have such a massive headspace that you can't work with it, especially with the exchangable heads and if he measured with SAAMI gauges. Of course a NoI MkIII is a little harder to find the correct bolthead as armourers would adjust these to each rifle.

Even then you should be able to get the barrel altered for alot cheaper than $300.
 
Heck, if it's something you can't fix with just a bolt head, you could buy a few bolt bodies and get one that is larger than the current bolt.
 
"...buy a few bolt bodies..." Doesn't work that way with an Enfield. Although it can, but you're looking at a lot of trial and error with pricey parts. A stripped bolt(just the body, no head, firing pin, etc) for a No. 4 is worth $26.50 each at Gunparts.
Headspace on either model is adjusted by changing the bolt head and re-checking the headspace with proper guages. The No.1 and No. 4 use totally different bolt heads.
"...recently bought a 303 enfield...a lower cost alternative..." Yep. However, like MikeG says, which model? Where is the rear sight? On the barrel makes it a No. 1. On the receiver makes it a No. 4.
SAAMI spec headspace guages will be just fine. Brownell's sells them if you want to do it yourself($25 each I think). It's not difficult. Slip the guage under the extractor(or take it out) and close the bolt. It should close on a Go, but not close on a No-Go. Although if it does, try a Field. If it closes on a Field the headspace is excessive. Not closing on a Field indicates the headspace is on the high end, but the rifle is safe to shoot. It's entirely possible your smithy doesn't have a Field. Not likely, but possible.
Fixing the headspace on a No. 1 requires a handful of pricey bolt heads($11.30 each from Gunparts) and some trial and error with the guages until you find one that works.
Fixing the headspace on a No. 4 is slightly easier, depending on what number is on the bolt head. If it's a '0', you try a Number 1, then a Number 2 if the Number 1 didn't fix it. Gunparts has Number 1's and 2's(same price). If it's a Number 2, you have a hunt ahead of you for a Number 3.
I know of a guy, up here, who may have one. Surf over to http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/ and into the 'Milsurp' forum and ask about them. It won't be $11.30 though. Marstar lists them for a No.4 at $19 Cdn, but doesn't say what numbers they have. http://www.marstar.ca/le4mk1s.htm
 
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Its a no.4 mk1. I should have mentioned that. I'm not sure what number the bolt head is. I'll have to check that out when I pick it up again. Where would I find that number?
 
Ask the gunsmith if he is using SAAMI gauges like Foster or actual British Military gauges. If I remember right, a SAAMI Field is close to a mil spec no-go gauge. And remember, the .303 headspaces on the rim, not the shoulder. If you want a good scare, grab 3 or 4 manufacturers of .303 brass and pit a caliper on the rim. You will find a wide variation in rim thickness. And, you will probably find that a .303 rim is not as thick as a Foster Field gauge. So, my point is, I would not get too hung up in the head space issue. There are very few gun plumbers that knlw anything about the Enfields. I bought both sets of gauges, and all 12 of my .303's are fine. YMMV.:D
 
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