Thoughts on a British .303 Enfield

Status
Not open for further replies.
loose noose

loose noose

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Messages
3,456
Location
Southern Nevada
Recently encountered a very clean British Enfield, in fact it is too clean, believe it was made around 1950, the bore is very sharp with no pitting etc. in the lands and grooves, the muzzle looks like it has been crowned very professionally. The stock and metal increments are very clean no visible rust or dings. The elderly man told me he is a collector and decided to get rid of some of his collection that he very rarely shoots any more. It is a No.4 MK2 (F), with the brass butt plate with the trap door hole for the cleaning rod (note I didn't check to see if it had cleaning rod). The stock on the right side has the number 65 inscribed on it. He is asking $230.00 with 2 boxes of Sellier & Bellot 150 grain rounds.

I have no idea of the British .303 Enfield, other than I've been told they are inherently inaccurate, and they won't shoot a .308 caliber bullet worth a darn. I do cast bullets up to .311, but have never done anything beyond cast for .310 for a 30-30 I used in CAS shooting.

Any info on the value, or desirability of this firearm would be greatly appreciated. Note I didn't see any English markings on the rifle, but I wasn't really looking for any markings other than I described. Thanks in advance for any info.
 
.311 bullets should work fine for it, i like the enfields action, im just not fond of the .303 caliber for the same reasons i dislike 7.62x54R
 
Does it have the full military stock or has it been sporterized? If it is super clean it might be possible that it was reblued. Pictures would be a lot of help. For $230 I'd probably take a chance on it. If it turns out to not be worth much, at least you own the fastest bolt action ever made and probably a pretty good shooter too.
 
I would jump all over it. If it has not been "sporterized" it is an even better deal. I have 5 Enfields that were purchased in various states of completeness but they all shoot very nicely. Reloading is easy and you DO NOT use .308 bullets. The recoil is not bad and the action is very easy to work. I enjoy mine and would quickly buy another one if I could find more in decent condition just because.......
 
The No.4Mk2 Lee Enfield was the last of the line and very well made. Few saw any kind of hard use and most have really good, tight bores and headspace, making them excellent shooters. This model has the trigger hung from the rear action "socket" instead of off the trigger guard for a more consistent trigger pull. If it has the original wood, you are getting it for about half of what they usually sell for.The Sellier & Bellot ammo is OK for shooting as long as you don't epect to reload the cases
 
For that price I'd grab it. Though there never was a cleaning rod that I know of, just the trap door for the pull through. 303 is a great round, easy to shoot and pretty accurate, but if you are loading from chargers, strippers, make sure the cases are properly staggered or you'll get rim lock.
 
It is a full stocked military type rifle, definitely not sporterized. I do wonder what the 65 on the right side of the stock is for. Reckon I'll get a hold of the gentleman tomorrow and make the purchase, he doesn't live that far from me. Once I've got it I'll post some pictures.

Thanks for all the replies, guess I'm going to have to cast some .311 bullets for it. BTW what is wrong with the Sellier & Bellot brass?
 
For what it's worth I have one that will easily put 5 shots in a single hole (that can be covered by a Nickel) at 100 yards shooting Remington core-lokt. I do understand those results are not typical.
My dad bought it for $30 years ago in a pawn shop, he gave it to me and couldn't believe how it shot after I scoped it. He did cut the stock off (barrel end) a little ways back, but it is the original stock.
 
Buy the rifle! That's a good deal and you should be into an outstanding shooter.

Many years ago you could find these in the wrap-some of them never used.
 
IMO: For $230?

The ammo is $30+ a box.

And you can strip it for parts and sell most of them on eBay for $500 if it turns out to be a bad one.

rc
 
An unmolested No.4 MK II will go for $1000 US over here. A lot of the 1950s guns were never issued, sold off as surplus 50 years later, still in the grease. It's quite possible the only rounds through that gun were fired by the current owner.

I would buy it.
 
Back in the mid to late 1980s many brand new unfired surplus No. 4, Mk2 rifles were imported. This is probably one of them.

They are not "inherently inaccurate", like any military rifle, some are better than others, and some are very accurate right out of the box.
 
Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it!

:D

... I have no idea of the British .303 Enfield, other than I've been told they are inherently inaccurate, ...
Click to expand...
Whoever told you that is ignorant, stupid or a liar.

... and they won't shoot a .308 caliber bullet worth a darn. ...
Click to expand...
Yeah, dang it, my 8mm Mauser has that same problem. :rolleyes:

That sounds like a great deal.

... I do wonder what the 65 on the right side of the stock is for. ...
Click to expand...

If it is painted on, especially, it is probably just a Rack Number.
 
I bought mine not too long ago for $175. The previous owner refinished the stock and didn't do a bad job of it either. Nice and smooth, very clean looking with the faded metal to contrast I think. I found some ammo online for about $15/box new for FMJ and SP and bought about 6 boxes. Got a few boxes of military ball from a friend for $20 a box of 48. I scrubbed the bore and removed a ton of fouling, pretty deep rifling was hiding underneath. It's still one of the most popular reloading calibers in the US and there is plenty of information and supplies to do so. I would jump all over it for $230.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    127.5 KB · Views: 92
Any enfield under $250 in decent shape I'd buy. Sounds like you got yourself a pretty good deal.

I picked mine up for $125 or so a while back. Sporterized. Missing the flip up rear sight. A couple bucks and I had a good shooter for under $200. The guy gave me a good deal because he could only find $40/box Federal ammo that was "too expensive to shoot"

At the end of the day you can get PPU ammo for $17-18 a box. Not too bad if you ask me and good brass for reloading.
 
If you haven't bought it yet....quick....tell me where it is so I can! Sounds like a great deal. RC, I don't know where you get $30 a box for ammo! In the Gander Mountain near me they Have Remington 180 Gr Factory ammo for 19.95 a box. PPU for even less.

Loose noose, you don't have to cast anything for that rifle, .311 dia jacked bullets are readily available in the proper weight range. The cartridge is easy to load with common rifle powders. Last #4 Mk 1 I owned would put surplus ammo into a couple of inches at 100. The #4s are generally more accurate than the #1 Mk3s because of better sights and a longer sighting radius.

GRAB THAT GUN!
 
If unaltered military form, buy the thing!
Mine will do 2 inches at 100 yards with factory ammunition.
As far as I'm concerned, that model is the apex of the Enfield series & well worth that price.
Denis
 
Well I went down there this morning, and bought the rifle for $230.00 along with the 2 boxes of Sellier & Bellot ammo. Took it home and cleaned it up a bit before I took it out and shot it. (one box of the described ammo). Shot it off hand, has a really decent trigger pull once I got used to it, at 50 yards. Nothing to brag about had a 3"X4" group right about where I was aiming, with 10 rounds. Note they spread out but I do believe it was me. Next time I'll take the bench, and see how they perform. Plan on reloading for it as soon as I get the dies and the bullets. Below are several of the pictures that turned out.

I don't know what is going on here but I have a "security token" preventing me from exhibiting the photos here I'll try at a different time and see what the problem is. The rifle is fairly heavy and the recoil is very light, probably just the commercial ammo and 150 grain bullet. I do like the rifle though.
 
Last edited:
Many of the No 4 Mk II's imported were in near new condition. The practical accuracy is generally very good. They are not benchrest guns, but I doubt you would miss a shot in the field due to the gun.
 
Here is the other photo showing the number on the right side of the stock #65.

I too was unaware of the date of the last of the .303 British Enfields, I thought everybody made semi-autos at least back then.

DSCN1458.jpg
 
Very good example and excellent price, especially with a matching bolt.

With the excellent aperture sight (unknown on most milsurp rifles), smooth bolt and recoil much less than my former Yugo Mauser, buy it before one of his friends/family members offers him more!:)

People who say inherently Inaccurate (what range?) could be confusing the #4s with some of the #5 "Jungle Carbines", although my #5s' groups are about as tight as with the #4s from 100 yards. All five bores are in identical, good condition.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
  • Locked
S[portorized P = 14 .303 British
Replies
5
Views
417
robertbank
R
B
  • Locked
Help with Lee Enfield MK4 No1
Replies
5
Views
846
Belgiboy
B
Eb1
  • Locked
I think I found a stray that needs a home. Ruger No. 1 in .303 British
Replies
4
Views
511
lowerunit411
L
J
  • Locked
Century Arms Hotshot Ammo- 303 Brit.
Replies
0
Views
818
Jaeger
J
F
  • Locked
British Enfield 303
Replies
14
Views
662
303tom
3
Back
Top