I bought my first 303 British Enfield today. It was an impulse thing. It is full military, with everything there including the Limey web sling. The bore is bright,smooth, and sharp. I would call the overall condition at leat Very Good maybe better. It is marked 1945 Long Branch. The price was $150 out the door. So what do I have here, other than the obvious (WWII British Service Rifle)? Did I get bit on the price and how does these things do with cast. I have the large 30 cal.mould that SAECO sell for the .303. Being similiar to the Krag, I suspect this is a good candidate for good old WC872. Any input..I am really dumb on these things?

Chargar, pard;

If the #4 is in as good-condition as you say, you made a very good buy.

Long Branch was a Canadian government arsenal in the Toronto, Ontario area, and it's #4 rifles are largely considered to be the best of all the #4s from any of the various producers. (India and Australia/New Zealand never did produce the #4, sticking with the #1 MkIII throughout WW II.) Being that it's a very late-war production piece also means that the urgency of the earlier war years had eased-off to a large degree, and certainly yours could be better-made than earlier ones. Even the earliest Long Branch rifles, about 1942, were very good indeed however. (For one thing, the factory wasn't in danger of being bombed out of existence or over-run by invaders, unlike the British arsenals!)

At least some Long Branch rifles (and some Savage-made #4s) had two-groove barrels for quicker manufacture. The normal-spec #4 barrels have five grooves, left-hand twist, which makes accurate measuring of bore dimensions difficult. The two-groove barrels have been proving to be very good cast-bullet tubes, even though the grooves are rather tiny.

The #4 is a great favorite of mine, and I am presently awaiting delivery of a brand-new un-issued British #4 of 1955 production....for a LOT more than you paid! If you ever want to sell the new acquisition, keep me in mind. I still need a Long Branch #4 my ownself. (I was issued LB #4 serial #85L7408, in the summer of 1958 at an Army Camp south of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I've owned #4s ever since!)

Have fun. Remember to size cases VERY sparingly, or your .303 case life will be short. Try not to even touch the case shoulders if possible. The cartridge is indeed a lot like the Krag, and the only real difference is the barrel diameters. Loads that work in your Krag collection should do fine in the #4, and the Enfield is likely a tad stronger....not that it matters.

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren mk1)

BruceB -



I have a NEW (in cosmo with the original tags) No.4 Mk1 from Malta. Is it worth keeping that way or should I use it for a shooter? 2 groove bbl, 1941.

Charger,
I also have one, and it is in fine conditon. Doubt my load(s) would help, but I did discover that when it gets warm, the POI shifts...
If yours does the same, there is more than one way to address the bedding. I have yet to decide which is best, or at least the one to try first.

BrenMk1,
I paid $185 for mine and it came with the sling, leather tie-on cheek piece, and S&K scope mount. I knew the reputation of the 2-groove barrels, so I took it home. It is a `42, #2L 44XX and the stock was "painted" with a transparent brown stain of some sort. The bore is spotless (borescope view)...
Can you suggest how best to bed this one??

STP, pard;

In some rather limited long-range (up to 1000 yards) match shooting with the #4, a quick-and-dirty check which we learned for the condition of the bedding was to push the muzzle end of the barrel around. It SHOULD rest (touching the wood) centrally in its bedding at the forend, and it should be able to be pushed straight up from that position a short distance.

On the other hand, if pushed sideways in the bedding, it should only move a short distance and EQUALLY to either side, indicating that the fore-end is not bearing unevenly on one side or the other. Of course, we were really moving the stock around, not the barrel, but it SEEMS like the barrel is moving....

This was for shooting military-issue ammunition. At Steve Redgewell's .303 site, there are publications available on accurizing these rifles, including bedding tactics and trigger work. Try:

www.303british.com

and I think that'll get you there. Dang....everybody but me has a Long Branch #4!!

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren Mk1)

trk, sir;

That's an easy question. Answer: Danged if I know!!

The rifle is probably from "Maltby", a major British producer of #4 rifles, not "Malta". There should be the initials "MB" on the left of the butt socket, if it's like others I've seen.

Shoot it? I certainly would, but we must also realize that although millions of the rifles were made, NEW ones are rare, relatively speaking. I fully intend to shoot that new one that's coming here. In your case, I think I'd take good care of the rifle, preserve the tags etc., but certainly I would shoot it. My heirs can worry themselves about "lost" value...it isn't going to bother me.

Yours really is an early rifle, as #4 production was just getting well-started by 1941.

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren Mk1)

Thanks guys...I feel better about the purchase now. The barrel on my rifle is a two groove. I will slug mine, but what is your best guess as to the nominal groove diamter of the barrel? I have the SAECO mould and a .313 size die and hope to get buy without buying more stuff.