I read somewhere that Jack O'Connor had a 416 Rigby built on a 1917 or P14 Enfield action. I would love to see some pictures of this rifle. Also, I would love to see other pics of quality custom big bores built on the long Enfield action (No Hannibal rifles, please. Uhgg!!!) Especially in 416/450 Rigby's, 404/505 Jeffery's etc. or bigger. Just curious. Pics of action/bolt mods' are most welcome! Just curious. Thanks in advance.
Matt

I too would like to see pics of this rifle, and any others that he had, any of the famous gunwriters, always curious what they really carried in the field.

Red

Do a search on the gubsmithing forum.
Butch

Matt

A few years ago Hatari times had an article about using a 1917 as a platform for a 416 Rigby.

Mr. Wolfe's conclusion was that the Enfield was not cost effective as a substitute for one of the custom magnum actions. He did say that his opinion was that the Enfield was likely stronger than a Mauser.

I remember that, Harold Wolf is a funny guy. A few months ago I got into an email battle with him and he schooled me on a number of metilergical concepts with single shot actions and bolt rifles.

Neat guy!

Some of you have seen my Remington-Enfield in work. The metal work has been handled by Toomany Tools and Nick Hughes.




The scope bases are not finished. The scope rings are Burgess copies. It has a 3 pos safety and Nick Hughes will finish the custom bolt release when he is able. He was the unfortunate victim of a rifle blowup and lost his thumb and one finger. Pray for him. James Anderson is doing the extended tangs and carving the stock.
Butch

Love that bolt handle Butch it's perfect. Who did it?

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
Matt

A few years ago Hatari times had an article about using a 1917 as a platform for a 416 Rigby.

Mr. Wolfe's conclusion was that the Enfield was not cost effective as a substitute for one of the custom magnum actions. He did say that his opinion was that the Enfield was likely stronger than a Mauser.

Certainly the big CZ is the better and less expensive option, but I bet you could get an Enfield action tricked out for way less than any of the newly manufactured magnum size 98's. It would be less than buying a decent used Oberndorf magnum as well. I mostly just wanted to see picks of Jacks rifle, and what others have done to their Enfields.

Nick Hughes did the bolt handle and scope bases. It has Wiebe bottom metal and follower. Toomany Tools did the surface grinding, feed work, and 3 POS safety. I bought a new unissued receiver from Dago Red. Add the bottom metal, trigger, scope rings, bolt, 3 POS safety, trigger, Custom bolt release, custom mag box, and all the work would be about $1500 plus. I could have done a CZ receiver for much less, but this one will be nice.
Butch

Butch:

Thanks for the pics! Has the top of the left receiver wall been flattened out a bit. If so, it looks nice. Hard to tell from you pics. A bit fuzzy.

Does this help?




These pics were before the bolt handle and the custom bolt stop. I hope this answers your question. No work has been done to the lh side of the rear ring.
Butch

Hate to hear that about Nick, Hope recovery goes well for him!

If Jack O'Conner had a 1917 built I wonder who did the metal work. Once when I was visiting with Tom Burgesss he told me that Jack used to stop by and visit him every once in awhile and that he, Tom, did metalwork for Jack. I wonder if Tom did the work on the 1917.

Anyway, here is a close up of one that was done by Thomas Burgess.

In O'Conner's "The Rifle Book" he notes his 416 on an Enfield was stocked by Biesen and "action chambered and barreled in this country." He doesn't say who did the metal work. There is a picture of the rifle on page 231 of "Complete Book of Rifles and shotguns." Unfortunately he doesn't state who did the metal. The stock looks typical Biesen.

Jerry Liles

Butch:

That is just beautiful! I look forward to seeing the finished rifle. Topnotch.

Thanks for posting the Burgess pic 22wrf.

Man, this thread really bummed me out. I had a copy of O'Conners book on hunting rifles, and I went to get it to a copy a picture of the 416 which appears there. The book is gone and I realized I hadn't seen it since I moved three years ago. I had that book since I bought it used in the early 70's. BUMMER!

I did find a reference to it in another O'Conner book, and accrding to his story, the gun was 10-1/2 pounds and equippd with a 2-1/2 power scope. One strange fact was that he referred to the loads he used. He was carrying it on a lion hunt in a brushy, hilly area since he had been having a lot of trouble with 250 gr 338 bullets being deflected by brush. He stated that his loads for the 416 used either a 416 gr Barnes or (no kidding!) a 300 gr 375 Silvertip which was resized to 416 and shot like a varmint load.

That sounds bizarre, but remember, in that period, odd caliber big bore bullets were nearly impossible to find.

I also thought I would post a picture of the small bore Enfield I purchsed recently. I have seen a lot of attractive Enfields and they aren't all necesarily clubby. This one is 240 Weatherby, and I bought it as a consignment gun for less than I believe the stock blank would have cost. When I bought it, I took it to the range with some mild loads, and it would only ignite about 40% of them. Those that went off had a lot of primer flow. I took it apart and found that some goofball, in an effort to correct the combination of cock on opening and a weak spring, had decided the answer was to grind on the firing pin tip till it was too short and too small, but didn't address the spring. A new Woolf spring and a new firing pin from GPC put it right and it shoots around 3/4" with V-Max's. The only thing I would like to do is have the action reblued. The new fluted barrel and the floor plate were bead blasted and blued, but the action was still polished and had an older blue job. I suspect they got well along and discovered the firing problem and bailed, although that seems pretty odd. Any way, if I have the action bead blasted and reblued in the same matte finish as the rest of the metal work, it should be really nice.

Should have mentioned that the Enfield I bought had been contoured to Remington Model 30 contours, which I like. The bottom metal had been redone to resemble a Mauser floorplate, and the checker is a really nice island design with complete crossover and wraparound. While I don't know who did the barrel and stock, the stockwork is top drawer.

Art S,
That is a nice rifle!
Butch

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:

Certainly the big CZ is the better and less expensive option, but I bet you could get an Enfield action tricked out for way less than any of the newly manufactured magnum size 98's. It would be less than buying a decent used Oberndorf magnum as well. I mostly just wanted to see picks of Jacks rifle, and what others have done to their Enfields.

Sorry, I didn't mean to get it off topic. When the article was written a Satterlee action could be had for about $3,000, I believe.

If you figure what it would cost to do an Enfield, $3,000 is not bad considering you get an action made of better metal.

Cost to do an Enfield:

Action: $200
Bottom metal: $500
Trigger: $100
Bolt handle: $150
Safety: $300
Feed work: $300
Drill tap and exterior finish: $300
Extra for barreling due to square threads: ???

Butch

I always wanted a 240, but just never got around to it. I liked it so much after getting it up and running, I decided to build it a WW I twin. I found a really nice 03 built in the same year and got a good deal on a half octagon/half round barrel. I am putting it together with banded front, banded sling swivel and a small set of three leaf express sights I have had for a long time with an octagon base. I am having the stock turned from a really nice heavily streaked piece of English walnut with ebony tip and grip. It will have a 9" forearm to give it a mini-express rifle look with the barrel fittings. They should make a nice set. I will post pictures when it is done.

Should mention they were both made the year my Dad, now gone, was born. I am also restocking and refurbishing an Ithaca 37 16 gauge and an Ithaca NID 16 gauge which I obtained over the years and which were both made in the year I was born. Sometimes gun projects get started for odd personal reasons.

Well there is already a picture of Tom's work. I'll look and post some more. what I think is really cool about Butch's action is that it was unissued, the serial number was higher than supposed end of production for the remington 1917's. I bought this originally to have Tom work on and he was so excited when I told him the serial number, he thought I was full of it and made me send him a picture of the serial number before the action even went to him. If I remember correctly he researched and found out that it had been produced post war for sale to another country, I want to say China, but they were never delivered. it was the highest numbered action he'd ever seen, and was absolutely pristine never assembled. I can't wait to see what Butch ends up with.

I thought if somebody could post pics of Jack's rifle the gunsmiths here could probably tell who's work it was, or at least guess at it.

I remember a Jack O'Connor buffalo hunting story that I loved, it was the quintessential story of a tough as a tank buffalo that I think took 10+ rounds all said and done, 375 and 470.

Red

As promised, here you all go. Tom's work, he was the master. pics are courtesy of D'Arcy Echols, I believe he also did the stock work on this beauty.

quote:

Originally posted by 22WRF:
Fun doing something different - Priceless!

I hate that I am coming off as anti Enfield, because I'm not. I actually like them and think they are pretty neat.

But as far as doing something different, I would contend that there are far, far more Enfield bigbores in existence than Satterlee's and all the other custom actions combined.

quote:

But as far as doing something different, I would contend that there are far, far more Enfield bigbores in existence than Satterlee's and all the other custom actions combined.

Ah yes, but each one a little bit different than the next.

Here's an Enfield someone posted awhile back customized by Tom Burgess:

I believe Nick Hughes has a Burgess Enfield receiver. I'll try to get him to post a link or send us another photo.
Butch

Art,
Wish you would post photos on your projects when you can.
Butch

Another pic of a Burgess receiver.


Butch

Dago Red, that is the nicest metal work I've seen from an Enfeild...Thanks for posting!

Here's my wildcat .416/.300 Winchester Magnum on a P14 Enfield action. Metal work by the late Harry Creighton, stock by the late Hal Hartley.

My thanks to all who posted pics of their Enfields. They are all excellent examples of how elegant a sow's ear can be made to be. I will look at 1917 Enfields/Pattern 14's with newfound respect for what lies under the surface.

O'Connor also had a .416 on a French Brevex magnum Mauser action didn't he?
Nice Enfields!

Yes, I saw it for sale at the Tulsa Gun Show several years ago. Nothing fancy by today's standards. It is pictured on page 230 of Complete Book of Rifles & Shotguns. I believe it was made by Al Biesen. Roger Biesen will still turn a stock using the same pattern. He turned one for me for my Brevex 500A2.

O'Connor's Enfield 416 is pictured on page 231.

My 458 Lott and 375 H&H



Both are on a late model Rem 30S. They still LOOK like a 30S, not a Model 70 Winnie.

Keith

For us non gunsmith types, what is the exact procedure that is necessary in order to turn one of these 1917s from cock on closing to cock on opening? What machining and what parts?

On another note, perhaps there is some information about Jack's Enfield in the DVD
http://forums.accuratereloadin...3411043/m/9331075641

I used the Dayton Traister conversion units to convert all my M1917/P14 Enfields to cock on opening. I believe they are still available. (They are:http://www.daytraco.com/Products/Speed-Lock-Kit-P-1417-Enfield__DSLP.aspx)

They work perfectly, without a bobble, and requires no machining to install. They also reduce lock time.