Thread: 303 muzzle

Got a PH 303 smile sporter with a dent in the muzzle
Groups not flash, that with irons tho
Bores about 6-7 out of 10,
Should I get it recrowned- wat say you ?

whyever not??? other than a few $$$$ and should be less than a hundy....whats to loose???

Good call

Well a recrown won't make it shoot worse but that ding is not in your bore by the looks, I think look else where for the reason, clean bore well, check screws, proper ammo & fit a good scope could all help ?

Define not flash anything under 6 inches at 100 yards with factory irons is not bad

Have it crowned mate. Nothing to loose.

Good advice all
Was just the first outing to see how it shoot as I had just got it off TM.
@50m bout 4-5 “ gp 5 out of 10 rnds S&B
Tucker @100m, only a few hits on an A3 paper , that was using old fruit salad milspec FMJ x 20
Wanted to keep it old skool original with the iron sight, maybe not !
I will strip it an give a good clean & tighten up etc chuck a scope on as well

The headspace is gtg, been checked.
The fore-end is loose, round in the muzzle check look ok
Is stamped FTR 53 as well, so would have been refurbed.

Originally Posted by Luke556

Good advice all
Was just the first outing to see how it shoot as I had just got it off TM.
@50m bout 4-5 “ gp 5 out of 10 rnds S&B
Tucker @100m, only a few hits on an A3 paper , that was using old fruit salad milspec FMJ x 20
Wanted to keep it old skool original with the iron sight, maybe not !
I will strip it an give a good clean & tighten up etc chuck a scope on as well
Attachment 147161

Greetings Luke 556,
Shit ammo will produce shit groups. Once you have dealt with the items that you and others have already mentioned you may want to test it with some decent ammunition, either commercial or better still light hand loads. Neither of my .303 rifles are anywhere as nice as yours but both shoot inside 25 mm at 60 m using the Hornady 174 grain round nose and 32 grains of AR2206H or 40 grains of AR2209. Lee Enfields are inclined to spray different loads widely, especially full power loads. The aiming mark needs to be compatible with iron sights. A decent size red circle or semicircle works best for me. Lastly I hope that you cleaned the barrel with boiling water after firing the military ammo. This is essential to stop corrosion.
Best of luck with your prize,
Grandpamac.

Fore end loose is likely to be a factor. The enfields were "pressure bedded" ie there was slight upward pressure applied by the fore wood to the barrel to impart accuracy and consistency.
It's only a few pounds but it makes a huge difference. A loose fore end or one that has been relieved to free float will do nothing for accuracy.

@grandpamac you’re dead right bout the Ammo, I just banged it off cause I had it.
I’ve never tried the boiling water, is hoppes or collings solvent not similar result ?
I definitely intend to get back on the range with some decent ammo for the next shoot.

S & B ammo has its critics. I had a swag of it because I wanted brass to reload for my 303. Sold 303 and gave S & B away so was never able to test it for accuracy.

I had a PH the same as yours. My first CF rifle. Had the 5 shot mag though. Mine had a weird heat stain visible inside the barrel which lined up with the fore sight I guess from PH sweating it on.

Re the fore end. That need to be secured but don't expect to be able to preload it the same as fully wooded rifle. There is just not the same support in the shortened wood that is offered by a fully wooded rifle with top wood and 2 barrel bands. Also the shortened wood doesn't give the same option of loading the end of the barrel which was one of the places where barrel wip was tried to be controlled.

My old No 4 range rifle had a lot of clever bedding fitted by an old guy at the club I joined in my late teens. He bedded it at several points along the barrel length. All done without using synthetics bogs as their use was prohibited back then.
I had a Fulton for a while and they also had their clever bedding method.

Originally Posted by Luke556

@grandpamac you’re dead right bout the Ammo, I just banged it off cause I had it.
I’ve never tried the boiling water, is hoppes or collings solvent not similar result ?
I definitely intend to get back on the range with some decent ammo for the next shoot.

Greetings Luke 566,
If any of the cartridges you fired were CAC or other WW2 you need to clean the barrel with boiling water. Military primers up to about 1950 deposit potassium chloride, a salt, in the bore. this can rust the barrel under an oil film. I used to pour a jug full of boiling water down the bore. Easy to do in a Lee Enfield. Oil after air drying.
Grandpamac

Greetings Again Luke 556,
Tea was ready and rushed the last post a bit. To be clear yes you do need to clean the barrel with boiling water. Looking at your photo of the muzzle shows pretty good rifling. I can see all the 5 grooves so should be capable of decent accuracy. Scoping Lee Enfields is not simple and results can be variable. The no 1 rifles like yours, have the bridge riveted on and are sometimes loose. The Parker Hale base is screwed onto the receiver ring and the bridge. A loose bridge can result in wandering zero. If your eyes are up to it the open sights can work rather well so I would not be in a hurry to scope it. Enjoy it for what it is. There are not many left as nice as yours.
Regards Grandpamac.

that is indeed a well preserved rifle.... make sure rear sight doesnt wobble sideways.... a bit of paper jammed under it and between the sides works a treat.
try both 150 and 180grn loads as rifle will definitely prefer one over the other.
I presume you are shooting over something like a rolled sleeping bag and holding forend well????
these old girls usually have 2 stage trigger...so you start to take up pressure and it gets firmer...from there on its same as modern trigger.
keep us posted with how you get on.