Thread: Enfield barrel on a Martini and vice versa

I have a Martini Enfield artillery carbine barrel on a Lee Enfield action and I'm wondering if anything would have been done to it to make it fit, such as shortening the barrel at the chamber end? I have a non artillery Martini Enfield 303 action that I'd be tempted to put it on if it's a simple process. Cheers, Tom

Originally Posted by tommygun

I have a Martini Enfield artillery carbine barrel on a Lee Enfield action and I'm wondering if anything would have been done to it to make it fit, such as shortening the barrel at the chamber end? I have a non artillery Martini Enfield 303 action that I'd be tempted to put it on if it's a simple process. Cheers, Tom

It seems it can be done. Jouster2 Shooting Forums

Originally Posted by Cordite

It seems it can be done. Jouster2 Shooting Forums

I know people have done it, it just wondering if I'm going to have to recut the chamber, I'm guessing if the barrel was shortened to go on the bolt action then yes I'll have to get the chamber and extractor slots cut deeper to go back on a Martini action. But hopefully if that wasn't done it'll screw straight back into the Martini action with no real work.

Originally Posted by tommygun

I have a Martini Enfield artillery carbine barrel on a Lee Enfield action and I'm wondering if anything would have been done to it to make it fit, such as shortening the barrel at the chamber end? I have a non artillery Martini Enfield 303 action that I'd be tempted to put it on if it's a simple process. Cheers, Tom

Greetings Tommygun,
I believe that the threads are the same but the case rim is rebated into the barrel on the Martini but not on the Lee Enfield. This means that the Martini barrel would need to have been faced of at the breech, to remove the rebate, and the chamber re cut. Otherwise the extractor wouldn't have been able to reach the rim. More work would be required to put it back on the Martini now. An option for your martini action would be to pick up a take out .308 target barrel and fit and chamber it for the .30-30 or .30-40 Krag. It would have to be cut of at the breech to get rid of the chamber and leade. This is what I have on my Martini. A friend did the work for me so it was low cost but for a gunsmith to do the work you may not save much in a new barrel.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings Tommygun,
I believe that the threads are the same but the case rim is rebated into the barrel on the Martini but not on the Lee Enfield. This means that the Martini barrel would need to have been faced of at the breech, to remove the rebate, and the chamber re cut. Otherwise the extractor wouldn't have been able to reach the rim. More work would be required to put it back on the Martini now. An option for your martini action would be to pick up a take out .308 target barrel and fit and chamber it for the .30-30 or .30-40 Krag. It would have to be cut of at the breech to get rid of the chamber and leade. This is what I have on my Martini. A friend did the work for me so it was low cost but for a gunsmith to do the work you may not save much in a new barrel.
Regards Grandpamac.

Thanks. That's what I feared/suspected. It's a shame someone decided to do that to an artillery carbine barrel just to have a shorter barrel on their bolt gun for Bush hunting, better ways to accomplish that IMO.

Originally Posted by tommygun

Thanks. That's what I feared/suspected. It's a shame someone decided to do that to an artillery carbine barrel just to have a shorter barrel on their bolt gun for Bush hunting, better ways to accomplish that IMO.

Greetings Again,
It is possible that an early Lee Enfield was originally fitted with a Martini Enfield barrel originally. You could tell if there are the extractor cuts for the Martini on the breech face. It also occurred to me that the Martini barrel could just be made to fit without rechambering but it would be tricky. Fitting a Lee Enfield barrel to a Martini would definitely need rechambering. All is not lost however. There are lots of rimmed options for the Martini. I saw one in .444 Marlin and .38-55. If not now then later. Mine took the better part of 40 years from purchasing the original rifle to its first walk in the bush due to my intermittent work on it.
Regards Grandpamac.

Greetings Again,
I did a bit of digging and found that Martini Enfield barrels were fitted to some early Lee Enfields, about 1900 to 1902. Some of these are both rare and pricy so best to do nothing until you know what you have. Search "The New Zealand Carbine" by John Milligan.
Regards Grandpamac.

@grandpamac

I've got a Martini Enfield action that I bought as a complete rifle sans wood in the early 70s a Kapiti Antiques auction for $30. The barrel I gave away.

I toyed with a 38-55 but finally decided on 45-70 so bought a 45 cal barrel blank from Tony Hawkins again in the 70s. The 2 bits have yet to come together.
Problem now is I cannot remember if the barrel is smokeless or BP only.
Maybe in the next 47 years of my life the project will be completed.....

Must dig my action out and try and interpret its markings.

Like the look of your setup.

Originally Posted by zimmer

@grandpamac

I've got a Martini Enfield action that I bought as a complete rifle sans wood in the early 70s a Kapiti Antiques auction for $30. The barrel I gave away.

I toyed with a 38-55 but finally decided on 45-70 so bought a 45 cal barrel blank from Tony Hawkins again in the 70s. The 2 bits have yet to come together.
Problem now is I cannot remember if the barrel is smokeless or BP only.
Maybe in the next 47 years of my life the project will be completed.....

Must dig my action out and try and interpret its markings.

Like the look of your setup.

Greetings Zimmer,
I think that the long gestation period on some of these projects (sometimes called safe curing) adds luster to the final result as long as we are still alive to see it. My Martini was rebarrelled early 1981 in .30-30 and shot well using a bent bit of steel for a rear sight. I had loaded for it previously when a .303 but little in the way of accuracy was expected or achieved. The rifle was rechambered in 1996 to.30-40 but it took two decades to mount the scope. The base is a Weaver No 60 filed to suit. It shoots really well but is heavy so is reserved for mid week gentleman's hour wanders along with the other old soldiers.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings Again,
I did a bit of digging and found that Martini Enfield barrels were fitted to some early Lee Enfields, about 1900 to 1902. Some of these are both rare and pricy so best to do nothing until you know what you have. Search "The New Zealand Carbine" by John Milligan.
Regards Grandpamac.

The NZ Carbine barrels are different, I have one and I've compared them side by side. The flat part of the knoxform at 12 o'clock is only about a third as long on the NZ carbine barrel before it transitions to the rounded section, for example.