Thread: Oldest active hunting rifle

Has anybody rebarreled a martini-enfield action recently? I'mm in love with those carbines but all the ones I've seen in person have significant barrel corrosion.

Originally Posted by podocarp

Has anybody rebarreled a martini-enfield action recently? I'mm in love with those carbines but all the ones I've seen in person have significant barrel corrosion.

I sold my martini Enfield carbine to a very keen younger man and he's out the slaying pigs and deer with it

I brought it for the action because the barrel looked buggered.
It shot way better than I expected so I couldn't bear to break it up

So if the bore is poor it might shoot ok if you can find a load it likes

Originally Posted by podocarp

Has anybody rebarreled a martini-enfield action recently? I'mm in love with those carbines but all the ones I've seen in person have significant barrel corrosion.

Greetings @podocarp,
A friend rebarrelled one for me in the early 1980's which I still have. We used a takeout barrel from a .308 target rifle. The barrel had to be cut of at the breech around 40mm to get rid of the old chamber and rethreaded. A new chamber was cut in .30-30 which needed some adjustments to the extractor. Later the chamber was recut to .30-40 Krag. As it was a target barrel there was plenty of meat at the breech end for the new threads which may not be the case with a sporter barrel. I believe that the threads on the Martini and the Lee Enfield are similar so one of the latter barrels could be used but the whole chamber would need to be recut. This is to to provide the recess for the rim which the Martini has but the Lee Enfield does not and provide room for the case.
The only other option is a new barrel but the Martini rifles were mostly made in the century before last so the choice should be between lower pressure cartridges.
Regards Grandpamac.