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Early DCRA conversion face lift

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Olddust View Drop Down
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    Posted: June 09 2022 at 12:17pm
So I got my DCRA conversion #143  about a year ago. It was rather cosmetically challenged with a mismatched butt and lots worn varnish in the forewood. I know the target shooters of the day varnished their rifles to manage the wood swelling in wet conditions, but I didn't like the look. The bore is near pristine, and I wanted to help the wood match the performance of the gun.  Stripped scraped steamed out the dents and a matching butt installed. Three good coats of linseed in. She is looking up. She wears  a scope in a no drill mount at the moment as some load testing is in the works   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 2:03pm
Looks good!  

I’ve got two of these, with PH 5C rear sight, in the condition they were used in DCRA matches in the 1960’s.  

One has the forend barrel bearing at the sling swivel band, the other was an experimental bedding method, the entire barrel channel is glass filled.  It was done in attempt to make it shoot well with crappy Canadian 7.62 Ball ammo before the DCRA and UK NRA realized all their troubles with the 7.62 conversions were because of poor quality ammo. 

Both shoot exceptionally good with 168 gr SMKs, 40 gr Varget.   I’ve got a picture somewhere with ten shots at 300 yards prone on the SR target all in the 10 ring with most shots (I think 8/10) in the 1 MOA X-ring. Very respectable for a SR(b) Service Rifle. 

Both rifles are Mk 2 actions with Beech furniture.  And I think they were both unissued No. 4 Mk 2 rifles, original wood.  The finish does seem to be some type of varnish or urethane, don’t know what.  

Wish I could find a proper 7.62 magazine. 



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Olddust Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 2:25pm
This one has slender bed at Chamber, dual barrel beds and a red oak insert at the action screw. Handguards are lined with a cork strip. Mag is a modified 2A replacement with same for extractor. Works great and was low buck.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 2:38pm
I’ve not seen the two barrel bearings before, that may have been another experimental forend.  The DCRA and UK NRA really struggled to get these 7.62 conversions to shoot as good as the .303 during the late 1950’s and 1960’s.  It eventually lead to the development of the 4 lb barrel allowed for SR(b) competition and creation of the Target Rifle (TR) classification at Bisley.

Have you tried to measure the pressure on the bearings from the barrel?  

Do you have ejection of the empty case?  I tried using a 7.62 extractor and was able to get a very weak ejection, but gave up on it and I remove the empty case with my fingers. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Olddust Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 4:47pm
I have seen another conversion which went to Bisley in 1958. It is a low # as well. It has the textbook Mid bed, with full red oak inset at action screw. The shooter/owner has told me that it was temperamental. “ You had to understand the first two shots would be high”  
Mine has shown sub moa groups with careful handloads. 

 I have postive ejection and excellent feeding. The key is a adding a tab on the mag lip to eject rounds..The shorter rimless 7.62 case will not eject with receiver friction. I have found that adding too much extractor pressure trying to increase friction at receiver wall will cause feeding issues. So set up the extractor to grip the case without jamming on feed cycle and tig a little tab on the mag lip to eject the case.
I may have a pic here somewheres.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Olddust Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 4:54pm
Here it is
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Goosic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 5:21pm
Originally posted by britrifles britrifles wrote:

Looks good!  

I’ve got two of these, with PH 5C rear sight, in the condition they were used in DCRA matches in the 1960’s.  

One has the forend barrel bearing at the sling swivel band, the other was an experimental bedding method, the entire barrel channel is glass filled.  It was done in attempt to make it shoot well with crappy Canadian 7.62 Ball ammo before the DCRA and UK NRA realized all their troubles with the 7.62 conversions were because of poor quality ammo. 

Both shoot exceptionally good with 168 gr SMKs, 40 gr Varget.   I’ve got a picture somewhere with ten shots at 300 yards prone on the SR target all in the 10 ring with most shots (I think 8/10) in the 1 MOA X-ring. Very respectable for a SR(b) Service Rifle. 

Both rifles are Mk 2 actions with Beech furniture.  And I think they were both unissued No. 4 Mk 2 rifles, original wood.  The finish does seem to be some type of varnish or urethane, don’t know what.  
Wish I could find a proper 7.62 magazine. 
I could have misread this but, if I infact did read it correctly,  the only contact the barrel should have with the forend is at the muzzle. I have setup my No4Mk1* LB this way and have zero issues with accuracy.  The only contact the action has is where it sits in the forend and where the trigger guard contacts the wood with a solid connection with the king screw spacer. I know there are numerous written articles about accurizing the Enfield rifle but find the original bedding information from Enfield to be satisfactory. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 5:54pm
Yes, that is the standard “orthodox” bedding method and is entirely suitable for military purposes. 

It wasn’t until competitive service rifle shooting resumed after WWII that considerable experimentation took place to find ways to improve the accuracy of the No. 4 rifle for target shooting purposes.   Some of this is described in E.G.B. Reynolds book, and in later articles he wrote.  My mid band bedded 7.62 conversion is my most accurate No. 4 closely followed by my “Center” bedded Fulton Regulated No.4.  The advantage these bedding methods give is much less influence from changing temperature and humidity conditions as the barrel free floats forward of the barrel bearing.  Imagine laying out in the hot sun shooting prone, then it starts to rain, then the sun comes out again (typical English summer weather), the forend warps and pushes the barrel off to one side or up/down at the muzzle bearing of a standard bedded rifle.  Even laying the rifle down on its side would change the zero, sun on one side, damp cool grass on the other.  These guys knew what they were doing…


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Olddust Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 5:59pm
Please understand the bedding setups of these rifles was done “in the era” by the national team trying to get the “new” chambering to shoot. Traditional no4 bedding was well known and utilized but didn’t work with the 7.62 converted rifles. Several alternatives were tried and a few have been described in the last couple posts
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Goosic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 6:13pm
My 7.62mm converted No4 has the 6 groove L8 series barrel from Canadian Arsenal. It has been cutback to 20.5" and is fully free floated. The forend is bedded to action no different than it would have been from the factory and this rifle can and does shoot Sub MOA groups.  I cannot explain it but assume it has everything to do with barrel harmonics...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Olddust Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 7:38pm
Yes the CA barrels are very good. I haven’t seen any that wouldn’t shoot. Was your rifle a numbered CA Conversion? It will be stamped at the receiver ring and on the barrel at Knox form.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Goosic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 09 2022 at 7:46pm
Originally posted by Olddust Olddust wrote:

Yes the CA barrels are very good. I haven’t seen any that wouldn’t shoot. Was your rifle a numbered CA Conversion? It will be stamped at the receiver ring and on the barrel at Knox form.
My rifle was converted by myself using a Savage receiver. I found the barrel online still in a wax wrap.  It is one of the experimental barrels for the L8 series project and made of chromium molybdenum alloy with a hard chromium plated chamber. It has been proofed to 22.3 tons. My chosen handload using 41.5grns of IMR4064 is well under the established 45,000 CUP of the 303B...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Olddust Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2022 at 6:49am
Thats a sweet shooter. I don’t think it is a Canadian Arsenal barrel. Its British proofed, and I don't see any Canadian marks. I am not aware of any documented history of Canadian Arsenals working on the L8 project. Was the wrapper marked as Canadian? Did you cut it down when you built your rifle? If so was the muzzle end marked CA7.62? 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Goosic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2022 at 8:02am
Originally posted by Olddust Olddust wrote:

Thats a sweet shooter. I don’t think it is a Canadian Arsenal barrel. Its British proofed, and I don't see any Canadian marks. I am not aware of any documented history of Canadian Arsenals working on the L8 project. Was the wrapper marked as Canadian? Did you cut it down when you built your rifle? If so was the muzzle end marked CA7.62? 
 
The CA stamp is just below the woodline. It is dated 61 and has a 6 groove right hand twist rifling. The barrel was full length when I recieved it and it retained the bayonet lugs like the the 303 counterpart and no, there are/where no other stamps on or around the muzzle area.
On page 260 of the book, "The Lee Enfield" Skennerton talks about Canadian Arsenal producing experimental 7.62mm barrels like mine for the L8 rifles...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Olddust Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2022 at 5:35pm
Well there ya go! Always happy to learn something. You have quite a collection of fine shooting no4 rifles.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Moosm14 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2022 at 8:55am
Great discussion!

By the way old dust - which no drill scope mount did you use on this?
There is room for all of gods creatures ... right next to the mashed potatoes
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