Enfield action strength |
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Long branch
Senior Member Joined: January 08 2014 Location: Georgia, USA Status: Offline Points: 251 |
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Posted: November 21 2019 at 6:05am |
This should be a sticky, I think. I'm tired of hearing how weak the enfield action is. Here's a stress test on a No.4 enfield chambered in 300 Win Mag. |
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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What says the Hive mind? Sticky or not? |
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Goosic
Senior Member Joined: September 12 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Status: Offline Points: 8792 |
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Sticky
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Canuck
Special Member Donating Member Joined: January 17 2012 Location: Agassiz BC Status: Offline Points: 3535 |
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Sticky yes.
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Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually
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Canuck
Special Member Donating Member Joined: January 17 2012 Location: Agassiz BC Status: Offline Points: 3535 |
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So, the take away with this test is non-destructive flaw testing the bolt before shooting 300 WM would be highly recommended.
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Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually
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Zed
Special Member Donating Member Joined: May 01 2012 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 5585 |
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Interesting video. Not convinced that the crack was a manufacturer's defect though. There are marks that show it has increase in depth over the years. Maybe initially caused by proof testing and just increased slowly ver the thousand's of rounds that have probably been put through the rifle.
Still it's very pleasing to see that when it failed, it was not dangerous to the shooter. The long lug doing it's job. |
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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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Long branch
Senior Member Joined: January 08 2014 Location: Georgia, USA Status: Offline Points: 251 |
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My take away is that it lasted many decades firing 303 with that flaw. Then, it lasted a while in 7.62, which is a higher pressure cartridge. Then, it took 16 rounds of .300 win mag, 6 of them slathered in oil, to finally cause the already flawed bolt lug to break. Even then, that's not an action failure. The headspace did not shift throughout the test, which means that the receiver held up spectacularly. I wonder if it would have broken at all had the bolt not already been cracked.
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britrifles
Senior Member Joined: February 03 2018 Location: Atlanta, GA Status: Offline Points: 6539 |
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I agree, that initial crack was not a manufacturing "flaw". While there would be a significant stress concentration at the lug to bolt body transition, it would not have been cracked at the time of manufacture; not even likely after the original proof test. Given enough rounds of .303, the lug would have eventually failed, the .300 Win Mag loads just accelerated it.
Doesn't worry me though, shows that the action design is fail-safe with the long continuous locking lug. Goes to show that the No. 4 is perfectly safe to shoot 7.62 despite "warnings" that are out there. Bottom line: Keep the chambers free of oil and keep the cartridges dry and bolt thrust loads are greatly reduced giving longer life.
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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Testing to destruction is just that. I can't believe thats a £50 rifle! ARGHHHHHH!
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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britrifles
Senior Member Joined: February 03 2018 Location: Atlanta, GA Status: Offline Points: 6539 |
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I can't believe how "worthless" they said these rifles are. I'd pay some money just for that barrel!
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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I know! At those prices I'd empty Fultons & start parting them or something!
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Goosic
Senior Member Joined: September 12 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Status: Offline Points: 8792 |
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I know I am using a 2A1 barrel on a No5Mk1 and No4Mk2 receiver accordingly with standard issue bolts and boltheads. To date the No4 has had 750 rounds through it and the No5 has had 550 rounds through it. Both with my handloads of 40.0 grns of Norma 202,WLRM primers with the Sierra TMK 168grn bullets with an advertised CUP of 49,500.
I have checked the headspace, bolts, boltheads and the receivers after every 150 rounds. Nothing abnormal, no cracks,and headspace still within specs of a NoGo gauge. The rear locking lug setup of these rifles do exactly what they are intended to do,period...
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A square 10
Special Member Donating Member Joined: December 12 2006 Location: MN , USA Status: Offline Points: 14452 |
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very interesting and enlightening , sticky it , ive seen a lot of threads over the years that this might have answered quite nicely ,
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Zed
Special Member Donating Member Joined: May 01 2012 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 5585 |
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It would be interesting to see how a rifle with front locking lug's would fail. Would both lugs fail at the same time? The long lug on the Enfield is an excellent safety measure for the shooter when it all goes wrong. It would have been more interesting if they had examined the rifle a bit more before starting the shoot. I would like to have seen the bolt lug contact areas blued and tested. It is possible that if the small lug was taking more of the load, it may have initially started the crack over a long period of time.
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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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OK stickyfied four for ought.
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Long branch
Senior Member Joined: January 08 2014 Location: Georgia, USA Status: Offline Points: 251 |
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He has another video in which he reads a passage from an original manual. It said that an oiled cartridge produced roughly twice as much force on the bolt as a dry one as measured by a crush guage. The front locking actions tend to be a lot "meatier" than the enfield, so it would be hard to get a good comparison. I don't think that would really be relevant anyway. The point he's making is that the action is plenty strong for service cartridges.
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