What do you do, on a chill November night in rain drenched Texas, where we're badly losing the War on Weather? Start on a new Lee Enfield project, of course.
For me, that means coming to grips with an old No. 4 Mk.1, which started off life as a battle rifle in 1943 and was brought back to the US, where it was sporterized. I bought it from a friend a few years ago and haven't used it much. So what's going to happen to this gun? First things first, take off the wood.
Then admire your rifle as it sits on the bench, complete with 10 round magazine, rear micro sight and silky smooth action. All the better for rapid firing the venerable .303 Brit. Next step, get a new stock, perhaps from Boyd's, shorten and re-crown the barrel, then fit a forward mounted rail. The idea being to create a handy truck/scout rifle.
 |
| Typical Texas Scene, Apart From Absence of Lee Enfields |
Now some people are critical of Jeff Cooper's concept and with good reason, but if you have an old rifle sitting around that could meet the criteria, well, why not put it to good use?
Shoot the Lee,
LSP
I can't be critical of the venerable Jeff Cooper. Lightning might strike. Finding the right ranch rifle is so dependent on what the shooter prefers, that criticism is not fair. You will find much more recoil with your modifications in my opinion. That might be tempered by hand-loads and some experimentation with lighter bullets than those associated with the standard 303 loads (what the factory thinks you need).
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to criticize Cooper either! But for sure, the mods would mean more recoil -- something like the Lee Jungle Carbine, I'd imagine. I'll have to invest in a good decelerator pad... Interesting bullet/load point.
ReplyDeleteGun nerds.
ReplyDelete:)
Jenny, but aren't you much more comfortable with us being gun nerds than if we were reviewing the latest fashions that Bruce Jenner was wearing...or being Broadway show tune critics?
ReplyDeleteShort of handloading, Remington sells their "managed recoil" loads in various hunting calibers. I picked up one box for my .30-30, with a 125 gr bullet (standard is 150 -170), tho it's not as light as the historic .30-4-100 for small game (the idea a century ago being, a farmer could only afford one firearm, offer different loads to maximize it's utility, so they marketed a 100 gr bullet with 4 gr of smokeless, for rabbit and squirrel shooting, on par with a standard .22LR). If I accumulate enough brass (if I get off my butt and go shooting!), I may recreate some hand loads of it.
ReplyDeleteLL, I'm obviously choosing to hang with the gun nerds. :) Far more comforting!
ReplyDelete