Canada's Rangers May Lose Their Issue Enfields

[OLDNEWBIE]

The hang fire at 1:02 is really delayed! Is that ammo still effective/accurate?

 

[Blitzkrieg]

That 303 is slightly not pleasant to shoot, but hell on the front end.

IMO the .303 is a pussycat in recoil compared to 7.62 NATO, and I love 'em both

 

[Blitzkrieg]

The hang fire at 1:02 is really delayed! Is that ammo still effective/accurate?

I have 105 year old ammo that's still GTG

 

[U201491]

I have 105 year old ammo that's still GTG

Ammo stored properly lasts forever. WWI ammo if kept dry and stable temps is still good today.

Beware of AK ammo from the Vietnam era. Remember Eldest Son.
Some of that ammo may still be around and end up in a surplus pile somewhere.

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

What the heck is going on inside a round when it hang fires? Could the delay be seconds? That could be dangerous as hell! My dad says he has a crap load of old .303 in FL but a lot of humidity in FL. Have no Idea how much or how it's stored.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Ammo stored properly lasts forever. WWI ammo if kept dry and stable temps is still good today.

Beware of AK ammo from the Vietnam era. Remember Eldest Son.
Some of that ammo may still be around and end up in a surplus pile somewhere.

I have a bunch of that and have fired many thousands of rounds and know of a guy who has fired 10K of it, no problem. I suspect those were special cases delivered back then as sabotage. It's not my fave ammo because it does not tumble, but it's ammo

 

[Blitzkrieg]

What the heck is going on inside a round when it hang fires? Could the delay be seconds? That could be dangerous as hell! My dad says he has a crap load of old .303 in FL but a lot of humidity in FL. Have no Idea how much or how it's stored.

Moisture, bad primer. Be careful and always STOP at a hang fire or squib, WAIT 10 seconds, then check your bore for obstructions!

Mine is stored in USGI ammo cans with dessicant!

 

[U201491]

What the heck is going on inside a round when it hang fires? Could the delay be seconds? That could be dangerous as hell! My dad says he has a crap load of old .303 in FL but a lot of humidity in FL. Have no Idea how much or how it's stored.

Yes, Like Blitz said wait 10 to 30 seconds before opening the bolt or pointing that muzzle anywhere other than down range. I would wait a min or two just as a precaution. It happens. Rarely but it does happen and can be very dangerous. Can be moisture, or improperly made or even contaminated primer.
I have only had one hangfire in my life and when it went off I was taking it down from my shoulder. It woke me up for sure. It was that damned 8mm Lebel I mentioned earlier. They loaded those things with cordite. Not sure what the cause was though.

.

 

[Brutus57]

I miss my mint, never fired Mk II No.4 Canadian made Lee Enfield. Beautiful finish for a military rifle. I wish I knew who stole it a few years back. Still in the original box it had when it was given to me by a friend.

Brutus Out

PS my BIL, God Rest His Soul was half native Alaskan and he mined up near the Arctic Cirlce north of Nome. He carried either his HK or a Lee Enfield. Up North they are a go to like the 06 is for the lower 48 hunters. It's a combination of punch and availability of ammo.

 

[Mongo1]

The Ishapore Enfield's have some of the crudest machining and the black spray paint instead of bluing make it look like a piece is junk. I had one of the long barreled rifles. It was very accurate. I did drill and tap the receiver then mounted a Weaver base. I even bought the 6-48 tap for the threads. It was fun to do.

 

[erudne]

Yes, Like Blitz said wait 10 to 30 seconds before opening the bolt or pointing that muzzle anywhere other than down range. I would wait a min or two just as a precaution. It happens. Rarely but it does happen and can be very dangerous. Can be moisture, or improperly made or even contaminated primer.
I have only had one hangfire in my life and when it went off I was taking it down from my shoulder. It woke me up for sure. It was that damned 8mm Lebel I mentioned earlier. They loaded those things with cordite. Not sure what the cause was though.

.

I think it is a combonation of old mercury based primers and degraded powder, I used to have a Lebel
never fired it

 

[MountainBear]

Unless they are going to issue them a commercial rifle in a dangerous game caliber (.375 H&H comes to mind for what I'd want up there), they could do a lot worse than to issue them Ruger GSR's. While these guns aren't perfect, I've run an M77 in an ice/snow mix several times on Eastern Oregon elk hunts. Not as extreme as the far north, obviously, but never failed me. If they are dead set on the 7.62x51, then the GSR seems like as viable candidate as any to replace the venerable old enfield.