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I have a new production barrel (original mil spec in pattern) to replace a torn up and worn out throated barrel. But the gunsmith I've been trying to get into contact with hasn't been responding. Does anyone know of any smiths that are good with .303 work in the general Seattle Tacoma area? I'm in Federal Way and don't have general easy means to go traipsing across the state. I've got four hundred bucks in reserve for this replacement and it's bugging me to no end that my original planned smith isn't giving any sort of responses.
 
Piece of cake rebarreling the old No4. They are tight barrels. So usually to get the old barrel off I cut a groove relief just forward of the receiver to relieve the pressure. I've seen guys actually twist the action because they are so tight.
.303 isn't any different that anything else. I've got chamber reamers for it and real headspace gauges...
USPS works just fine for shipping barreled actions.
 
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Price of cake rebarreling the old No4. They are tight barrels. So usually to get the old barrel off I cut a groove relief just forward of the receiver to relieve the pressure. I've seen guys actually twist the action because they are so tight.
.303 isn't any different that anything else. I've got chamber reamers for it and real headspace gauges...
USPS works just fine for shipping barreled actions.

Going to have find me a looong screwdriver or get the thing taken apart by a local smith I trust, then. (He had .303 setups, but they belonged to his partner whom more or less vanished) Hate trying to replace those barrel bands too, but... My rifle a 1943 Long Branch, looks to either have seen light service, Amazing care, or was refurbed post war. In either case things seem to be in grand shape aside from the chamber, and that someone tried to refinish the mag like an idiot. My replacement is from Criterion Barrels. What would be your price estimate on getting the work done? I'd also prefer if the barrel could come off clean, but if you gotta make a cut you gotta make a cut.
Also grand to hear you've got proper reamers, guys I was talking with say that a lot of people up here like to hand ream.
And I'd be worried if you didn't have real gauges! ;)
 
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Going to have find me a looong bubblegum screwdriver or get the thing taken apart by a local smith I trust, then.

Harbor Freight is where I got my long driver after I got my No1 MK III. I had to buy the pair, one flat one phillips. They had the square shank so you could use a wrench. I squared off the end a bit on the bench grinder to make sure it more matched a gun smiths screwdriver bits. I presume you are sure it's not a bolt head? I thought I saw somewhere that some of those Enfields had a bolt? Also, be sure to take the wood of the front of the rifle FIRST.
 
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Harbor Freight is where I got my long driver after I got my MK1 no. III. I had to buy the pair, one flat one phillips. They had the square shank so you could use a wrench. I squared off the end a bit on the bench grinder to make sure it more matched a gun smiths screwdriver bits. I presume you are sure it's not a bolt head? I thought I saw somewhere that some of those Enfields had a bolt? Also, be sure to take the wood of the front of the rifle FIRST.

I had it looked at after having extreme case sticking, this was when the .303 guy was still partnered with the local guy. He told me the chamber was shot out. I guessed that the rifle was more than likely out of head space (Number 0 marked bolt head is rarely going to actually be the right bolt head.) but knowing that Rimmed rounds and rifles can take a little use fairly safely. I put out some rounds at a range. Bolt got increasingly hard to open after primary extraction as the gun heated up. I also can corroborate that there is trouble in the chamber that I didn't notice after cleaning the thing for the first time. A pair of gouges in the chamber wall, not very deep, but not exactly something you should be seeing.
 
I had it looked at after having extreme case sticking, this was when the .303 guy was still partnered with the local guy. He told me the chamber was shot out. I guessed that the rifle was more than likely out of head space (Number 0 marked bolt head is rarely going to actually be the right bolt head.) but knowing that Rimmed rounds and rifles can take a little use fairly safely. I put out some rounds at a range. Bolt got increasingly hard to open after primary extraction as the gun heated up. I also can corroborate that there is trouble in the chamber that I didn't notice after cleaning the thing for the first time. A pair of gouges in the chamber wall, not very deep, but not exactly something you should be seeing.

@Velsey, Tim Copland would be qualified to handle something like this for you. When he's talking about making a cut it sounds to me like he would cut the barrel to relive pressure. Not the receiver.
 
@Velsey, Tim Copland would be qualified to handle something like this for you. When he's talking about making a cut it sounds to me like he would cut the barrel to relive pressure. Not the receiver.

"Just forward of the Receiver" generally means the shank/chamber of the barrel I'd believe. Since cutting into the receiver just causes irreparable damage...
 
I had it looked at after having extreme case sticking, this was when the .303 guy was still partnered with the local guy. He told me the chamber was shot out. I guessed that the rifle was more than likely out of head space (Number 0 marked bolt head is rarely going to actually be the right bolt head.) but knowing that Rimmed rounds and rifles can take a little use fairly safely. I put out some rounds at a range. Bolt got increasingly hard to open after primary extraction as the gun heated up. I also can corroborate that there is trouble in the chamber that I didn't notice after cleaning the thing for the first time. A pair of gouges in the chamber wall, not very deep, but not exactly something you should be seeing.
The British don't usually worry about headspace with their rimmed cartridge. It's more of an American thing I've heard. You could consider running a longer coal.
Toutuber Bloke On The Range can help.
 
The British don't usually worry about headspace with their rimmed cartridge. It's more of an American thing I've heard. You could consider running a longer coal.
Toutuber Bloke On The Range can help.
Head spacing is still an issue on rimmed cartridge rifles. You can just get away with more slop without safety issues and conceivably cycling issues. Head space isn't the same level of an issue as many of us here in the US make of it, there are however, plenty of unsafe levels, rimmed or not. However with the throat erosion from original wartime cordite loads, people using the original surplus ammo depending on the time that this rifle was put to surplus. And just it's condition post war along with the spoken about gouges I mentioned, and the factor that many rifles on the market have a reputation of not being fitted with the proper bolt head to make it look more appealing. With the issues I was having of major bolt sticking, which should not be an issue with an enfield, especially one that appears and smells to have never seen the likes of cosmoline there was more than head spacing issues. I had marks left on the casings and they were expanded compared to the ammo I have left. In either case, thanks to Tim Copeland, I have my barrel replaced. I just can't get out and shoot to break it in due to the quarantine. And I'd get lost in the Greenwater areas if I even had the car to make it out there. So it's the Puyallup range or bust for me.
 
Head spacing is still an issue on rimmed cartridge rifles. You can just get away with more slop without safety issues and conceivably cycling issues. Head space isn't the same level of an issue as many of us here in the US make of it, there are however, plenty of unsafe levels, rimmed or not. However with the throat erosion from original wartime cordite loads, people using the original surplus ammo depending on the time that this rifle was put to surplus. And just it's condition post war along with the spoken about gouges I mentioned, and the factor that many rifles on the market have a reputation of not being fitted with the proper bolt head to make it look more appealing. With the issues I was having of major bolt sticking, which should not be an issue with an enfield, especially one that appears and smells to have never seen the likes of cosmoline there was more than head spacing issues. I had marks left on the casings and they were expanded compared to the ammo I have left. In either case, thanks to Tim Copeland, I have my barrel replaced. I just can't get out and shoot to break it in due to the quarantine. And I'd get lost in the Greenwater areas if I even had the car to make it out there. So it's the Puyallup range or bust for me.

Good to hear. That Tim guy really seems to know his stuff. It would be nice if you got us some good, well lit, pics of that gun of yours once you get out to fire it up!
 
Heh, well I have some not so great lit pics from beforehand :p Crappier phone then. But yeah, Tim is a great guy. Just being north of Tacoma meant shipping it down to him was fifty bucks both ways. And I sent it out through a gunshop to save headaches of finding a good box and dealing with the post office, and that was fifty bucks. On top. So. The work itself wasn't overly expensive even with one or two little additions like sealing the butt end under the plate to stabilize the grain from absorbing anymore moisture. Wasn't anything major to begin with, but every little bit to help and old war horse stay in action.

20181001_145503.jpg
 
Heh, well I have some not so great lit pics from beforehand :p Crappier phone then. But yeah, Tim is a great guy. Just being north of Tacoma meant shipping it down to him was fifty bucks both ways. And I sent it out through a gunshop to save headaches of finding a good box and dealing with the post office, and that was fifty bucks. On top. So. The work itself wasn't overly expensive even with one or two little additions like sealing the butt end under the plate to stabilize the grain from absorbing anymore moisture. Wasn't anything major to begin with, but every little bit to help and old war horse stay in action.

View attachment 706868
Cocked and ready to shoot...
 
Heh, well I have some not so great lit pics from beforehand :p Crappier phone then. But yeah, Tim is a great guy. Just being north of Tacoma meant shipping it down to him was fifty bucks both ways. And I sent it out through a gunshop to save headaches of finding a good box and dealing with the post office, and that was fifty bucks. On top. So. The work itself wasn't overly expensive even with one or two little additions like sealing the butt end under the plate to stabilize the grain from absorbing anymore moisture. Wasn't anything major to begin with, but every little bit to help and old war horse stay in action.

View attachment 706868

The things we go through for our guns huh? :)

@Meravokas and the headspace is correct and it shoots quiet well!
View attachment 706899

I couldn't see the other holes in the black background at first. :s0114:

I wish I had your eyes Tim. I've been setting my target at 75 yards and still have a heck of a time seeing the 3" red dot.
 

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