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Not Bad for Homegrown...

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Goosic View Drop Down
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    Posted: March 10 2021 at 9:31am
I was finally able to get some shots down range at the 200 yard mark. I switched to a 4-12×40 Nikko Stirling scope with Panamax View as well. My last ten shot group was my best ten shot group of the day in that, the horizontal and lateral dispersion was identical in measurement. I used my H.C.R & Sons telescope and it works better than my modern spotting scope. The range master informed me that my ten shot group was 1/2" smaller in diameter than the 3" bull on the 200 yard SR target. I just replied back," Not bad for homegrown then right?" The Unissued New Old Stock rifle barrel has 275 documented rounds through it now and I am noticing that with each consecutive outing, it produces smaller groups. I am very happy with the results to date. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Canuck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 10 2021 at 10:13am
Amazing job you did on your rifle! The results speak volumes. My 64 year old eyes are..well..you know, so I am planning on mounting a no DT scope mount to get even close to what you are getting. I have a LB and one Savage #4 that are very accurate with iron sights so they will get the scope nods first. It is amazing what we can do with these battle rifles turned into target rifles!   
Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shamu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 10 2021 at 12:37pm
That's exactly what I found with my mummy wrap. it took a couple of hundred rounds for everything to really smooth up & settle down.
Did you break the barrel in at all?
Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Goosic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 10 2021 at 12:48pm
This rifle is my Magnum Opus. I will never be able to duplicate another one j just like it and as such, actually never intend to. Five years ago I started out with just the reciever/action body/Master Component, what have you.
It was originally refurbished to like new condition the day it left the Chicopee Falls factory. A very reasonably priced reproduction T scope assembly caught my attention a couple if years later and POOF, a fairly reasonable copy of the venerable No4Mk1*T it became. A few months ago, I totally stumbled onto a No4 contoured 7.62mm barrel that had never been installed on an actual rifle and POOF, again, it became a clone of a L8A5T.  It has had the scope updated to one with a higher magnification and the barrel is almost broken in.
Is it a tack driving sledge hammer? Absolutely not.  Does it get bullets down range with reliable accuracy? Yes it does.
I am currently fire forming FC brass and neck sizing only for this rifle. Five reloading sessions so far.
Shamu. I thoroughly cleaned the barrel after the installation was done and then I started shooting it. After every 25 rounds I clean the bore. 225 more rounds through it and i will start doing normal cleaning sessions with it...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 10 2021 at 1:23pm
 That’s good shooting Goosic.  

Thats about the best I can do shooting prone (1 MOA) with a 4 X scope on my AR.  

I can’t quite get there with my No. 4 shooting prone unsupported with aperture sight, I think a 3 inch ten shot group at 200 yards was the best I recorded (1.5 MOA).  A scope, even only 4x, helps as you can focus on the reticule and target at the same time.  A bench rest helps too of course.  

I’ve gotten a few sub-MOA groups with my No. 4 with a scope.  Also with my Dad’s No. 4 (T).  They can be made to shoot quite well for a battle rifle.  

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 10 2021 at 2:00pm
 I followed a one shot, clean, and repeat for 20 rounds on my DCRA No. 4 that had not been fired since the proof test at Long Branch.  I’m glad I did.  The bore fouls very little copper.  I wished I had logged the round count though, but I estimate about 1500 rounds thru it now.  

I followed this break-in procedure on my new Bartlein barrel on my AR and Krieger on my M1 I just installed.   I’ll eventually install the new Criterion on my Long Branch No. 4 and will break it in with this process.  After break in, I’m going to do minimal cleaning after shooting, not use a brush and not exit the muzzle with the cleaning rod.  This might help avoiding wear on the crown.  Then a good clean out of copper every 500 rounds or when I see accuracy deteriorate. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Goosic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 10 2021 at 2:07pm
 I like the fact that from a technical standpoint,  I am the first person to fire this rifle. It is as brand new as my Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle and the accuracy is almost identical. 
I will shoot it prone at some point in time. Using the Caldwell Tripod was solely meant to show what the rifle itself is capable of...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shamu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 10 2021 at 2:24pm
Exactly!
That's why I wanted a mummy wrap. Thumbs Up
Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 10 2021 at 4:40pm
That is definitely a cool factor, even more cool because you built the rifle from parts!  I’ve come to enjoy being able to completely strip and rebarrel a rifle.  

I have two No. 4’s that my Dad purchased as a new refurbished rifle with a new barrel.  A Long Branch DCRA and the other from Fulton’s of Bisley.  I’m sure they were both proof tested, but Dad never shot them. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Goosic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 10 2021 at 10:39pm
When doing the build on this,my main concern was weight.  Starting with the buttstock bolt, I chucked it in the lathe and removed .0025" of material between the threads and the bolt head. After which I drilled out an inch of material as well. The sear is from a No5Mk1. The trigger guard, rear sight, front sight protector, both barrel bands, and the spring for the safety are all the stamped metal versions. The buttstock is the short version so basically a half of an inch less material than the normal length. The scope  itself weighs in at 14 ounces. The aftermarket Lyman gold bead front sight weighs less than the original sight as well by 42.0grns.  With a full magazine, the rifle weighs 10.5 lbs.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sinnlover Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 11 2021 at 5:20am
Thats a good result
So much for the harmonics on these barrels being poor.

I have my first shoot since Nov booked in on the 16th April when the open UK lockdown. I am actually looking forward to it.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote A square 10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 11 2021 at 6:48am
i like the look of your project very much , that spotting scope adds to the ambiance , if i could shoot so well i would be more than pleased , 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 11 2021 at 6:52am
Goosic, how is the barreled action bedded?  Standard No. 4 bedding?  


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Goosic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 11 2021 at 9:20am
Originally posted by Sinnlover Sinnlover wrote:

Thats a good result
So much for the harmonics on these barrels being poor.

I honestly believe that harmonics had very little to do,if nothing at all with the L8 series project being sh*tcanned Sinnlover, and everything to do with the adoption of the L1A1 SLR. The MOD decided on a course correction that included the indefinite suspension of the L8 series project in favor of the SLR that had formally replaced the Lee-Enfield in 1957.
This barrel is made of chromium molybdenum alloy and the chamber is chromium hardened as well as the bore. It has a 1-12" Right Hand twist rate with a six groove rifling produced at the Canadian Arsenal Factory.  The MOD tested the accuracy using standard 144-147grn NATO ammunition and concluded that the barrel was too thin and whippy producing negative results which included barrel harmonics thrown in for good measure. The 1-12" twist rate is way to slow to use the above mentioned NATO bullets. The 168grn 174grn 176grn and 180grn are the better choices to use, with the 176grn bullet being the optimal choice when using a slower twist rate. The too thin and whippy description of the barrel is utter nonsense.  It has the identical outer dimensions as its 303B counterpart. The overall chamber area is smaller than the British caliber as well as the bore being .003" smaller in diameter than that of the 303 thereby making the barrel stronger and stiffer internally. 
I have put 275 rounds through this barrel to date using 168grn BTHP bullets and the only flyer I have got is when I flinched. The Cold Bore shot is dead centered on the target. For optimum performance, the barrel needs to be fouled and hot however. There is nothing wrong with the barrels harmonics when using the correct bullet weight...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Goosic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 11 2021 at 9:30am
Originally posted by britrifles britrifles wrote:

Goosic, how is the barreled action bedded?  Standard No. 4 bedding?  
I have a piece of 0.10" brass shim stock in the channel at the muzzle. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 11 2021 at 3:45pm
The UK NRA and Canadian DCRA shot these rifles competitively for a number of years, including in the highly competitive Palma matches, and never got satisfactory results.  As we have discussed on other posts, I believe this was attributed to the poor consistency in the Service ammunition used at the time.  I found in Canadian DAC NATO ball ammunition (which had a reputation for being “good”) had charge weight variances of up to 3 grains!  How can you get any sort of accuracy with that?

No doubt, the heavy barrels that came later (L39/L42, Envoy and Enforcer) that were free floated will give better accuracy and with Match grade reloads with consistent sub-MOA results.  Indeed, group sizes with even the crappy service ammo improved significantly with the heavy barrels.  

You won’t see many 2 lb barrels on Bench Rest competition rifles...




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