Re barreling a Mk111 Enfield

[@nd]

I have read about re barreling Mk4 Lee Enfields but nothing about re barreling a SMLE Mk 111. Can it be done any recommendations roughly any idea of the cost.
Thanks

[dromia]

Depends on the cost of the replacement barrel, they aren't as plentiful as they used to be so costs are creeping up if you can find one in decent nick.

I have nice BSA 1913 waiting to be done for me.

[DW58]

Lothar Walter offer barrels in .303 calibre.

[dromia]

Yes but they are not contoured for the No 1 so that work along with the sight and barrel fittings would have to be done all adding to the cost.

[mag41uk]

What about Sarony?
Can he produce these?
Tony

[leeroy7031]

Chris at C & G may do this work as well.

[Charlie Muggins]

I understand that the timing of SMLE barrels was a tad more hit-and-miss than no4s.

[Gaz]

Can it be done - yes.

Where do you get the barrels from - not many sources. Fulton's had a handful of spare SMLE barrels in stock a few months ago, I don't know if they're still there.

[huntervixen]

This might seem like stating the bleeding obvious, but very carefully check a used replacement for bulges, throat and crown wear, as well as gauging it !

A good friend of mine replaced the barrel on his No4 a few years back, with a used example that appeared to be OK....it shot worse than the original one!!!

As has been said, trying to find good used SMLE barrels now is getting very difficult, the last one I saw was a couple of years ago and that was a NOS South African WW2 produced example.

If you go down the expensive route of a new barrel, get a good gunsmith (preferably someone who knows Enfields well) to very carefully check the receiver for signs of excessive wear before you commit.

[Rearlugs]

A few years ago, someone came across a large quantity of South African brand new condition No1 barrels (probably actually made by BSA, but we'll probably never know). Sadly, these new barrels have now mostly been used up, with the dealers who hold them tending to hoard the last few.

Unfortunately, with Enfields, the rifle has to be rebarrelled by someone who (a) has access to a choice of several barrels (b) knows how to torque up and index the barrels correctly (c) then has sufficient choice of bolt heads to if necessary adjust head space.

On an Enfield, the new barrel has to hand-tighten somewhere about 30o short of vertical index - thus torquing up the remaining angle. Because of the variation in Enfield bodies and the screw threads (albeit they are very well engineered), you often have to try 5 or 6 barrels until you find one that doesn't under- or over- rotate at the hand fit. Hence it is very hit and miss if you have just the one spare barrel. Same goes for bolt heads; they have to both headspace and also not over-rotate past the locking rib by more than about 5o.


Rebarrelling a No1 used to be about £150 including Proof. I think that figure has now risen sharply due to supply and demand. As with No4s, its often a more realistic prospect to trade in the rifle for another that has a better barrel. Sadly, worn out rifles are not economical to repair as they fetch better money as de-acts than they do as live rifles in the first place....



Incidentally, the majority of rifles I get given to check because "it needs a new barrel" are actually just in need of some attention to the fit of the woodwork and the resultant bedding effect. No1s are of course particularly fickle (which is why we love them: they made 4+ million, but they're all different....), and they are also prone to poor bedding adjustment and missing bedding components (eg the front spring and stud that fall out when the forend is removed!).