Cleaning .303 Lee Enfields.

[Rearlugs]

I try to avoid using too many patches and hard brushes - they will undoubtedly add to barrel wear over time. You do come across rifles that have been virtually smoothbored by cleaning - ie where the rifling has identical wear from lead to muzzle. If you think about it, over 10,000 rounds, the bore will be experiencing bullet wear for just over 8 seconds in total. By contrast, over its life, the bore probably experiences hours of patches and brushes grinding away!


For normal Enfield cleaning, I remove most shooting residue by a push through with a soft nylon brush or a wool mop, soaked with any of the bore cleaners. I then usually just use a de-coppering bore foam such as Forrest. One loose patch is enough to dry up, then I oil the bore with a soft mop soaked in oil (I oil the bores because I have a lot of rifles, and it may be quite a few months before a certain rifle gets shot again - or sold).


As an RFD, when i get a rifle in for the first time, I do carry out a deep clean (its unbelievable how auction houses and vendors often put a rifle up for sale with a black bore!). For this I do a quick push through to remove crud (and feel for those tell-tale dragging points from rust or pitting...), and then I boil the barrel out. I use an Enfield funnel, and pass boiling water through the bore at least four times. With the barrel still hot, I then use a phosphor bronze brush and a very aggressive bore solvent such as Butch's Bore Shine. I patch this out - often two or patches will come out covered in what looks like mud. I then leave Forrest bore foam to soak as the barrel cools down. Quite often the Forrest will come out black or indigo from heavy fouling, and so i repeat until the foam comes out clean.

Many rifles do come in with extremely heavy copper fouling, so much in some cases that the bore appears to be heavily worn. With this "deep clean" method, I've had some extraordinary changes to the appearance of some bores - rifling suddenly looking sharper or deeper.

[huntervixen]

On my fullbores, I flood the bores with brunox spray for 15 mins, then push through a bronze brush once, this German spray is excellent at removing copper and powder residue.

Next, its 4x2 on a jag until it comes out clean, then, wrap the 4x2 thickly on the jag and thoroughly clean the chamber (its amazing the amount of people who forget to clean the chamber) and finally flood the bore with Remington gun oil (allow it to drip the excess away) before storage.

I have a 1944 dated Enfield chamber funnel in my bits and bobs box, never used it though, perhaps I will give boiling water a go..

[Rockhopper]

Has anyone found a bore guide that with fit a .303? My "universal" one won't even come close.

[dromia]

Yes there used be turned, hard, black plastic types around in plentiful supply from most dealers no makers mark on them.

[saddler]

Has anyone found a bore guide that with fit a .303? My "universal" one won't even come close.

AJ Parker used to sell them
I had a few copies made up a while ago...they act to centralise the rod

[pigsy]

I can thoroughly recommend the specific bore guides from the Shooting Shed and they're not that much more than the universal guides.

I have a "rebuilt" no 4 mk1/2 with a new Walther barrel so cleaning as per normal routine of either KG products or C2r depending on my mood. The bore seems to clean very quickly presently.