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Every British shooter should be aware of the humble .303 Lee Enfield however how many of us have come across or own a Lee Enfield chambered in something different? Certainly the 303-25 is well known and used in Australia and I recently read an article on a .45-70 chambered Enfield, how many more exist over here and does anyone here have direct experience of such things?

I have a lovely Charnwood Ordnance No.4 Mk1 chambered in 7.62 NATO, it has a 7.62 Enfield magazine and shots very well.

(may swap for an SVT-40.........)

6mm Musgrave, see my previous threads on this fine cartridge and the Musgrave Enfield action conversions.

It is my go to .243" cartridge.

The obvious ones in the UK I guess are Rifles No. 7 and No. 8. These are Enfields in .22lr

The No7 is a No4 lookey likey, No8 is sporterised.

I've seen a No5 in 7.62x39 and also in .223

BTW I am also hoping to have a 303 Epps built in the fullness of time.

I also have an Australian Slazenger model 24 made on the No1 Action in .22 Hornet, fine round in a fine rifle.

ovenpaa wrote:Every British shooter should be aware of the humble .303 Lee Enfield however how many of us have come across or own a Lee Enfield chambered in something different? Certainly the 303-25 is well known and used in Australia and I recently read an article on a .45-70 chambered Enfield, how many more exist over here and does anyone here have direct experience of such things?

In short lots - us Colonials (and I include NZ, Can, SA) necked the the 303 up and down as required from .22 up to .416. You can still pick up SMLEs in Australia in 303/22, 303/25 and 303/270 (the 270 wasn't that popular). The biggest Australian 303 wildcat I've found is the 358 Territorian - although it could be a NZ or Canadian invention.

For something different a 303 in 8x50 for the Indian market - http://www.cpgdesign.co.uk/#!rifles-for-sale-6

Then you have the Armalon PC conversions and the AIA in 7.62x39

45-70 Lee Enfield http://www.chuckhawks.com/gibbs_summit.htm
The only Lee Enfield that really interests me is the one that is chambered in anything other than 303 British!

Aren't there still a few floating around the UK that were necked out to .410"?

If I recall the original Remington Lees that came over as trials rifles were in .45-70
There is also the Turkish 'Enfauser' after we pulled out from Gallipoli the Ottomans rounded up all the discarded SMLEs and converted them to 7.92x57, they then added some more structure to the receiver in the belief that the action was not strong enough to hold the cartridge.

The Delisle and various reproductions thereof deserve a mention.

pete Sarony of Armalon also produces the AL42, a no4 in.5.56 as well as his pistol carbine and the AL30 in 30 carbine.

I quite fancy rebarelling a no4mk2 in .280/30.