Editing a short drop about flash hider effectiveness, how it groups, and necessary sight moves. The gun runs well, groups about 3 inches @100 yds, and the customer is ready to use it as the tool he needs. 99 other Mk4's are gone now due to a total lack of maintenance.
Finally someone who actually has the talent to repair, modify and teach. I have found a website that I can not only enjoy but also learn. Love your candidness and matter of fact approach. I can spend my time catching up on all your videos I have missed. OUTSTANDING
@@marknovak8255 I wish. But I got two projects that you can work some magic on. Can you reline a barrel, or should I go with a specialist like John Taylor or Redman's?
I like this project for a few reasons: It involves a really cool WWII era gun. It recycles old, clapped-out components. And it makes an awesome, one-of-a-kind gun that didn't sacrifice an entirely matching piece of history. Good stuff, man. I've fallen down the rabbit hole and you've got yourself a new subscriber.
Such a shame. I’m pretty sure that gun belonged to Sir Laurence of Arabia and it was used during the battle of the Alamo. It should’ve been in a museum and now all is lost. Just kidding. You’ve made a beautiful truck gun from a heap of garbage and I’m happy for the owner. 👍
I have a No. 4 Mk I that was sporterized in the 1960's or 70's and I spent years (beginning in 1985) acquiring parts to restore it. So, when you first started describing what you were going to do, my heart skipped a beat and my mind started racing with images of Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King movies. I was horrified! Then, after you described how the barrel was going to be shortened, I watched the threads being cut and how you took a saw to the upper hand guards and then the lower, I nearly cried. OH, THE HUMANITY! When I recovered from nearly fainting and saw the aftermath, I had to rub my eyes to make sure I was seeing what was on my screen. Once you spliced the upper hand guards together and put the receiver in the lower fore-end, I finally saw what you wanted to convey to us earlier, a tanker...A TANKER SMLE! I liked what I saw. Now, I can't wait to see how she turns out. I'm gonna need popcorn....maybe some candy....oh and a Coke, can't forget the Coke.
Seems like there's a lot of people out there that missed the comment about there being more than one way to get something done, that haven't actually tried doing anything worth mentioning. Thanks for the motivation to get my own work done.
According to the book "Lee Enfield", during the panic production of the second world war, it was found that providing the leade (throat) at the barrel breech was of the correct diameter and length, and the last six inches and crowning were as well, then the bit in the middle had little effect on accuracy. The gauges were changed , and only those dimensions were checked. Savage even made barrels with two groove rifling.
Cool Video ! Those of us in Canada that own number 5 Jungle Carbines use them for moose and bear. My personal jungle carbine was my first center fire rifle. I got it at a woolco store when i was 14 for 32 dollars. 1968 . My mother was the adult that bought the gun ,20 dollars was my own hard earned money. As an adult I used that rifle daily for 30 years on a North Coast BC Canada trap line. It now lives mostly in a safe .and every once in a while it comes out to harvest a bear.
Can't wait to see the finished product, looks like it's gonna be pretty rad. e: I sent you an email a little while back about a 10A to 10 Trench Conversion, been a while since I sent it, was wondering if you saw it? Thanks.
As a retired gunsmith of 40+ years it was fun to watch your ideas. Just a thought I would have used a live center when cutting the threads on the barrel. Anything that you can do to a Smile will help it.
That setup got the last 3 inches of the bore running true to the muzzle device. I'll take it...there were other things going on here that we didn't talk about, or were edited out. But you get that
A gunsmith I know has been doing this mod for many years. As we're in Canada, he calls them Tundra Carbines. FWIW, he also makes a very nice takedown No. 4 and does the nicest trigger job on them that I've ever experienced. 50 years ago in Canada, stores used to stock them muzzle down in 55 gal. barrels for under $10.
Really looking forward to how this comes out. I have a No 5 that someone put into an ebony tipped Reinhardt Fajen forestock and a matching monte carlo buttstock with a poly finish. It's hideous but a decent foundation for a forestock project like this. Thanks for sharing !
I can't wait for the next episode on this. These kinds of projects really interest me because I like to tinker around with things but have no shop or tools with which to do projects that require machining or a lathe. I'm pretty much limited to hand tools and a drill press and the crappy shot out junkers that I can find on gunbroker. But something like this project I could do almost all of it myself plus the keeping it looking like it was a factory modification is one of my things as well. It reminds me of an M14 tanker version.
Awesome work! I'm really stoked for the end result A little taste goes along way with a conversion, I've found. It's not hard, it just takes time. Perusing the RIA catalog, there are some actually decent sporters out there. There's a whole lot more crap, though. I've been searching for a 1917 of adequate lack of quality to convert to a Chinese short rifle, and stripped receivers for those seem to have utterly disappeared, so a 308 sporter project I have all the other metal for (including a barrel and magazine assembly) is also on indefinite hold. I guess it gives the chunks of ebony I got time to dry out a bit more.
The original front furniture is beech , as was commonly used by the poms for most rifles after WW1 ( ran out of walnut haha . Definitely don't want to shorten a 303 too much , muzzle flash and blast is considerable .The 'woop ' in that barrel haha
I did this to my first No4, back in 1964. I don't remember who made the rifle was but I recall it was nice. Your 2 vids got me to open the LE safe and dig a few out.
Hey Mark, for the type of service that this carbine is going to see, I think the accuracy will be more than adequate. Gonna be a sharp looking, fast handling little gun, nice work!
First, Take the barrel out of the receiver with the Correct Barrel/Receiver wrenches. Then center barrel with 4-jaw and then center muzzle with Steady. Then all the Crowning and Threading With a concentric bore, for correct threading for muzzle brake/flash-hider. Also easier in the first instance to cut the barrel down to Carbine lenght. Doc AV
One thing about using a SMLE for a truck gun is the detachable magazine. Many states don't allow a gun with ammo in it while in a motor vehicle and magazine makes it fast to load.
That's going to be a quick and dirty truck gun . Thirty hrs in the shop and most likely many happy years in the truck gonna be a good dear gun in the end
Having grown up around guns, I had always heard that......the Enfield was built for it's toughness, the Mauser was built for it's look's and the Springfield was built for it's accuracy. I never handled a Mauser much, but I can attest to the other two having those attributes. Great series Mark, thank you so much.
My opinion: the Springfield is the best of all 3. I have handled all 3 of them but only own a Mauser and Springfield (by choice). The Springfield has action speed and smoothness comparable with the Enfield, but action strength comparable with the Mauser upon which it's based. There's a lot of things about the Enfield I simply don't like. The problem is the original gun did not possess sufficient action strength (different from external ruggedness), and this limited the power of .303. And because Britain didn't want to change cartridges or fully retire the earliest guns, this removed incentive to make future guns more robust which, in turn, precluded any significant loading improvements on the existing cartridge. It was a never-ending circle-jerk that ultimately crippled Britain's small arms development for over 50 years. Had the original rifle been stronger, the cartridge could have either been more powerful to start with or refit with improved powders later on. You look at the Mauser, the 1903, the Mosin. All of these were sufficiently strong actions that they were able to fire significantly more punishing rounds than they originally released with. Then you see the Enfield, limited to its slow-burning powders in order to keep bolt thrust under control.
@@WardenWolf It may be technically right what you say about the strength of the Enfield system, but did it make the Enfield a worse infantry weapon? The higher power of 8x57, 7,62x54R or .30-06 may be a technical advantage and give you theoretically a higher range. But lying in a trench or attacking enemy-occupied villages, typically fighting at distances between 20 and 200 meters what difference does it make? I think the lower powered cartridge is even an advantage since the lower recoil puts less stress on the soldier and makes follow-up shots easier. The development of infantry weapons and calibers pretty much prooves that. But then, machine guns are a completely different pair of shoes...
@@WardenWolf Well the British did indeed look at changing the cartridge and the rifle prior to WWI. If the war had not started the British would have continued the development of the Pattern 14 rifle in a different cartridge. The large amount of .303 left over after the Great War (and financial crisis) led them to improving the old standby they had. The US 1903 was a Mauser (the US paid royalties for patent infringement to Mauser). The Pattern 14 was the British interpretation of the Mauser. The US Model 1917 was the US conversion of the British interpretation of the Mauser. So yes, they did decide the Mauser design was superior.
Awesome project! Can't wait to see it finished! I wanted to do one of these years ago, and never got around to it. Ended up selling the rifle I had planned on using. Now my interest is rekindled. Time to dig up another Enfield.
Mark, I love your work. Probably be a fun shop to work in! That said, I think I'd have dial indicated the chamber of the barrel to dead nuts. Then performed a static tram to insure that the steady rest is perfectly aligned 😁👍
I'm not a machinist and usually can't get my fingers to do what my eyes want but it's fascinating to just watch what a master can do. Thx. for your vids.
Just to put this out there as to why the barrel wobbles so much. I was listening to a podcast or Q&A (i forget where) that had Bloke on the Range. He said what the British discovered was that you only had to have the last 6 inches of the barrel perfectly straight for it to be accurate. It made gauging and production of the barrels much faster since they didn't have to straighten the whole thing.
I have a No4 Mk1 in bad shape that imp refurbishing so I can understand where he’s coming from so as much as I hate to see a mil surp barrel chop, it’s understandable.
I'd dig a short Enfield in .280/30 but I hate cock on close actions so I'm probably going to get a K31 or Mauser 98, UK sucks so not like I can practically own all of them :(
Revolver barrels are measured by the bbl length, NOT including the chamber. Rifle bbls are measured from the bare muzzle (no thread caps, threaded or pinned flash hiders etc) to the bolt face. Semi auto, lever, pump, toggle, break open, falling block, turn breach, WHATEVER. Always remember to add an extra 1/2 inch for recrowns, rethreads & the ATF😁😁
This may sound weird, but I really respect your ability to say "that's good enough". It's a hell of a hard lesson to learn in my painful experience. That lathe setup was gnarly. Your lathe is bigger than mine, but it looked like over 5 thou of runout at the muzzle. I think I'd have given up or burned up an unreal amount of time trying to make it better. My hat's off to you.
24 inch (length of barrel) - 16 3/8 inches (desired length) = 7 5/8 inches You can remove 7 5/8 inches from the 24 inch barrel at the muzzle and get a 16 3/8 inch barrel.
I wish I could spend a few years learning more from you !!!! You are truly gifted with gunsmithing thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us ..
A lot of them are going back to their Enfields unofficially. the new Tikkas aren't holding up as well in the extreme climates. When they bring the cold Tikkas inside moisture is building up on them and then it freezes again locking the actions in place. there was so much slop in the Enfield actions that the frost wasn't an issue.
Your attitude towards machining practices makes me thing you and my professor would get along great. He is all about getting us to consider the easier way to get the same results.
@@geGNOME I feel like a custom job like this would run you like 1000 bucks. That's what I would charge for it. I imagine this is 10+ hours of direct work.
I don't think those threads are concentric to bore, 4 jaw chuck isn't ideal for barrel work without a jig. Indicate off a pin that fits in the bore, once you get the end of the pin closest to the barrel dialed in without any run-out, move the indicator to the far side of the pin. Dial it in, rinse and repeat until pin is steady across the entire diameter. This of course is only important if you plan to use a suppressor or are crowning a "precision" rifle
The short version you were trying too think of , is De Lisle carbine 303 action and stock or metal sterling stock , M 1911 mags and a Thompson barrel fully silenced in 45 ACP used mostly by the British commandos for eliminating enemy sentries
@@ScottKenny1978 Either, or. Its for any stick out. I also know he's full of it about having the barrel indicated because he has no way of knowing that the OD of the barrel (where its riding on the steady rest) is also concentric with the ID.
@@stevendupre2792 so, when the barrel is a corkscrew, how do you determine bore concentricity? The only way I can think of involves stuffing a soft copper rod that is land diameter into the bore and making sure it doesn't wobble as you rotate the barreled action.
Revolver barrel length does not include the cylinder/chamber. That's why a 4" revo and 5" auto show approx. the same velocity, and why Canucks need 4.2" revolvers for legality.
Mark that's a brilliant job Sir! I think I would have turned up a .304 pin with a larger end then put a centre into it and fitted it until it was snug in the barrel bore then pulled the tail stock up with a revolving centre and set the steady rest to fit. If it didn't then turn a 1/2" wide or whatever suits the steady rest band concentric with the bore. Then I would have screw cut the thread, and ensured it was concentric. Then the woodwork I'd have done the same as you propose.
We hunt with a farmer in Wyoming who has what used to be a stainless Ruger Model 77 skeleton (or paddle or whatever) stock rifle in the rarer (if not rarest) .223 Remington chambering. He spray painted it camouflage and it rides on the front of his 4 wheeler. It's beat. It looks like he's used it for a pry bar a couple times and probably has, but it shoots just fine. He's perfectly happy with it and if you told him that it was a rare rifle that should be hiding in his safe, he'd look at you like you were an idiot. It's meant to be used and it serves his needs. Worry about your own rifles and stop trying to tell other people what they should do with theirs.
I have a mk3 no1. BSA Serial # dated to 1943, acurized by holland and holland as a sniper rifle but never issued. All matching numbers including the sling and extra magazine and all proper paperwork. It’s never been fired. My father, (82nd airborne) had a buddy that worked in ordinance that got it for him while he was stationed in England after the war. I wanted to shoot it so badly that I bought one just like it at a gun show just so I could shoot one. Hell it ain’t no slouch. We had a couple 03a3 sniper rifles in my unit in Vietnam. They were very accurate, but I think that 303 enfield would hold its own.
I love watching this guy. Most entertaining and educational on TH-cam. If you ever do a spinoff on anything from cooking to dog barbering, I'll subscribe.
The last MK 3’s left Lithgow in the mid 50’s, even after they’d made the first L1A1 SLR’s. Problem with short Lee Enfields is they are very loud and concussive. In India they still issue them to certain police units.
I just had my mind blown how barrel length is explained. Never actually have taken a ruler to any of my firearms but I've shot some long revolvers and what he explained totally makes sense to me.
It makes sense. Except legally, in both the USA Canada, barrel length is measured from the back end of the forcing cone and does not include the cylinder. He put out a correction on that in a later episode.
You'd be surprised, actually. I have an old No.1 Mk3* E.Y (the wire-wrapped one meant for lobbing rifle grenades) sitting across the room from me that was originally built in 1917 in Lithgow. Factory refurbished in 1951, then stuck in storage for God knows how long before being sold off as surplus. And yet despite being over a century old at heart, the bore is literally brand new. No wear, no pitting, absolutely nothing wrong with it.
I made the mistake of buying a sporterized no.4 mk I with the idea that I'd refurb it. I should have paid better attention to the pictures. The thing is a mess, barrel was cut back to remove the lugs, the front wood was cut and sanded, and the barrel was DRILLED AND TAPPED for a buckhorn sight. But worst of all the charger bridge and rear sight mounts were MILLED OFF THE RECEIVER! Between the barrel possibly being compromised by the screw holes and the structural integrity of the receiver being compromised, I haven't shot it and have no clue what to do with the poor thing. Needless to say the finish is all shot to hell. But my absolute favorite part of this entire dumpster fire is that the extractor spring was missing and was replaced by the tip of a ziptie.
Is the rifle considered an illegal SBR from the moment the (under 16in)cut is made until the flash hider 'extension' is welded on? Is it just common sense and the 'decency' of the ATF protecting you there or is there a specific clause that covers gunsmithing processes that temporarily create controlled items?
The ATF always defaults to "intent". If your intention is to cut down the barrel and permanently attach a device to make it legal in length, you are fine. The ATF isn't a dumb as people think they are.
@@SolarEmp1re Unfortunately knowing the realities of our justice system, being at the whim of reason and goodwill of an agency isn't the safest place to be, where a multitude of biases may apply. A legal position should be fully objective and not at the behest of interpretation by fallible people, though we unfortunately know no better.
John Smith The US court system operates on precedent. The way a law was ruled on in the past is the way it is ruled in the future. Intent is the main factor in the OP’s question because intent is the precedent.
Me too. Handed down from Grandpa. It's got a few dents, dings, and scratches. But the inside is immaculate. Dad said last it was shot was the mid eighties with only 3 rounds because that's all they had.
![ทุกครั้งที่หลับตา (Lucid Dream) - AYLA's [ Official MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4i1OBAQyv58/mqdefault.jpg)
Part 2 is up for your enjoyment.....................
"because if you're watching this video, you believe in doing maintenance" - That's true Mark, and we love watching your work!
Editing a short drop about flash hider effectiveness, how it groups, and necessary sight moves. The gun runs well, groups about 3 inches @100 yds, and the customer is ready to use it as the tool he needs. 99 other Mk4's are gone now due to a total lack of maintenance.
Keep it going Mark, you deserve your own network!!
If anyone's gonna do this to a gun I'm glad it's you. You actually give a hoot about making it look nice and almost-could-be-official
It's also great that they chose an appropriate donor rifle instead of just grabbing the nearest Enfield.
@@5000rgb true
Finally someone who actually has the talent to repair, modify and teach. I have found a website that I can not only enjoy but also learn. Love your candidness and matter of fact approach. I can spend my time catching up on all your videos I have missed. OUTSTANDING
If the gun is already "destroyed" then why not modify to your heart's content? I'd like a no.4 with a no.1 nose cap.
Can do, if you already have the parts
@@marknovak8255 I wish. But I got two projects that you can work some magic on. Can you reline a barrel, or should I go with a specialist like John Taylor or Redman's?
Got a pallet of them just a bit north in Canada if you like.
He did a video a a bit ago where he tells you how to contact him so he definitely sees your message.
@@blackirish781 I'll message him when I can pay for it. Lol It'll be a while.
I like this project for a few reasons: It involves a really cool WWII era gun. It recycles old, clapped-out components. And it makes an awesome, one-of-a-kind gun that didn't sacrifice an entirely matching piece of history.
Good stuff, man. I've fallen down the rabbit hole and you've got yourself a new subscriber.
As an Australian ...these sorts of modified No4's and SMLEs are very common..... accuracy well minute of pig as about what most do
Such a shame. I’m pretty sure that gun belonged to Sir Laurence of Arabia and it was used during the battle of the Alamo. It should’ve been in a museum and now all is lost.
Just kidding. You’ve made a beautiful truck gun from a heap of garbage and I’m happy for the owner. 👍
I have a No. 4 Mk I that was sporterized in the 1960's or 70's and I spent years (beginning in 1985) acquiring parts to restore it.
So, when you first started describing what you were going to do, my heart skipped a beat and my mind started racing with images of Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King movies. I was horrified! Then, after you described how the barrel was going to be shortened, I watched the threads being cut and how you took a saw to the upper hand guards and then the lower, I nearly cried.
OH, THE HUMANITY!
When I recovered from nearly fainting and saw the aftermath, I had to rub my eyes to make sure I was seeing what was on my screen. Once you spliced the upper hand guards together and put the receiver in the lower fore-end, I finally saw what you wanted to convey to us earlier, a tanker...A TANKER SMLE! I liked what I saw.
Now, I can't wait to see how she turns out.
I'm gonna need popcorn....maybe some candy....oh and a Coke, can't forget the Coke.
And, don't forget some smelling salts!
Seems like there's a lot of people out there that missed the comment about there being more than one way to get something done, that haven't actually tried doing anything worth mentioning. Thanks for the motivation to get my own work done.
“It’s got a poplar bottom on it.” I knew a girl like that once.
It's a pleasure to find a gunsmith who knows what he doing. Your bench and shop shows that you are busy and competent...
Your description of its 11° crown got a genuine snicker out of me.
According to the book "Lee Enfield", during the panic production of the second world war, it was found that providing the leade (throat) at the barrel breech was of the correct diameter and length, and the last six inches and crowning were as well, then the bit in the middle had little effect on accuracy. The gauges were changed , and only those dimensions were checked. Savage even made barrels with two groove rifling.
Your dead right, I had a savage with 2 groove barrel and it shot great!
Cool Video ! Those of us in Canada that own number 5 Jungle Carbines use them for moose and bear. My personal jungle carbine was my first center fire rifle. I got it at a woolco store when i was 14 for 32 dollars. 1968 . My mother was the adult that bought the gun ,20 dollars was my own hard earned money. As an adult I used that rifle daily for 30 years on a North Coast BC Canada trap line. It now lives mostly in a safe .and every once in a while it comes out to harvest a bear.
As a Scotsman living in Texas.......... waaaant it!
Can't wait to see the finished product, looks like it's gonna be pretty rad.
e: I sent you an email a little while back about a 10A to 10 Trench Conversion, been a while since I sent it, was wondering if you saw it? Thanks.
As a retired gunsmith of 40+ years it was fun to watch your ideas. Just a thought I would have used a live center when cutting the threads on the barrel. Anything that you can do to a Smile will help it.
That setup got the last 3 inches of the bore running true to the muzzle device. I'll take it...there were other things going on here that we didn't talk about, or were edited out. But you get that
how can u quote atf? they cant even quote their own rules.
Bubble Heads and Tankers have “Bumps and Scrapes” in common, comes from living in Steel boxes
A gunsmith I know has been doing this mod for many years. As we're in Canada, he calls them Tundra Carbines. FWIW, he also makes a very nice takedown No. 4 and does the nicest trigger job on them that I've ever experienced. 50 years ago in Canada, stores used to stock them muzzle down in 55 gal. barrels for under $10.
Really looking forward to how this comes out. I have a No 5 that someone put into an ebony tipped Reinhardt Fajen forestock and a matching monte carlo buttstock with a poly finish. It's hideous but a decent foundation for a forestock project like this. Thanks for sharing !
I love watching a maker / engineer create. Glad YT suggested this.
The poor lathe guy is like "why did you have to film today" lol outstanding word Jarod
I can't wait for the next episode on this. These kinds of projects really interest me because I like to tinker around with things but have no shop or tools with which to do projects that require machining or a lathe. I'm pretty much limited to hand tools and a drill press and the crappy shot out junkers that I can find on gunbroker. But something like this project I could do almost all of it myself plus the keeping it looking like it was a factory modification is one of my things as well. It reminds me of an M14 tanker version.
Though one wonders why he didn’t just buy a $500 slightly trashed #5 or a Santa Fe fake #5, would be cheaper I think?
Love these videos Mark! really makes one appreciate the art and engineering behind gunsmithing work
Awesome work! I'm really stoked for the end result
A little taste goes along way with a conversion, I've found. It's not hard, it just takes time. Perusing the RIA catalog, there are some actually decent sporters out there. There's a whole lot more crap, though.
I've been searching for a 1917 of adequate lack of quality to convert to a Chinese short rifle, and stripped receivers for those seem to have utterly disappeared, so a 308 sporter project I have all the other metal for (including a barrel and magazine assembly) is also on indefinite hold. I guess it gives the chunks of ebony I got time to dry out a bit more.
Chinese short rifle?
@@googlepissoff5776 www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/01/16/m1917-carbine/
Here's an article from Othias
I am loving this evolution Mark!
I'm all pins and needles to see the final product.
The original front furniture is beech , as was commonly used by the poms for most rifles after WW1 ( ran out of walnut haha . Definitely don't want to shorten a 303 too much , muzzle flash and blast is considerable .The 'woop ' in that barrel haha
LOTS of woop
The ATF needs to go away and never come back.
In my humble opinion the National Firearms Act of 1934 is a direct violation of the 2nd Amendment.
@@BillB23 always has been, sadly the SCOTUS didn't kill it when it would have been easy...
Mitchell Hoffarth Amen!!!!!
I've often thought that Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms would be a great name for a country store.
@@BillB23 Bob's Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Entertainment.
You were thinking of a cut down (or sawn off) Mosin Nagant--called an "Obrez."
msuitepyon they supposedly had some chopped down lee Enfields for tunnelers. Supposedly
Or he was thinking of the cut down ones from new hope the desert junkers use
Good one. 👍
@@gabemando7823 sounds like an armourer's job and not a real military adoption
Slaughter Round if I recall they had evidence of them after the war, not during, and they were from the German’s perspective, hence the supposedly
I did this to my first No4, back in 1964. I don't remember who made the rifle was but I recall it was nice. Your 2 vids got me to open the LE safe and dig a few out.
Hey Mark, for the type of service that this carbine is going to see, I think the accuracy will be more than adequate. Gonna be a sharp looking, fast handling little gun, nice work!
Exactly, as a truck gun in Montana it just needs to be minute of bear at a distance of "Oh Shit" and it is pent accurate enough
@@micahreid5553 Permission to use the above accuracy specification on my customers....That's great!
And now begins the 72 page long waiting list for all of us that have the parts laying around and pray that Mark makes these regularly... :-)
First, Take the barrel out of the receiver with the Correct Barrel/Receiver wrenches. Then center barrel with 4-jaw and then center muzzle with Steady.
Then all the Crowning and Threading
With a concentric bore, for correct threading for muzzle brake/flash-hider.
Also easier in the first instance to cut the barrel down to Carbine lenght.
Doc AV
Agree. It pained me to watch this.
One thing about using a SMLE for a truck gun is the detachable magazine. Many states don't allow a gun with ammo in it while in a motor vehicle and magazine makes it fast to load.
Plenty of "gunsmiths" can install aftermarket parts and build AR's. How many can make something entirely new and make it look like this?
There's a HUGE difference between a Gunsmith and a "parts changer"!
That's going to be a quick and dirty truck gun . Thirty hrs in the shop and most likely many happy years in the truck gonna be a good dear gun in the end
Thats looking good. I am looking forward to seeing the final product.
Having grown up around guns, I had always heard that......the Enfield was built for it's toughness, the Mauser was built for it's look's and the Springfield was built for it's accuracy. I never handled a Mauser much, but I can attest to the other two having those attributes. Great series Mark, thank you so much.
May I add...the M1917 has the best of all 3 and none of the vices.......
My opinion: the Springfield is the best of all 3. I have handled all 3 of them but only own a Mauser and Springfield (by choice). The Springfield has action speed and smoothness comparable with the Enfield, but action strength comparable with the Mauser upon which it's based. There's a lot of things about the Enfield I simply don't like. The problem is the original gun did not possess sufficient action strength (different from external ruggedness), and this limited the power of .303. And because Britain didn't want to change cartridges or fully retire the earliest guns, this removed incentive to make future guns more robust which, in turn, precluded any significant loading improvements on the existing cartridge. It was a never-ending circle-jerk that ultimately crippled Britain's small arms development for over 50 years. Had the original rifle been stronger, the cartridge could have either been more powerful to start with or refit with improved powders later on. You look at the Mauser, the 1903, the Mosin. All of these were sufficiently strong actions that they were able to fire significantly more punishing rounds than they originally released with. Then you see the Enfield, limited to its slow-burning powders in order to keep bolt thrust under control.
@@WardenWolf It may be technically right what you say about the strength of the Enfield system, but did it make the Enfield a worse infantry weapon? The higher power of 8x57, 7,62x54R or .30-06 may be a technical advantage and give you theoretically a higher range. But lying in a trench or attacking enemy-occupied villages, typically fighting at distances between 20 and 200 meters what difference does it make?
I think the lower powered cartridge is even an advantage since the lower recoil puts less stress on the soldier and makes follow-up shots easier.
The development of infantry weapons and calibers pretty much prooves that.
But then, machine guns are a completely different pair of shoes...
@@WardenWolf Well the British did indeed look at changing the cartridge and the rifle prior to WWI. If the war had not started the British would have continued the development of the Pattern 14 rifle in a different cartridge. The large amount of .303 left over after the Great War (and financial crisis) led them to improving the old standby they had. The US 1903 was a Mauser (the US paid royalties for patent infringement to Mauser). The Pattern 14 was the British interpretation of the Mauser. The US Model 1917 was the US conversion of the British interpretation of the Mauser. So yes, they did decide the Mauser design was superior.
Awesome project! Can't wait to see it finished! I wanted to do one of these years ago, and never got around to it. Ended up selling the rifle I had planned on using. Now my interest is rekindled. Time to dig up another Enfield.
Preparation, measurement....preparation, measurement.....90% of the work! Thank you for the excellent tutorial!
Mark, I love your work. Probably be a fun shop to work in!
That said, I think I'd have dial indicated the chamber of the barrel to dead nuts. Then performed a static tram to insure that the steady rest is perfectly aligned 😁👍
I'm not a machinist and usually can't get my fingers to do what my eyes want but it's fascinating to just watch what a master can do. Thx. for your vids.
Great video Mark. This one has really captured my interest. Looking forward to Part 2.
Brilliant. Where art meets skill & free thinking takes over. Great stuff, keep on keeping on. :-)
That flash suppressor looks like it came off of no5 jungle carbine.
Great vid as always, keep the creative juices flowing.
40:33 he's got three hands
Former nuclear submariner. :)
You have to if your gona be a gunsmith
Noticed the same here.. no.4 hand on a sigar ?
Stunning stuff as always! Eagerly awaiting the next installment!
Slick on the fly, sort of, engineering. Creating a nice creation of someone's perceived dream. Thank you. Insightful
Just to put this out there as to why the barrel wobbles so much. I was listening to a podcast or Q&A (i forget where) that had Bloke on the Range. He said what the British discovered was that you only had to have the last 6 inches of the barrel perfectly straight for it to be accurate. It made gauging and production of the barrels much faster since they didn't have to straighten the whole thing.
YES
im enjoying reading all of the hate comments that have missed the point of this video simply because they did not watch
I have a No4 Mk1 in bad shape that imp refurbishing so I can understand where he’s coming from so as much as I hate to see a mil surp barrel chop, it’s understandable.
There are so many bubba’d “lost cause” Mauser 98 actions out there that could be turned into truck guns, not sure why the guy sent you an Enfield lol
It's what he had, and he wanted a #5 sorta lookalike
I had a Mauser rechamber in a 308 I love the hell out of it
A Mauser action would be a better use of time but... chopped enfield is pretty unique so it’s got some cool factor
A mauser 98 in 9.3x62 shortened down into a k88/g91 size, with a stutzen stock and mannlicher fore-end.. recoil would be pretty stout..
I'd dig a short Enfield in .280/30 but I hate cock on close actions so I'm probably going to get a K31 or Mauser 98, UK sucks so not like I can practically own all of them :(
Bubba, stand down. This is how it's done, and what it's done on.
Revolver barrels are measured by the bbl length, NOT including the chamber. Rifle bbls are measured from the bare muzzle (no thread caps, threaded or pinned flash hiders etc) to the bolt face. Semi auto, lever, pump, toggle, break open, falling block, turn breach, WHATEVER. Always remember to add an extra 1/2 inch for recrowns, rethreads & the ATF😁😁
I love it when marks 3rd hand appears
This may sound weird, but I really respect your ability to say "that's good enough". It's a hell of a hard lesson to learn in my painful experience. That lathe setup was gnarly. Your lathe is bigger than mine, but it looked like over 5 thou of runout at the muzzle. I think I'd have given up or burned up an unreal amount of time trying to make it better. My hat's off to you.
Burned up an UNREAL amount of TIME..................and that is the point I've been trying to make. Thanks, my hats is off to YOU
24 inch (length of barrel) - 16 3/8 inches (desired length) = 7 5/8 inches You can remove 7 5/8 inches from the 24 inch barrel at the muzzle and get a 16 3/8 inch barrel.
I wish I could spend a few years learning more from you !!!!
You are truly gifted with gunsmithing thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us ..
Canadian Rangers retired their No4 mk 1s in 2018, 77 years after it was first put in to service.
A lot of them are going back to their Enfields unofficially. the new Tikkas aren't holding up as well in the extreme climates. When they bring the cold Tikkas inside moisture is building up on them and then it freezes again locking the actions in place. there was so much slop in the Enfield actions that the frost wasn't an issue.
Like we said, this design is not all that precise, but it is TOUGH
new to this channel. gotta say i like the snarky attitude (with taste) combined with the overwhelming knowledge. thanks ole kid. ill be back
Your attitude towards machining practices makes me thing you and my professor would get along great. He is all about getting us to consider the easier way to get the same results.
Curious how much something like this costs? I.e. how many hours are into this rifle?
Cannot wait to see the end!!!!
probably more than the guy would have to give for a brand new savage axis.
@@geGNOME I feel like a custom job like this would run you like 1000 bucks. That's what I would charge for it. I imagine this is 10+ hours of direct work.
40:10 in... bang! “miss me!” as Mark hand saws the front stock and doesn’t miss a beat. LMAO 🤣
Can’t get enough of your videos. Like a fly on the wall.
I don't think those threads are concentric to bore, 4 jaw chuck isn't ideal for barrel work without a jig. Indicate off a pin that fits in the bore, once you get the end of the pin closest to the barrel dialed in without any run-out, move the indicator to the far side of the pin. Dial it in, rinse and repeat until pin is steady across the entire diameter. This of course is only important if you plan to use a suppressor or are crowning a "precision" rifle
If there ever was a No. 4 Mk1 to sporterize, this was probably it.
The short version you were trying too think of , is De Lisle carbine 303 action and stock or metal sterling stock , M 1911 mags and a Thompson barrel fully silenced in 45 ACP used mostly by the British commandos for eliminating enemy sentries
No, he was thinking of an Obrez Moisin.
any machinist would have had a stroke watching the lathe portion LOL.
The barrel was that out of round. All the dancing in the back was necessary to have the last 3 inches of the bore running true.
Especially breaking the rule to have no more stick out than 2.5 x the diameter of what you're turning.
@@stevendupre2792 is that rule for the chuck or the steadi rest?
@@ScottKenny1978 Either, or. Its for any stick out. I also know he's full of it about having the barrel indicated because he has no way of knowing that the OD of the barrel (where its riding on the steady rest) is also concentric with the ID.
@@stevendupre2792 so, when the barrel is a corkscrew, how do you determine bore concentricity?
The only way I can think of involves stuffing a soft copper rod that is land diameter into the bore and making sure it doesn't wobble as you rotate the barreled action.
"if your student appears to have a clue, let him roll"
I got shivers when I heard that
Revolver barrel length does not include the cylinder/chamber. That's why a 4" revo and 5" auto show approx. the same velocity, and why Canucks need 4.2" revolvers for legality.
Mark that's a brilliant job Sir! I think I would have turned up a .304 pin with a larger end then put a centre into it and fitted it until it was snug in the barrel bore then pulled the tail stock up with a revolving centre and set the steady rest to fit. If it didn't then turn a 1/2" wide or whatever suits the steady rest band concentric with the bore. Then I would have screw cut the thread, and ensured it was concentric. Then the woodwork I'd have done the same as you propose.
@ 4:00 the gun he is trying to remember is the Obrez pistol and it was a Mosin Negant rifle turned into a pistol.
Yep
Ive seen a obrez 303 british. Really bad ass looking. Id be abit shy to fire that weapon 1 handed hahaha must be fun shooting that beast.
We hunt with a farmer in Wyoming who has what used to be a stainless Ruger Model 77 skeleton (or paddle or whatever) stock rifle in the rarer (if not rarest) .223 Remington chambering. He spray painted it camouflage and it rides on the front of his 4 wheeler. It's beat. It looks like he's used it for a pry bar a couple times and probably has, but it shoots just fine. He's perfectly happy with it and if you told him that it was a rare rifle that should be hiding in his safe, he'd look at you like you were an idiot. It's meant to be used and it serves his needs. Worry about your own rifles and stop trying to tell other people what they should do with theirs.
(psst,,,,,saw all the way around so that the last part to be cut is in the middle,,,,). LOVING the videos!!
Mark?? You making a truck gun is like Michelangelo painting someone’s bike.
Spending a lot of money for something that's going to get beat to crap, yes.
But fascinating to see Mark's thinking.
I shot this weapon type as a cadet from the age of 14, hell of a weapon and accurate enough.
I have a mk3 no1. BSA Serial # dated to 1943, acurized by holland and holland as a sniper rifle but never issued. All matching numbers including the sling and extra magazine and all proper paperwork. It’s never been fired. My father, (82nd airborne) had a buddy that worked in ordinance that got it for him while he was stationed in England after the war. I wanted to shoot it so badly that I bought one just like it at a gun show just so I could shoot one. Hell it ain’t no slouch. We had a couple 03a3 sniper rifles in my unit in Vietnam. They were very accurate, but I think that 303 enfield would hold its own.
Sexy equipment, for sure
i bet ole Jeff Cooper would even approve of that mod....i enjoyed that !
Cool project, weird customer.
I love watching this guy. Most entertaining and educational on TH-cam. If you ever do a spinoff on anything from cooking to dog barbering, I'll subscribe.
The last MK 3’s left Lithgow in the mid 50’s, even after they’d made the first L1A1 SLR’s. Problem with short Lee Enfields is they are very loud and concussive. In India they still issue them to certain police units.
This reminds me that I want to find a Gibbs N07 or extreme quest carbine. In practical terms, those Mossberg MVP patrol rifles are pretty compelling.
I just had my mind blown how barrel length is explained. Never actually have taken a ruler to any of my firearms but I've shot some long revolvers and what he explained totally makes sense to me.
It makes sense. Except legally, in both the USA Canada, barrel length is measured from the back end of the forcing cone and does not include the cylinder. He put out a correction on that in a later episode.
Hey! Mark, thanks for the answer. I'll keep watching.
A fantastic channel and a fantastic engineering mind, I could watch for hours
This looks so much like the kind of weapon the Boer farmers carried during the Boer Wars! Of course, it's a .303!
What is the benefit of reusing the old barrel vs a new blank?I assume that virtually any barrel would have a better bore than that thing.
I will do anything the customer is willing to pay for....................
@@marknovak8255 Touche.
You'd be surprised, actually. I have an old No.1 Mk3* E.Y (the wire-wrapped one meant for lobbing rifle grenades) sitting across the room from me that was originally built in 1917 in Lithgow. Factory refurbished in 1951, then stuck in storage for God knows how long before being sold off as surplus. And yet despite being over a century old at heart, the bore is literally brand new. No wear, no pitting, absolutely nothing wrong with it.
@@blindrifleman5307 1917 barrel, 1951 barrel, or newer? Does it have all the markings it's supposed to, if any. I'm no expert.
@@jeramyw Pretty sure the barrel is from '51, but haven't pulled the wire wrap off yet to check. Not sure how to deal with the soldered sections.
As always, amazing work. I’d love to get to your level of knowledge alone.
I made the mistake of buying a sporterized no.4 mk I with the idea that I'd refurb it. I should have paid better attention to the pictures. The thing is a mess, barrel was cut back to remove the lugs, the front wood was cut and sanded, and the barrel was DRILLED AND TAPPED for a buckhorn sight. But worst of all the charger bridge and rear sight mounts were MILLED OFF THE RECEIVER! Between the barrel possibly being compromised by the screw holes and the structural integrity of the receiver being compromised, I haven't shot it and have no clue what to do with the poor thing. Needless to say the finish is all shot to hell. But my absolute favorite part of this entire dumpster fire is that the extractor spring was missing and was replaced by the tip of a ziptie.
Sounds like you have the basics for a nice truck gun. Got a lathe? The missing extractor spring is a couple bucks from Numrich...
40:32 The sign of a true gunsmith, the ability to grow a third arm and hand as needed.
man that thing isn't even remotely straight
Recoil? Indeed.
Blast? Oh yes.
This is what actual gunsmithing looks like and I want some more of that in my life...
Is the rifle considered an illegal SBR from the moment the (under 16in)cut is made until the flash hider 'extension' is welded on? Is it just common sense and the 'decency' of the ATF protecting you there or is there a specific clause that covers gunsmithing processes that temporarily create controlled items?
Not something I would want on film.
The ATF always defaults to "intent". If your intention is to cut down the barrel and permanently attach a device to make it legal in length, you are fine. The ATF isn't a dumb as people think they are.
@@SolarEmp1re Unfortunately knowing the realities of our justice system, being at the whim of reason and goodwill of an agency isn't the safest place to be, where a multitude of biases may apply. A legal position should be fully objective and not at the behest of interpretation by fallible people, though we unfortunately know no better.
John Smith The US court system operates on precedent. The way a law was ruled on in the past is the way it is ruled in the future. Intent is the main factor in the OP’s question because intent is the precedent.
just goes to show how fucking stupid the atf is.
I have a genuine matching jungle carbine and it’s a great little gun, it shoots amazing
Me too. Handed down from Grandpa. It's got a few dents, dings, and scratches. But the inside is immaculate. Dad said last it was shot was the mid eighties with only 3 rounds because that's all they had.
Very interesting always nice to see a skilled craftsman at work. Great video thanks for sharing.