Military Surplus Rifles?

[ContractSoldier]

I'm thinking about buying a Lee Enfield No 4 Mk 1 and I have some question's for those who currently own, or have owned military surplus rifles in the past. My first question is, since it's no secret that corrosive ammo was used in these rifles and thus, there will be the possibility that corrosive residues will still be present in the rifles action, magazine, barrel, etc., and even though I will only be using modern non-corrosive ammo, is there a possibility of cross contamination when cleaning the surplus rifle for the first couple of times and cleaning my other, newer firearms with Break Free CLP?

In other words, could there be a possibility where I clean the surplus rifle and then at a later date while cleaning one of my newer firearms with the same cleaning rod, cleaning brush, and Break Free CLP, the corrosive residues from the surplus rifle would then be transferred to the newer firearms and cause corrosion and pitting in the barrels and in other parts on my newer firearms?

My second question is, what should I consider as a good barrel on these surplus rifles?

It's my understanding that even with pitted and dark bores, these rifles are still extremely accurate. But since I don't know anyone who's making brand new barrels based off the original factory design, and I will be limited in the amount of Lee Enfield rifles that I will find at the gun show in the first place, I would like the barrel to be in the best condition that I will be lucky to find and hope that I will never wear the barrel out.

Thanks in advance to everyone who will help out.

[RazorBurn]

I have quite a few milsurps, and honestly, I search for ones with nice bores and minimal muzzle wear. They're not hard to find at all. I'd be more worried about headspace. I've never had a nice looking bore milsurp fail headspace, but it is something you should have the gauges for to be able to check. I've never seen any example of cross contamination from cleaning a milsurp. I use Hoppes #9 or something similar as they neutralize the corrosive salts. A lot of milsurp guys use boiling hot soapy water to clean out their bores.

As long as the rifling has strong lands and grooves I'd say it would probably shoot pretty good. There are a lot of nice Enfields out there, take your time and pick out a nice one.

[ralph]

I'll add on to what Razorburn said.. I had a No.4 Mk1 and it was a great shooter, The bore was like new. As Razorburn said headspace is more of a concern that bore condition. Luckily. with a Enfield, Adjusting the headspace isn't that hard. You simply unscrew the bolthead from the bolt and replace with a higher numbered one. The boltheads are numbered 0,1,2,3, 3 being the longest, and if headspace becomes excessive or is excessive with a #3 bolthead, it's time to replace the barrel. So, when shopping for a Enfield, look for one that has a 0,or 1 bolthead, I personally wouldn't go any farther that a #2.. Myself I used Windex as a corrosive salt neturalizer There's a good article over at Empire Arms website that covers this it's very easy to do, and it works!! BTW, EA usually has some nice milsurp rifles for sale.. Sadly I sold my Enfield, as decent quality .303 ammo dried up, and although I reload, I wasn't interested in loading yet another caliber..

[Meta-Prometheus]

I don't have experience with Enfields, but have owned several Russian Capture K98's and Mosin Nagants.

As the others have stated, Headspace should be checked on any mil-surp rifle.

If the rifling is strong, even if there is frost or light pitting in the grooves it can still be a fine shooter. Keep an eye out for rifles that have been counter-bored though. These can still be excellent rifles, but an inch or so of the rifling at the muzzle end will have been removed either due to corrosion or a damaged crown or both.

With regard to corrosive ammo I would suggest staying away from it entirely. That's what I do with my mil-surps. I clean them up when I get them (windex/hot water or Ballistol) and only use clean modern ammo in them. This allows me to just use waffenfett or automatenfett to clean them from that point forward. I don't take my rifles out very often, so the waffenfett doubles as long term storage preservative.

If you can personally handle any mil-surp you're interested in, that's the best. Otherwise reputable companies like Simpson Ltd would be my suggestion.

[T2C]

I have fired tens of thousands of rounds of corrosive Russian, Turkish, Yugoslavian and American ammunition without any problems. I own three Yugo Mausers, two with shiny bores and one with a pitted bore. The best shooting rifle has the worst looking bore.

You don't want to leave a rifle dirty after shooting corrosive ammunition. Find a cleaner that will neutralize the salts left behind after shooting corrosive ammunition. After shooting a lot of corrosive 8mm Mauser ammunition, I push a patch sopping wet with Windex through the bore and let it sit for a minute. Then I follow with a dry patch and repeat the process. I also clean the bolt by spraying a generous amount of Windex on it and wiping it off with a rag or paper towels. After the Windex treatment, I clean the bore with Hoppes # 9 and apply a light coat of oil like I normally would any other rifle.

Any rifle I am not going to shoot (corrosive or non-corrosive ammunition) within a day or two after the initial cleaning gets cleaned three days in a row.

I keep the brushes I use for cleaning old Mil-Surp rifles separate from the brushes I use on modern rifles. I leave them soaking in a container with enough Hoppes # 9 in it to cover the brushes.

If I have a build up of crud in the bore of an old rifle, I push an earplug in the chamber and pour Hoppes # 9 or Kroil in the barrel until it reaches the muzzle and let it soak. I leave the rifle stored muzzle up for a few days with newspaper underneath to catch any solvent that drips out. If you tilt the rifle when you store it muzzle up, any solvent that leaks out misses the wood.

Slug the bore on your Enfield to determine the actual bore diameter. Bullets are available in varying diameters, especially lead bullets. Once you start reloading, you can purchase bullets that will seal well when fired through the bore.

[advntrjnky]

I believe Krieger is making new No. 4 barrels to factory dimensions. You can thank the increased interest in vintage sniper rifle competitions for that.

[pinzgauer]

I'd be temped to rebarrel and make into a L42A1 after seeing them in New Zealand. You have to modify/replace the box mag and extractor, don't know how hard that would be.

May not be the most accurate sniper rifle, but would be one with much history

Sent from my PRC-104 using phonetics

[Pilot1]

I am a big milsurp fan. You were able to get some great deals on them a few years back, and still can if you look hard enough. I was able to find an Enfield, and a Mauser K98k in nice shape with good barrels. My Mauser is a Yugo rework though so has a nice, new looking Yugo barrel. There are a lot of Enfields around with excellent bores. If you do use corrosive ammo, just make sure to clean the barrel and action well.

[pinzgauer]

L42A1 in action in Oman, before tactical beards were cool.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/01/00/69/010069f8b102447458dad275ff0cdca3.jpg

Sent from my PRC-104 using phonetics

[brickboy240]

I own 5 Lee Enfields, 4 Mauser 98 variants, 4 Mosin Nagant variants, 3 Swede Mausers and an 03 Springfield.

So yeah...you could say I have experience with old military bolt guns! LOL

If you get a No4 Lee Enfield in very good condition, it will easily keep up with the average 03 Springfield or K-98 Mauser from the 100yd bench. My nearly mint 1944 Canadian Lee Enfield will do just that....all day long. However, the Swede Mausers and Finnish Nagant will beat it every day, all day.

Don't fear corrosive ammo! 99% of the rounds I have run through my Mosins has been corrosive and if you clean up properly, you will never see rust. I use Windex like others and swear by it. Corrosive 54R ammo is still fairly cheap, too.

I have run cordite loaded 1945 made WWII 303 ball through my Enfields and again...no corrosion. Cleaning up is the key.

330 British is not as cheap or plentiful as it used to be, but Privi Partisan still makes it, along with affordable 6.5x55 and 8x57 Mauser and that is mostly what I shoot today.

The most accurate surplus bolt guns are probably the Swiss and Swedish guns, followed closely by the M-39 Finnish Mosin Nagant and 03 Springfield.

I love the 03 Springfield but truth be told, the Swedes will out-group mine all day and the sights on the 03 are dinky and in 30-06, the 03 gets hard on the shoulder much faster than the Swede Mauser. I am also not a fan of the 03's flimsy 2 piece firing pin. Give me a K98 over the 03 Springer...all day long! LOL

The 1896 Swede Mauser is a thing of beauty. Very well made, hyper-accurate and the bolt cocks on closing like the Lee Enfield - making it very fast to cycle. It also is very easy on the shoulder and recoils much like a 223 sporting bolt gun. The Swede Mauser is my favorite...by far!

I love shooting the Enfields. Their peep sights are great (only surpassed by the Garand's excellent rear peep sight) and they are easy on the shoulder and the bolt cycles very fast.

Do some research and go get you a military surplus bolt gun...they are big fun and very addictive!

[ralph]

You're right about the Swede's...I own 2 that I bought in the early 90's...They were dirt cheap then. But what wonderful shooters, A friend of mine and I both bought a M96, and later, M38's. We just had a FFL order them for us, sight unseen.. We were really surprised with what we got, they were in beautiful shape, and what great shooters! At the time and for the money, these were probably one of the best deals going.. The 90's was a great time to be into milsurp rifles..

[T2C]

I compete with guys who shoot Swedish Mausers in Vintage Rifle Matches and they tell me "they shoot like lasers".

[brickboy240]

Back in the day, I could bench my 1905 made M96 Swede Long Rifle and, using 70s made Norma surplus 6.5mm ammo, could get 5 shot groups that were around an inch or so.

Yes...the Swedes are crazy accurate.

I have used my M96-38 Short Rifle on pig and deer hunts. The 6.5x55 140gr soft point easily drops the average feral pig or white tail deer and is easier on the shoulder than a 243.