would an enfield rifle be a good candidate for building a precision rifle?
im looking to build a precision military rifle, possibly able to shoot military matches. already have a garand, cant afford a 1903, and i have about 4000 rounds of 30-06 ammo. is this a good choice?
Tagged with: ammo • military rifle
Filed under: Military Rifles
I don’t think so…..
4000 Rounds of 30-06 ammunition huh?
I have an idea — forget the idea of building a precision rifle out of that Enfield….
Do this… Buy a decent bolt action rifle chambered in 30-06….
You are in a unique position where you can get a huge amount of practice time in with that ammo you have… Doesn’t matter what grade of ammo it is… Yeah some are better than others but even if it isn’t top notch ammo then practice shooting steel target at long distances… Maybe it isn’t sub MOA ammo but so what… If you can consistently hit steel plates at 200, 300 and more yards then why not???
Ammo over a period of time can cost more than the rifle… You have the ammo so get a decent rifle and get some range time in….
With the rear locking lugs, it’s not what one looks for if the goal is precision.
By the time you replace the barrel, fit the chamber, get other accurizing work done, replace the stock, etc on an Enfield, you could have bought that Springfield.
In the military matches I shoot in, they inspect each rifle for only original issue parts…..so building a "precision" rifle as you request confuses me somewhat. Are you planning on actually building a precision rifle, or do you mean you want to make it as original as possible while being accurate? This is usually accomplished by trial and error. You buy several good candidates and see which one shoots. Enfields are no exception. Some really beat up ones will shoot great, while some like-new ones may not. It’s a crapshoot, and the only way to tell is to buy, shoot and score.
Holland and Holland did take regular Enfields and turn them into sniper rifles for the British army, so it can be done. I don’t know about re-chambering it to 30-06. It might be a bit loose.
I am a long time high power rifle competition shooter and match director.
You can’t make a modern match rifle based on a 100 years old rifle as the base. Any rifle off the shelf – any regular hunting rifle – would still beat you. Remove the firing pin and put the Enfield on the wall where it belongs.
4,000 rounds of ammo is like saying you have a set of tires – unless you specify the make, model, and size – there is no saying what that 30-06 ammo is good for. If it’s old military ball – it’s good for 200 yard plinking. If it’s Federal Gold Medal Match – then you some decent competition ammo.
Hope this helps
Enfields are getting rare. it would be a shame to spend the cash to ruin that rifle’s history by modifying it. Its just not worth the effort.
If you are searching for a Military target rifle, you have none better than the Garand. You can get national match parts from Springfield armory to
enhance the accuracy and use it in military matches. That is what they use at Camp Perry Ohio, along with the newer AR/M16 rifles.
You have to clarify the enfield thing. The 303 Enfield or 1917 Enfield P-17. The P-17 I can recommend without hesitation. I have one that had the barrel shortened by 2", drilled and tapped and fitted with a scope. It is a same hole shooter at a hundred yards. It is glass bedded it into a Monte Carlo stock to line up the eye/scope and it shoots like a dream. I bought it for a hundred and fifty bucks with scope rings on it, put a scope on, sighted it in and am very happy. I have another dozen or so P-17’s and P-14’s but didn’t want to do any altering from original configuration on them. Next I want a BRNO 98/29 that has been drilled and tapped for a scope since I don’t want to alter any of my mausers; that 8mm Mauser should be a good long range caliber; it is used all around the world.
A WW1 Enfield blew up on me and now half of my left thumb is gone. Get a modern rifle, and if you are serious about accuracy get it in .308 Win..