Hi guy's I dont spend much time here ...but enough to appreciate the beautiful Springfield ,Mauser and Krag sporter conversion's .

But out of curiousty or just ignorance ...has anyone ever sporterized one of the old Mk 2,3,4 etc Lee Enfield action's ?,I would love to see an example for reference for a personal project

You can always check out the Lee Speeds on the NitroExpress.com forum.
http://forums.nitroexpress.com/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=lee

Or have a look at the two Ken Waters had and featured in his article on the .303 in Handloader magazine and reprinted in "Pet Loads." You CAN make a very trim and handsome sporter on a "Smellie." I'd start with a Bubba'ed #4 or a late Aussie #3.

Thank's guy's please keep it coming,Mike .A ...I don't have the book you mentioned,do you know where I could find a photo?

All the best,
Chris

Chris,PM me your snail address and I'll send you the best copy I can manage (it's a thick book, but the pix should be OK). Sorry, don't have a fax.

Mike Armstrong

Posting pictures for Bill.

I like the original Lee Sporters, still have two.

This custom job I thought was very nice and an interesting caliber:
http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=160955&an=0&page=1#Post160955

Maybe not be a Speed but at one time Ellwood Epps in then Clinton Ontario converted some Lees to a one piece stock. You can see a pic. of one on page 73 of F. de Haas book "Bolt Action Rifles".

I purchased one of the above stocks from Epps many years ago and still have it in my parts bin, I suppose I could take a pic. / two, if there is any interest. --- John Can.

Hi John, I would love to see a photo or two of what you described.

And thank's to everyone for your reply,they have helped a great deal,one thing that I'm noticeing is that the Enfield trigger gaurd and trigger shape need's re-working by right's to get a slimmer look,I dont mind the two piece stock configuration as it make's the thing completely "Enfield " at a glance.


All the best,
Chris

Many years ago there was an article about sporterizing these clunkers. It included altering the magazine to a flush 5 shot affair, could have been in the American Rifleman, but not sure.

Aftermarket 5-shot magazines are available and make a much nicer sporter IMO. But the Brit gunsmiths seem to have made both 5 and 10-shot custom Lees.

I'll look up that AR article. Think I remember they used a Bishop semi-finished stock. It needed to go on a starvation diet....and lose the "white line fever." The Brits had the right idea--long and SLIM.

Newf- PM sent re; pics. --- John Can.

Michael

Thanks for posting the photos.

The Lee Enfield is considered by many as james-l put it, a "clunker", and treated as such. While this negative attitude persists in the minds of many Americans, the rifles are reliable, stronger and more accurate than most believe. They can be made into quite attractive rifles - i.e. Lee Speeds and the Parker Hale conversions.

The one in the photo started out as #3 and handles very well. It looks odd to my eyes with a five shot magazine and the Epps one piece conversions I have tended to much to the Weatherby/California style.

Bill

Thank you everyone for the help and interest.

John can ,e-mail sent.

We'' it's been some time and this is what I've managed so far between other projects...the forend you see had to be scrapped because of an in internal flaw ,another is already fitted up

She 'll have to be put aside for a while now as paying work calls to me ... [ http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/_heiko/IMG_2208.jpg?t=1389132598

Very nice! Any more photos? Thanks for sharing

Thanks Tom,but no that's the only photo so far ...it'll be some time before I get back to it again ,I need to finish up some paying work so I can get the new front sight and swivel bases it also looks like I may have to try my hand at making a trap door buttplate ...finding one seems impossible !

About the trap door buttplate. I remember seeing a converted military buttplate, that had a spring and plunger drilled into the wood, to replace the flat spring that took up so much space on the original plate. Also less effort to open the trap.

Santa Fe had a bunch of 5 round magazines made up in Japan years ago for the #4 and jungle carbine. try places like gunbroker or ebay to see if anyone has one for sale. I have one on my Longbranch #4MKI and works great. Frank

Santa Fe had a bunch of 5 round magazines made up in Japan years ago for the #4 and jungle carbine. try places like gunbroker or ebay to see if anyone has one for sale. I have one on my Longbranch #4MKI and works great. Your "in the works rifle looks great and love the wood. Frank

Thanks Frank ,I have one 5 rnd mag and a few 10 rnd mags kicking around ...I'll probably cut a 10 round down ,but thanks for the tip ...I'll check them out.

The gun is on the back burner for a while now ,till I get caught up on my real work

I am surprised no one has mentioned the sporterized enfields by E.J. Churchill. They were converted from military rifles to sporter spec for the uk forestry commission for culling deer i think. Very nice rifles and not expensive, but a good model to try and replicate imho.

here are a couple of dealer pictures of a Churchill #4 conversion I bought.

Thanks guys again for all the tips and leads ,Buckbrush I did a quick search for a Churchill conversion but came up empty ,thanks again ...the rifle was originally a Parker Hale conversion similar to yours ,but I wanted something a little different...I'm throwing around some ideas for a QD scope mount and its getting close,I'm starting to now lean towards a Silvers style pad for the butt, anyone have any thoughts on this ?

A Silvers Pad looks about as nice as any you could choose IMO.
If not a hard kicker Kaliber I'd stick with a steel contoured butt plate like the originals. It doesn't have to be a trap style, some didn't have that feature.
Smooth faced, nicely contoured to avoid any bulky look and finished w/a touch of engraving around a border line cut is nice.

I've recycled orphaned, rusted and abused Winchester checkered steel butt plates for such. They are plenty thick to belt grind and file the checkering (and pitting) off. They have a 'peak' at the top and you can re-work the contour very easily when they are at red-heat.
There must be other new mfg 'in the white' steel butt plates around for the custom rifle mfg crowd that would work well. Or something that is adaptable by re-working it.

Check some of the M/Ldr parts dealers. They often have butt plate repros for early cartridge guns or something that can be of use.
Track of the Wolf has this Winchester 1885 Shotgun steel butt plate repro (cast) that may be workable as an example.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/700/1/BP-WIN-85-SH-I


Nice looking Enfield project rifle!

Scopes and mts I can't be of much help I'm afraid..

Track of the wolf is the ticket for steel buttplates that can be re-shaped. when I needed to make a trapdoor buttplate for a project that required a two diameter peak I bought one of their plates that was well oversized. cost was 20 bucks + shipping.

Thanks guys I was heading that route ,and I've been looking at the Neidner style from Sunny Hill (I believe ) at Brownell's ...the rifle is turning out much lighter than its original configuration so it will kick a little I guess but honestly recoil is not an issue for me,and with the through bolt design of the Enfield a trapdoor would allow instant access if it needed tightening or maintenance .

I may have to get back to this sooner than later

Newton 1131 check your PM's

The trap door on the Enfield design was originally for Military maint/replacement,,something surely needed quickly in their situation and for the storage of the oiler and pull-thru.

It's a neat little detail, but again I wouldn't get hung up over it. How many times do thru bolt stocks on other common sporting fireams need to be instantly accessed.

On the Enfield, the butt stock is the last thing to come off anyway.
The entire rifle can be serviced with the butt stock in place.

On the original Metford/Enfield design set up,,and the earlier SMLE , the forend has to be removed before the stock thru-bolt is even turned. If you don't follow the sequence, you crack the forend.

The square shape of the end of the thru bolt locked into the square hole in the back end of a plate in the forend.

A thick, tight fitting leather washer pushed down on top of the thightened thru-bolt in the stock made for blocking un-authorized attempts at mucking up the fit-up.
It also acted as a dampener when dropping in the brass oiler in the pocket.

You could always carry your hunting license in there, or an extra cell phone battery. I guess a dime or quarter for the pay phone is somewhat outdated,,

A well made trap door butt plate, or grip cap does have a special look to it.
Like most things custom, I guess we really don't need a reason.

Nice work Newton 1131!

I got you Kutter ,but I'm fond of the idea of a couple extra rounds in the butt ,in case I leave the mag behind ;),I'm also aware of the square end on the bolt and the proper take down procedure ...I am a Newfoundlander after all ,there's a SMLE behind almost every Newf's door

besides with that stock bolt tip ground proper there's an opportunity for somewhat of a take-down system ,I have an idea for that too ,but it won't be on this rifle ...this one belonged to my Da who passed last year ,it's pretty special to me and I don't want to butcher it up to work out a prototype ..there's plenty of scrapped actions up here to try that as time go's on .

Thanks guys ,
Chris