[K.H.]

Hey guys, I need help figuring something out.
I have an old savage No. 4 and I was curious earlier and I put the end of a bullet down the tip of the barrel to see if it was a tight fit which is a good thing for accuracy but I was kind of shocked when it swallowed up the whole bullet and still had a little wiggle room (It hasnt been converted to any other calibers and is still .303). But the bore is mirror bright and like perfect. So now Im confused, is this typical in enfields? Will accuracy suffer? Im not sure about it because Im more of a mauser guy but any help would be greatly appreciated.

K.H.

[millwright39]

counter-bored?

Rifling out to the end?

[K.H.]

No, its not counter bored, I thought that at first but checked and it wasnt.

[Alan De Enfield]

Somethings wrong you should not be able to get the bullet in past the 'tip'.

Maybe a daft question , but, you did use a 303 bullet (.311"-.312") and not a 308 (.308") bullet ?

Taken from "Instructions For Armourers"
Barrels.—(i) Examine the bore and chamber. Rust, bulges, bad cuts, cord-wear and bends should be looked for, and should be reported in the normal manner. Slight rust pitting in the chamber may be ignored except in cases where hard extraction has been reported. The gauges for bore and lead are available under the conditions laid down in E.R., Pt. I, and there is any doubt by the unit as to the accuracy of shooting, the barrel should gauged as follows:—
.303-inch plug should run.
.307-inch plug should not run.
.308-inch plug should not enter the muzzle more than ¼ inch.
.310-inch plug should not enter the breech more than ¼ inch (i.e., the rear end of the gauge should not pass inside the barrel.)

[twtalbot]

If the bullet is seated very deep in the case, there may not be enough of it's bearing surface exposed for it to serve as a good gauge.

[littlejoe872]

I had a No. 1 Mk III do the same thing, and it was keyholing when I took it to the range. I ended up having to replace the barrel. I hope that's not the case for yours.

[robertscheib]

IF you are using correct .303 bullet/ammo for your muzzle check, and bullet does indeed get "swallowed" - you most likely have a worn out barrel.
Been there, done that - with an otherwise beautiful condition all matching number '43 Maltby 2-groove No4Mk1. I sourced a used mint condition two groove barrel from NUMRICH and had an excellent 'smith in Idaho install it for me. The rifle is now one of my favorite shooters, seriously accurate. If you ever deside to go that route send me an e-mail and I'll reply with the contact information.

[madcratebuilder]

Quote:       Originally Posted by K.H.

Hey guys, I need help figuring something out. I have an old savage No. 4 and I was curious earlier and I put the end of a bullet down the tip of the barrel to see if it was a tight fit which is a good thing for accuracy but I was kind of shocked when it swallowed up the whole bullet and still had a little wiggle room (It hasnt been converted to any other calibers and is still .303). But the bore is mirror bright and like perfect. So now Im confused, is this typical in enfields? Will accuracy suffer? Im not sure about it because Im more of a mauser guy but any help would be greatly appreciated. K.H.

Have you shot it yet? Before you get to thinking you need a new barrel put some rounds down range. If it prints good, don't be to concerned about the bullet fitting in the muzzle. If it is a flier, then you have confirmed the barrel is indeed worn.

[Iron_Colonel]

Good idea shooting it first. I had some problems with a Steyr M95 with a shot out barrel. Counter bored it and its still bad. SOOO it looks like its a wall hanger. But you never know. Can you see pronounced lands and grooves all the way down to the muzzle?