New experiments in the No4 Mk2 .303 Brit

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  • Last Post 26 September 2019
JeffinNZ posted this 27 April 2019

With all the shooting I have been doing using the SMLE practising for the bunny postal I thought I should dust off the No4 Mk2 also.

I bought some Trail Boss about a year ago and have never really played with it so have been shooting 40/1 alloy NOE 314008 PB bullets (Al's copy of the Lyman 311008).  Starting with 5gr and so far up to 8.5gr.  The load began cracking at 7gr so I am into supersonic now.  Have yet to clock.  Best loads are shooting into an inch at 50m/55y.

The next bullet is the CBE 316 240 I got from Jim many years back.  It's the first generation as he broke the cherry in short order.  In ACWW it casts at .3165 so I am shooting as cast but size the front driving band to .312 to allow for rifling contact on the tip of the nose, lead contact on th e.312 band and as cast in the neck.  Seems to work.  At 50m/5y todays.  Last shot was operator error; got distracted by a noise behind me just as I let the shot go.

BTW, the rifle wears a PH5C aperture sight.

Cheers from New Zealand

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RicinYakima posted this 27 April 2019

 I have a new US Savage made #4 Mk1 available. Are they any good?

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JeffinNZ posted this 27 April 2019

Yes, they have a two groove barrel and can be made to shoot well.  Those barrels tend to be deep in the rifling to .317-.318 so the required bullet should have a long bore riding nose and fat grooves.

Cheers from New Zealand

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David Reiss posted this 27 April 2019

One of my SMLEs is also a Savage  in beautiful condition. I haven't shot it in several years, but when I did it showed a lot of potential. I will have to slug it to see what it measures. 

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
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JeffinNZ posted this 27 April 2019

Moved out to 100m110y today. Last shot is a worry. Oval. Hmmm.

 

Cheers from New Zealand

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Ed Harris posted this 28 April 2019

Jeff,

If it shoots groups like that, I wouldn't worry.  But I would be very tempted to shoot at least a ten-shot group and see if you get several shots which stray from the core group.  Firing 30 carefully aimed shots on one target would be VERY interesting...

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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SkinnerD posted this 22 September 2019

Hi Jeff wrote "With all the shooting I have been doing using the SMLE practising for the bunny postal I thought I should dust off the No4 Mk2 also."

Can you tell us a little about the rifle? I'm interested in its bore condition and any accurizing done on the rifle itself other than the normal of making sure wood is properly fitted and attached. Also what sights ?

Cheers

John New Zealand

John - New Zealand

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JeffinNZ posted this 23 September 2019

Hi John

The No4 Mk2 is mint.  Brand new barrel.  Never fired a jacketed round.  Sights are usually a PH5C or I can fit a scope if need been.  Issue format and I have bedded the action.  Barrel is pressure pointed top and bottom under the mid way barrel/woodwork band and top only pressure pointed at the front.  Yes, I know it should be pressure pointed under the barrel at the muzzle but mine like to be held down. 

This is 100m with a CBE 313 215.

Cheers from New Zealand

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SkinnerD posted this 23 September 2019

Very nice!

John - New Zealand

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pisco posted this 26 September 2019

hi are you gas checking them i was use them in 2 of my smle mine weight 222 gr i size them 316”

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