Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing 303 British

I have totally reworked a sporterized enfield: short clip, synthetic stock, reblue. The last project, the scope, has been the most problematic. I am not handy. What are my options for a low mount scope? I suspect they are limited to a side mount which I hate. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

I believe someone makes a scope mount for Lee-Enfields
that doesnt require drilling and tapping, check Brownells.

S&K makes a no drill scope mount for military rifles including Lee-Enfields, and Brownells carries them under part #794-001-111.

thanks guys. I have tried that one that slides under the metal loop in the back and uses a set screw to lock in the front mount, but it is not solid. The scope moves with recoil. I will check out the parts.

Are you saying the scope moves or the mount?

Lee-Enfields don�t really have what could be called a rear bridge (just a clip slot) and that�s why most people scoping them use side mounts.

The rail to which the scope is attached moves....the whole thing. I want something solid, so I may try a scout mount as last option. This is a BSA with a Tiger cub on the side. Internet research says they were used in India. The previous owner did a good bit of work on it. It's trigger is as good as any you have squeezed. Thanks for all the help.

Despite what many will say, Lee-Enfields are great rifles. They have one of the fastest operating bolts around and they are very rugged. The .303 cartridge has probably killed more game around the world than just about anything except maybe the 06 and the venerable .30-.30.

I have a Savage made Lee-Enfield that was part of the Lend Lease program in WWII.

Is your Lee Enfield a No1 (round side receiver) or a No4 (flat side).
The Williams side mounts are a pretty good system. If you don't like side mounts, There are not many good options since most place the scope too high. I have modified 1 piece bases to fit (Redfield or leupold) and they worked out very well but you have to want to do it. GD

Mr. Greydog:
I built one for a fellow one time with a length of bulk Weaver rail we got from Brownells. It was drilled and tapped onto the front of the receiver and the charger guide. I seem to recall I had to put in a lot of time to do it. I can�t recall if the rail needed to be built up or milled down to fit the charger guide, but it was solid when complete.
As you so very aptly put it, �you have to want to do it���
Good luck on your project Mr. 101guns. It�s possible, maybe just not simple.
Dwayne

RickB says : "Despite what many will say, Lee-Enfields are great rifles. They have one of the fastest operating bolts around and they are very rugged. The .303 cartridge has probably killed more game around the world than just about anything except maybe the 06 and the venerable .30-.30."

..............Can I EVER go along with that.
Lived for years in the Canadian N.W., and messed around with a ton or 2 of 'em........Use to take the field crew's muddy and rusty summer's harvest of "Camp Guns" down to the car wash in Whitehorse, and blow off a bag of quarters gettin' MUD and chainsaw MIX OIL outer layer off of the sizeable fleet ( a geo-exploration firm).......That was the easy part, ....getting them all finish cleaned, and tuned for the next season was hard work,.....but a more honest rugged arm would be hard to find, and indestructible is not really out of line in sizing 'em up.

A good well thought out side mount...."Glued and screwed" to the thing would be my approach to scopin' one.

Best Regards,

GTC

Mr. crossfireoops:
Yes, we do have a lot of .303�s up here.
I remember modifying a side mount for another fellow by gluing it onto the side. It was a 2 piece affair that I was able to take the top rail off . I drilled and tapped one screw onto the receiver, which was glued in as well as gluing the top rail onto the side-mount. At last contact, it was still out there killing things for the chap, so I guess it worked.
I�ll have to heartily agree with your assessment as to the ruggedness of the Lee-Enfields. In the 70�s, the 2 types of rifles I ran into most frequently in the Western Canadian north were 94�s and .303�s.
Thanks
Dwayne

Personally, I think side mounts look right at home on slab sided Lee-Enfields due to the shape of the receiver and the base plate of the mount. I�ve seen a couple of sporters with G&H mounts and they were beautiful rifles in my opinion. The side mounts appeared to be a natural extension of the receiver. Maybe not everyone�s cup of tea (pun intended) but nevertheless these old rifles have a proven track record on battlefields and game fields that not many other rifles can equal or even come close to.

Great Britain used them from 1916 clear up until 1957 as their service rifle, and used them as their sniper rifles until the 1980�s when they finally switched to the Accuracy International for sniper use.

The only fault I have with them is that �overly complicated� ejector! (That�s a joke!)

The Parker-Hale mount system made for the #4 was a pretty good one. It used a block attached to the receiver ring. The rear base replaced the aperture sight. It used parker hale rings, of course. I have this setup on one of my own rifles with the rear base welded in place. It would be relatively easy to do much the same with a set of Weaver steel bases. Also, the Weaver rings are lower than the Parker-Hales. GD

Sarco gets those in from time to time and they look really sturdy.

If a guy had a mind to it wouldn�t be all that hard to make a lugged base that used the rear sight mounting holes and the clip slot for the lug for added support.

This isn't going to be very helpful but it is damned funny.

In about early 1980 something, a customer called and told me he was having trouble sighting in his rifle. I told him to bring it by and I would look at it. He unwrapped the Lee Enfield from a blanket and I began to laugh. Not just a chuckle, but a full out uncontrollable laugh. He or someone, had arc welded a piece of angle to the left side of the receiver. The slag and the spatter was still there. I mean, if you are going to go to the trouble, at least chip the slag so we can see the weld. :Grin:

As if that wasn't enough, they drilled it for a pair of "U" bolts for which to secure the scope. I don't remember when he left I was laughing so hard. Tears were rolling and I couldn't see anything at the time. I did hear the door slam. My wife told me what a jerk I was for laughing at the guy like I did. I probably was, but that was bar none, the funniest thing I had seen to date, back then.

If I recall I left as you were crawling around the floor gasping for air...and I DID NOT slam your door!