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Eric, You maybe know this but in the early days of WW1 the First Contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force of which my grandfather was a member was equipped with the Canadian made Ross rifle. It was a straight pull design and was a very accurate rifle in.303 British calibre also. Problem was that when they CEF went into battle at Ypres in 1915 problems began to show up. The rifles would jam when subjected to the mud of trench warfare or the ammo was not exact. Many Canadians died because of the rifles jamming during the battles. My grandfather like many others threw his Ross away and retrieved an Enfield from a fallen British "Tommy" or so he told me. The CEF was subsequently issued Enfields. They are one rugged piece of ordinance and served the British and the Commonwealth well for almost a century.

Kind of incongruous, the contrast between my tastes in cars (decidedly authentic) and that in rifles. I grew up in the era when sporterizing military arms was in vogue, the folks that wanted the unaltered military pieces as issued hadn't yet risen to what it is today. The two I've kept are a Siamese Mauser (made for a rimmed cartridge) converted into .45-70 Gov't, and a Belgian M-98 converted to .257 Roberts. I still get lots of enjoyment from them. I built the .45-70 specifically for shooting wild boar on my property down in the Great Smokies; a fun piece with a trajectory like a mortar. The one I always wanted to complete but never did was for the .220 Swift, bought a Ruger No.1V instead and I do regret having never tried to make one.

I've heard of the Ross, and wanted one for quite a while, but I wouldn't take it into battle! From what I've read, as I'm way too young to have practical experience in these matters, is that the Enfield's of WWI and WWII eras were like the AK47 in some ways, in that you could drag them though mud, water, sand, and dirt and they would still fire. I've also read that they were the rifle of choice in arctic conditions, as they had such loose tolerances they wouldn't freeze up in the cold arctic conditions like other rifles of the era. I love mine, and eventually want to get all the different versions of Enfields I can, from the muzzle loaders of the 1800's to the .308 Ishapore version.

Owen, I'm quite the opposite, I like my rifles to be factory stock, but am not opposed to making modifications to cars, as you're well aware! My sporterized BSA Enfield was a cheap way to get a sporter Enfield without having to cry over cutting up a piece of history, as someone had done that deed for me.

"Owen" I find that quite surprising that you would sporterize an antique firearm given your passion for maintaining your Packards in such unmodified condition although in the case of most military firearms there were usually so many produced that it really is not an issue as there are enough original examples so it doesn't bother me unless the firearm is pristine or has a battle history. I have several Winchester rifles. One is an 1885 High Wall originally in .32-40 which was altered back in the early 1900's to .32 Ideal. I have had several offers to purchase the gun to be used to convert to a .220 Swift or other varmint calibre. I feel about the same way towards this gun as I would towards someone wanting my Packard to street rod it and would never sel it for this purpose. I also have an old French Gras rifle circa 1870 that was converted to 12 gauge shotgun probably 100 years ago. Of course if you have a .257 Roberts conversion or were considering a .220 Swift conversion you are definitely dating yourself to the 1940's or early 50's!
Eric, The .303 Enfield is quite common in the Arctic, or was 40 years ago when I lived there, for reasons you mentioned. It is not unlike a Colt .45 Automatic or AK47 in that regard.

traumjaegercat
Sorry for high jacking the thread to a discussion on guns. Thanks for the great video. Were the British Royal Enfield motorcycles built nearby as well?

Dave, I've always said that the perfect battle warrior would be outfitted with an AK47 for assault purposes, a Enfield for sniping purposes, and a Colt 1911 for self defense. Those three weapons are nearly indestructible.

Eric, I am not a big fan of the .303 Enfield as a sniping rifle as I have never found them to be particulary accurate. I would be hard pressed to keep 5 shots in a 4" circle with mine at 100 yards which is OK for moose hunting but it is 93 years old so I can't complain. I would probably choose a .30-06 '03 Springfield or perhaps a Mauser '98 8MM. The neighbour of mine has a lovely '98 Mauser sniper rifle with scope which his dad "liberated" from a dead German sniper in Holland during WW2. I have long admired the quality of that firearm despite it's origins.

Dave, you've never followed the philosophy of "don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!"

The Enfield in it's .308 form would have to be the sniper rifle. AFAIK, the .308 version was only made in India at the Ishapore factory.

Terry: Thanks for the fine pictures.


John F. Shireman