SMLE Carbine - just a whiff of dragon breath, or a game changer?

[CorditeCrazy]

I would be interested to know how much velocity you lose by chopping the barrel this short.

Also, is tbe picatinny rail fixed to the barrel?

Magnum should be publishing a write up on it. In there the spread is noted. I’m can’t remember what it is now.

[A-R]

I would be interested to know how much velocity you lose by chopping the barrel this short...

Looking at GRT predictions, a standard 174gn load should produce 2550fps from a 25,5" barrel.
Shortening the barrel to 16" should produce 2275fps from the same load. The MV reduction is 275fps.
Various variables may influence these number slightly.

[AK-Gunner]

According to these figures from a 16" barrel the energy of this load would be 2710 Joules. Pretty good I'd say. With proper handloads you can reach way over 3000 Joules. Typical 7.62 AK round has 1990 Joules of energy. Completely different league I'd say.

No, it's not about 'shot placement', in the real world you hit where you hit and you do need all the energy available to bring the other guy down for good. The more punch the better.

[Ds J]

I have done research for a 303 with 16" barrel. A lightweight (110gr) monolithic bullet can reach 2700fps. The 110gr mono is almost long as a 174gr military bullet.

[janfred]

Not knowing the facts, that barrel looks to be chopped in half, if not shorter. I suspect that the muzzle flash on that rifle would be spectacular at night. There is a reason why the Brits put that ugly muzzle device on their Jungle Carbine (No 5 rifle).

[AK-Gunner]

Well, that was back then. When the Brits were experimenting with the Jungle carbine they used powders available at that time in history. Modern faster burning powders will moderate muzzle flash and even eliminate it all together. I didn't see any obvious flash at all when I was shooting the Scout, nor when I was observing others shooting it, but then again it was early in the morning with lots of sunlight.

I know custom loads for this shortie are in development and I'm waiting for the results with an obvious curiosity.

[A-R]

Not knowing the facts, that barrel looks to be chopped in half, if not shorter. I suspect that the muzzle flash on that rifle would be spectacular at night. There is a reason why the Brits put that ugly muzzle device on their Jungle Carbine (No 5 rifle).

The WW2-era Mk7 303 ammo, loaded with Cordite, gives a bright flash from the full length barrel, even in daylight.

With modern Nitro powder, and with the right powder selection (S335 or similar), the powder is burned fully at around the 16" mark when pushing 174 - 180 gn bullets near max velocity. Your chances of noticing a flash in daylight are slim. Maybe at night, but that goes for longer barrels too.

[killzone]

Thank you AK-G for the very informative article. 👍👍

[janfred]

What is the finished barrel length and the length overall?

[killzone]

I must say, it seems very tempting to pick up a cheap/free 303-Rifle and doing something similar. It would be interesting to know how much such a conversion will cost...