Enfield 2 groove barrels

[Richo]

Anybody come across this issue, my Enfield Savage No4 with 2 groove barrel seems to keyhole the bullets, i am shooting 174gr PPU FMJ factory ammo and 8 out of ten rds seem to keyhole, tried a different batch and get the same result.
Read on other forums these 2 groove Enfield barrels dont like shooting boat tail bullets and shoot better with flat based bullets, anybody else had a similar problem, the barrels good and the bore measures .305" with pin gauges.

[dromia]

I have never had keyholing but all my Enfield barrels and rifles definitely prefer flat based, they set up better.

Boat tail bullets tend to be longer therefore can challenge certain twist rates.

Boat tails were for the longer, 1000 yrd plus ranges.

I rate two groove barrels.

[Mauserbill]

Hello
I had a similar problem with an SMLE turned out after much and varied experimenting with loads and bullets, the bore was worn, had it rebarreled and the results were perfect, have you checked the muzzle end for ware, try the old trick of inserting a 303 bullet and see how far in it enters, if it fits to the shoulder you may have found your problem, sorry if this is not what you wanted hear, but this is from my experience only.

[Richo]

Hi Bill
No the bullets don't go into the muzzle up to the shoulder, and the bore from the muzzle end is 305" exactly running for three quarters of the way down then towards the throat opens up to .3055"
So i dont think the problem is bullet fit as such, PPU bullets are .311" boat tails, and its not so easy to find 174gr flat base 303" bullets these days, although i have about 20 x 125gr fmj flat base .311" bullets which might be worth a try to see if they tumble.
Otherwise this is a cast bullet only rifle i suspect, or a visit to a de act workshop.

[PeterN]

No, not a visit to a deact workshop. Too many fine rifles have been ruined by the deact merchants. As far as I am concerned, the only reason to deact a firearm is if it has a safety issue such as a cracked receiver.
Regards
Peter.

[Richo]

Hi Peter
I agree with you but if i cant get it to shoot its if no use to me, going to try some different bullets first to see what happens but failing that it looks like lead, dont know if i want all that hassle.
Its a sad state of affairs when these rifles are worth more deactivated than live, if i cant get it to shoot its of no use to me so how else do i get my money back to buy another one!! Cant sell it on, whos going to buy a bullet Tumbling rifle and they most certainly won't pay much for one that does.

[billgatese30]

I would definitely try some flat based bullets. Boat tail only really offers any advantage over 300 yards. Give some a go before you decide on a rebarrel/deactivation route.

[Richo]

Yes i fully intent to try some flat based bullets first if i can find some 174 grainers and some cast 200 grainers as well.
Regarding a rebarrel its not really an economical option these days, by the time you have found a barrel (not easy these days and probably not very cheap) then paid to have it fitted, reproofed plus all the postage costs.
Better just to go buy another one with a good barrel, less hassle and i might even make a profit if i did deactivated the gun.

[rufrdr]

Is the throat advanced ? The combination of worn throat and BT bullets can make BT bullets unstable.

[Richo]

Well i have been playing around with it over the last few weeks, PPU 174gr bullets seem to tumble but if i use S&B 180gr bullets all seems to be ok, also tried some 180gr soft point flat base bullets and they also seem to be ok.
So it's looking like it shoots better with flat based bullets which has been mentioned by several people here and in the range, going to try some 200gr cast next when i get around to sorting some out, the 174 gr flat based FMJ bullets do seem to be difficult to find these days!!