So I was driving by my local gun shop, which I haven’t set foot in recently. I stocked up on Ammo in November (which I felt like a fool doing due to the election hype, but my Nephew was coming down for a weekend at the range, and I wanted to stock up for him) and then in January I was in permit renewal limbo (your permit is valid for 90 days after it expires so long as the Police are processing your renewal, but gun shops won’t accept an expired permit if you attempt to buy a gun or ammo…Massachusetts sucks like that).
WOW, talk about picked over. There was a ton of random crap that usually just sits on shelves just to fill out the empty pistol case. There was ammo for some calibers, but nothing for .22 or 9×19!
I had a few guns on my wantsy list, none were there. They also had a Enfield “Jungle Carbine” that was in awesome shape. (anybody have one of them? Are they as crappy as some say? Not that it matters as I doubt I’d be able to hustle up any .303 ammo)
Still despite the bare shelves there were guns FLYING out the doors. Also while ammo was expensive (but that’s really just the new reality) the gun prices were all good.
Man, I can’t wait until stuff gets back to normal, I don’t even want to shoot .22 until I know I can buy more!
I had one of those back in the mid 70’s – it kicked worse than a 30.06 Ruger #1 Carbine. Sold that bugger quick and bought a .308
I want a Ruger #1 too…but I want it in .45-70 and I want to cook up the fun loads from the “Rugers Only” page in my reloading books!
Almost got my wife an Enfield in January. While she was looking it over I checked the ammo section and found that there was no .303 in the store. Also I explained to her that since she doesn’t like shooting the Mosin-Nagant, I really don’t think she’s enjoy the Enfield.
She decided on a .357 lever action instead, because I at least had 2,000 cast bullets and enough primers to make ammunition to last us a while.
I have a “N07” jungle carbine in 308, basically a 2A reworked in #5 clothing.
I shot a 10rd group with it at 100Y, was delighted with the group size and then noticed the primers on all the cases had backed way out. The chamber ate a no-go gage for breakfast and a field gage for dinner – so now it sits. I have some of the all plastic DAG ammo to run in it one of these days, but it wont see anything resembling a full power load.
Funny little rifle. I love this one for the simple fact that it was dads, and the ONLY rifle he held on to. Sights are rudimentary, sight radius is tiny, and there is nothing really endearing about the character of the rifle.
Sure wouldn’t be my only rifle, but if you are collecting to collect well hell yeah.
PS: just got a report in from a customer in Tx at a gunshow, 525rd boxes of .22 selling for $225. Finally now I can shoot the .5000NE since it is cost equivalent to .22!
The 2A is probably one of the poorest example of the Enfield rifle. Mine is pretty much a waste of 7.62×51. Its accurate, and has a tight action, but I can hardly see the sights even in good light. Still even using only NATO ammo it probably won’t take long for this rifle to shoot itself to death.