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Lewis gun proof of life


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Last March the approved Form 4 for the Lewis gun finally arrived, only took about 3 months from the date the BATFE cashed the check.

 

I tinkered with the pans to get them to feed easily and spin on the loading tool, based on advice from Doug Stump. We also tinkered with the barrel chamber and face to get it properly headspaced.

 

So, without further ado, here's a short video showing proof of life. I was shooting short bursts because our targets were jugs staked to the berm on rope and were jumping around.

 

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Brown,

Nice Lewis and nice video.

After one of the ladies finished shooting my Lewis, she turned to me and inquired, "is it possible to miss with this gun?"

Do you have the same problem?

Where is your club located?? looks nice, a lot like my club.

Jim C

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After one of the ladies finished shooting my Lewis, she turned to me and inquired, "is it possible to miss with this gun?"

Do you have the same problem?

Where is your club located?? looks nice, a lot like my club.

Jim C

 

After adjusting the rear sight up about 9 clicks I was consistently making the jugs bounce at 100 yards with just a little Kentucky windage.

 

The range is in Maryland, and was surprisingly sparsely populated for a Sunday afternoon. Perhaps because it was Mother's Day.

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That's a nice running Lewis, congratulations. What did you do to solve your headspace issue? I'm working on one that is stretching cases badly and tearing some apart.

Chief762

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Chief 762,

What brass are you using? I typically get 2-3 reloads from Winchester, 3-4 Remington, and 5-6 from Greek HXP. I check inside the case with a dental pick for the beginnings of case separation every loading. It's the nature of the beast.

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(1) With the buttstock and top cover removed, and with an old style British armorer's go gauge under the extractors, when the bolt was forward we saw that the locking lugs were not fully rotating and locking into the locking channels in the receiver. So, we carefully filed off some of the ridge at the barrel mouth until the lugs were fully engaged in the channels with the bolt forward. That helped ensure that the gun was safe to fire.

 

(2) Using a .303 chamber reamer, we finger-turned the reamer in the barrel mouth until only a little resistance was felt. Only a dusting of metal was removed, and we stopped before the reamer turned freely, deciding to let the gun settle in before doing any more. It's easier to remove metal than put it back.

 

After we finished those steps, the gun now works as shown in the video. Such a feeling of satisfaction!

 

 

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Doug

Most of the brass is S&B and the rest is Remington. The S&B is new ammo and I can get maybe 3 rounds off before a case head separates. The cases are badly stretched out to 2.245 or so if they haven't actually separated. It's a Japanese 92 ground model with a British barrel. Excessive headspace? Maybe a new barrel required? I'm thinking of having the chamber casted and miked to see what the dimensions are.

CHief762

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If you reloaders want to make your brass last longer try loading lighter and adjusting the clock spring to compensate.

I load mine 250 FPS under factory and get 6 reloads before I give the cases away to a Enfield shooter. Don't know how long they last for him.

The only exception is WRA 43 brass. It starts separating after one reload.

Jim C

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The ammo I was using was new, not reloads. S&B 180gr FMJ with the spring set to 12/13 lbs. Should have run ok, but separated brass after the 3rd round. The first two ejected cases were badly stretched. May have to try a different barrel.
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Were you able to discover any of the history of the Lewis?

If this is directed to me, then yes, it's one of those dewatted Irish guns, and rewatted by U.S. Armament Corp.

 

See Amarican Rifleman, January 15, 2019.

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