[bozodog]

I have a Remington Lee sporter. Supposedly Remington-Lee sporters were offered in 7x57, 7.35 Belgium Mauser, 236 Remington (?), 30-30 Winchester and 30-40 Krag. However, this one doesn't seem to be in any of those chamberings. A .308 bullet drops right through to the breech. So does a .311 303 British bullet, which would seem to rule out the Belgian Mauser, which used a .313 bullet. A .323 bullet (8mm) seems to fit perfectly. The bolt face is cut for a 8mm Mauser size case head, the magazine is for a rimless case of 8mm size. Were these ever chambered in 8x57?

 

[GunnerSam]

The Remington Lee was also offered in .32-40 and .32 Winchester Special by 1902.
The bore size of these would have been in the neighborhood of .321 or so, which was close to the Earlier 8mm bore size used by the Commision rifles.

A .32 barrel might have been rechambered for the 8mm and a 7mm magazine used.
It might be a custom rifle.

The Chinese bought some Remington Lee rifles and they were known to rebarrel just about any action to 8mm.
A bring back from China is a possibility.

Theres a Remington Lee expert on the forum that can probably clear this mystery up for you.

 

[bozodog]

It turns out that I measured the bolt face wrong.

I don't have any 32-40 on hand, but a 30-30 rim fits in the bolt. 32-40 sounds like a contender. Thanks.

 

[GunnerSam]

It turns out that I measured the bolt face wrong.

I don't have any 32-40 on hand, but a 30-30 rim fits in the bolt. 32-40 sounds like a contender. Thanks.

You might need to do a chamer cast to be certain.
The .32 Winchester Special is basically the same case as the .30-30 necked up to take the same bullets as the much older .32-40.
The .32-40 is a Black Powder era cartridge that lasted into the smokeless powder era mainly as a target round, though its a fair Deer rifle cartridge.

The .32 Winchester was developed for those who liked the .30-30 balistics but wanted the option of handloading with BP as well as the smokeless powders which were still a bit unreliable at the time.

The "40" in .32-40 stands for forty grains of Black powder, while the "30" in .30-30 stands for thirty grains of the early smokeless powders used in the original loadings.

The .30 bullets were a tad less suited to BP, and the .32 bullets had the advantage of many years of use as target bullets with BP cartridges and were well designed for the purpose.

Both .32-40 and .32 Special cartridges should be available, and both are especially well suited to handloading.


PS
Theres a similar German target rifle cartridge ,also used for the smaller European Deer, called the 8.15X46R.
.32-40 , also often used as a target round in Europe, cases are often trimmed and fireformed for use in the older german rifles chambered in 8.15X46R. the thicker rim of the .32-40 case is considered a plus in that it allows tighter headspace in those older rifles.

Find out just exactly which round your rifle is chambered for and you'll have a very versatile rifle indeed.

The .32 Winchester special is one of those I've considered for my custom Lee Enfield sporter project.
To be built on an unrestorable receiver of course.

 

[GeneM]

Hi,
You have a nice Model 1899 Sporter. The serial number found on the left receiver rail should be in the 75000 to 76000 range. The caliber should be stamped on the underside of the barrel just ahead of the forearm tip. It most likely would be 32 Winchester Special or 32-40 High Power as previously noted by GunnerSam. The magazine has a dimple on the front which indicates it has a front spacer. This was used by the 32-40 and 38-55 cartridges. A rear spacer was used for the 30-30 and 32 Winchester Special. The full length cartridges did not use a spacer. I have not found any reference to the 8mm Mauser being chambered in the Model 1899.

It appears that the stock was refinished as the pistol grip checkering and the schnabel on the forearm have been removed.

I ahve attached two photos - one is of the three different magazines with the one on the right, with a front spacer, is for the 38-55. The second shows a 30-30 cartridge in the rear spacer magazine.

Gene Myszkowski
Author - The Remington-Lee Rifle

 

[Rowdy]

Sorry to butt in - but where could I obtain a suitable rear sight for one of these rifles?

 

[Dino in Reno]

Does that mean that my 30-40 is a late gun at 7592X ?
And if ANYONE has the bolt head retainer and the little fitting that the bolt head hits at the right side of the rear of the receiver I need them. I want to make it my deer rifle next year.
Hey, at least I have the mag ;-)

Dino in Reno

 

[snowhunter]

After the turkish WW1 victory over the western allies at Gallipoli, Turkey liberated a large number of 303 british Lee-Enfield rifles, which the turkish armoreres succesfully converted to non detacable magazine, five shoot Mauser 8 X 57 caliber rifles, then a standart in the turkish armed forces, including changing the furniture to accept Mauser barrel bands and bayonet !

 

[bbfllrs]

I am not sure how to to use this forum, but I am looking for a magazine for a Remington-Lee in 30 US. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[sojerguy]

bbflrs,

try ebang.com, the enter "remington lee"