.50 AE and .45-70 Enfield chambered rifles
Yes, you read that title correctly 
Special Interest Arms, best known for their .45 ACP and 7.62x39mm Enfields, are doing limited runs of .50 AE and .45-70 Enfield conversations. These rifles are so cool that I am declaring them the TFB Gun-o'-The-Month even though the month has barely begun.
.50 AE is the cartridge designed for the infamous .50 Desert Eagle. Out of a rifle-length barrel, it has about the same energy as a traditional .45-70 load. One customer is having his built as for use as a Grizzly bear gun. Firing test indicate that it should be head-shot-accurate out to 200 yards with a red-dot sight. Another customer is having his threaded for a suppressor. SIA's production run of the .50 AE Enfields is very limited. They are only doing six conversions and five have already been sold. If you want one you better buy it now!
As an aside, the "K" model pictured above is SIA's new model with a low Picatinny scope rail. They are making them for the No 4 or 5, the No. 1's and Ishapore 2A Enfields. The rail features a U notch so that the iron sights can be used with the rail attached.
I asked SIA if the Enfield action would stand up to the pressure of modern .45-70 loads. They said that the Enfield No. 4, rated at 45,000 CUP might, but the No. 1 Mk. III probably would not.
I also asked if they have considered making a .500 S&W chambered Enfield. They said it would be unlikely because the comparatively short fat rimmed revolver cartridge would make the magazine hard to design and also the chamber reamers are expensive.
“So is a modern 45-70 load that high pressured?”
If you’re talking factory loaded ammo that hasn’t been specifically designed for say, a Ruger No.1, then no. Commercial ammo makers, because of liability issues, can only reload ammo to the WEAKEST weapon that can be reasonably expected to use it. In the case of the 45-70, that would be the trapdoor rifle. If I remember correctly, the 45-70 government round comes in at around 28,000 Cup, which is well within the parameters. However, with a ((strong)) modern rifle, you can actually ratchet the 45-70 up to almost .458 WinMag velocities. It’ll raise hell with the casing and I definitely don’t recommend doing it, but yes, it can be done.
Friend of mine made up a .480 Ruger, McGowan barrel, uses a Desert Eagle .50 magazine. Have a mold for 350 grain bullet from Mountain Mold with nose contour same as factory ammo so will fit magazine. Put 26 grains of 296 behind it and shoots real nice. Great short range thumper.
Had Montana Rifleman rebarrel mk4 enfield in 50AE 7-8 years ago $300. I love it. Made a adapter with enfield mag and welded in a M1 Carbine mag holds 5 rnds. AR Mag would be better Carbine mag will not take some of the newer longer bullets.. Feeds and ejects fine. Scope mount is made from 2 inch aluminum angle.
Montana Rifleman won’t take small jobs anymore. I know because I wanted another one with smaller profile barrel. Oh Well. Factory pistol ammo has little or no muzzle flash and is not that loud at all out of 18 inch barrel. Reloads are another thing entirely, puts a big hole in anything.
You can buy brand new SMLE no.4 actions that are already built for 7.62 x 39 and 308 winchester.
Company is called Australian International Arms. http://www.australianinternationalarms.com.au
They do export to the US and available in several configurations.
They come with scope rails extra mags and they can cope with well above 50,000lbs cup pressure
dude i want one! if they took a mosin nagant m38 and rechambered it for like .38 special or 357mag that would b awesome
Bill – I saw 7.62×39 Enfield for sale at a Gander Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia a few weeks ago. It was about $700, but it looked in very good condition.
awesome! I must’ve been thinking of AIA. thx for the info
These definitely look sweet.
So is a modern 45-70 load that high pressured? I seem to remember Gibbs making a 45-70 on a No.4 action. An action, I might add, with enough danglies to handle 7.62mm NATO pressures right up until the earlly ’90s. Just google L42 sniper rifle or Lee Enfield Envoy.
Cheers – Rusty
I’ve got to agree, that is very cool!
Too bad we can’t buy them here in the US; I’ve been aching for an enfield in 7.62×39 for awhile. I’m not exactly sure why; I think it has to do with where they manufacture their parts (Vietnam, I think)… I’d be soooooo glad to be wrong.
Are these produced from original Lee-Enfield rifles or are they completely new systems merely based on the Lee-Enfield design?
Mike, they are built on orginal Enfield actions.
Bill, they are a US company who make conversions of Enfields.
Dear Special Interest Arms,
Were I able to still have children I would offer to squeeze out as many as you wish in exchange for one of those lovely Enfield K’s, a 45-70 Model IV, and maybe even a 7.62x54R. Meantime, I will continue to dream about owning one or all of these children of yours hoping that you will still be around by the time I get the money together.
Sincerely,
Ladyfox
P.S. I would also not mind if you guys worked your magic on creating a Model 4 conversion in 5.56×45 that took 10-round AR-15 magazines. -_^
Ladyfox, haha, you know what, I often think the same thing about guns but I was not born with the required parts to pump out kids.
I mean the second picture…
I like the sign that says “When the going gets tough, I get a machine gun”
in the backround of the first picture.
I think I have seen a similar rifle before in .44 Magnum that used Desert Eagle magazines. Very useful design if you ask me
With heavy bullets loaded to high subsonic velocities they can make a souped-up version of the Delisle Carbine, in the same vein as the SRT 44/77 conversion
These are just begging for a suppressor and subsonic loads.
If you wanted to get fancy, you could even have a smith cut it down to a short barreled rifle first, though the suppressor’s enough paperwork as it is.