Does your F2 make a loud "ping" when you fire it?

[cooltouch]

No. It's about on par with the .30/40 Krag.
And I don't know where all this "hot" military ammunition is, I have a No.4 MK1* and I've never used anything but surplus, several thousand rounds worth, from Dominion in Canada loaded in 1909, with the 215grn. bullet, to lend-lease 174grn. loaded by Winchester in 1941, to stuff loaded in Iraq, I think, in 1959. No bruised shoulder, metal buttplate notwithstanding, although the 215 grn loads are a bit stiffer in recoil.

I agree, the .30/40 Krag is a more apt comparison, albeit a less common one than the .30-30.

Are you still able to find surplus .303? I can't find it anymore.

I honestly don't know where the surplus military .303 I had came from. I kept the brass, but it's in storage somewhere -- dunno exactly where at the moment, or else I could pull out a couple of cases and let you know. All I know is the recoil was as stiff as my 7mm Rem Mag, but the latter had a butt pad, so it didn't hurt. Perhaps some of it was one particular Enfield I own. It started life as a Lithgow No. 1 Mk III, but an outfit in SoCal call Federal Ordnance must have gotten hold of some surplus No. 5 Mk I flash suppressors, so they converted some No. 1 Mk IIIs to "Jungle Rifles". I bought one in 1992, mostly because it was cheap and it reminded me of a No. 5 Mk I I'd owned way back when I was a teen and young adult. Maybe it was the shortened barrel of that conversion, but that was my first experience with a bruised shoulder firing an Enfield. I have another No. 1 Mk III and a No. 4 Mk II, both of which I've shot some but I was putting my own reloads through them, so they don't count.

I shot up all that ammo back then, but I still have a couple of bandoliers that I've kept for sentimental reasons. The markings on those rounds are RG 50 7. Whatever that means. These bandoliers I bought a couple years after shooting up the earlier military .303 I had.

 

[swchris]

Isn't this gun talk off-topic?

 

[cooltouch]

I'm not an expert but I think you're on point here. 30-30 is a good brush gun because the bullet is slow and doesn’t mind a few twigs on the way

Funny, I've always thought of the .303 that way. Certainly can be if you reload with some heavier bullets, like 180 grains or so.

 

[Sirius Glass]

If this gun talk does not stop I will go out and shoot someone!

 

[Theo Sulphate]

My nice condition silver F2 pings like a pitch fork, but my black battered, dented and well worn $20 F2 does not. I experimented with small foam blocks where the mirror slaps back down to no avail as the ping is from the mirror, but it seems to be on the internal side of the mirror box. ...

It has to be. Right now I've got a K1000 under repair that sounds like you've dropped a spoon on a marble floor. Yet the pads and foam are new. I'll have to open it up to find the source of the problem. My bet is that on this 20+ year old camera only the easily accessible items were replaced.

Same thing with the OP's Nikon F2. It's probably never had a CLA once it left the ownership of a professional. That's the consequence of these well-built pro cameras: they last so long and are still functional that the hobbyists who eventually inherit them don't realize they're long overdue for maintenance.

 

[Sirius Glass]

My Hasselblad goes TH-WACK! My Graflex goes TH-wonk! My Speed Graphic goes Thunk!

 

[Theo Sulphate]

My Hasselblad goes TH-WACK! My Graflex goes TH-wonk! My Speed Graphic goes Thunk!

The multi-slit focal plane shutter on the Speed Graphic allowed for the first autobracketing system: choose one speed higher and then press the release three times in succession:

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

That gives you -1, 0, +1 exposures.

(on Graflex, you have to press reset lever each time)

EDIT: oh, wait, film doesn't advance. Nevermind.

 

[CMoore]

My bet is that on this 20+ year old camera only the easily accessible items were replaced.

Same thing with the OP's Nikon F2. It's probably never had a CLA once it left the ownership of a professional. That's the consequence of these well-built pro cameras: they last so long and are still functional that the hobbyists who eventually inherit them don't realize they're long overdue for maintenance.

You are probably right on the money.
Who is that guy that works on the Olympus OM-1.? Same thing there.
But Yes.....send your Nikon F2 (that had a "cla" 2 years ago) to Sover Wong, and you will Be Shocked at how much is actually Bad, Wrong, In Need Of Repair, with your camera.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The multi-slit focal plane shutter on the Speed Graphic allowed for the first autobracketing system: choose one speed higher and then press the release three times in succession:

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

That gives you -1, 0, +1 exposures.

(on Graflex, you have to press reset lever each time)

EDIT: oh, wait, film doesn't advance. Never mind.

Hence the need for Grafmatic 45 film backs.

 

[fstop]

If this gun talk does not stop I will go out and shoot someone!

That's funny,how can you do that if you can't have guns in californistan.I thought Californians just protested protesters protesting protests.

 

[Cholentpot]

My nice condition silver F2 pings like a pitch fork, but my black battered, dented and well worn $20 F2 does not. I experimented with small foam blocks where the mirror slaps back down to no avail as the ping is from the mirror, but it seems to be on the internal side of the mirror box. Maybe with a motor drive the silver F2 plays a little tune!

And where did you find an F2 for $20? Got any more for $20?

 

[chip j]

YES, I'll take 5, as long as they don't PING!

 

[mshchem]

Considering the Lewis gun was designed for .303...

That's why it would be right at home!

 

[mshchem]

OK I'm instituting a unilateral halt to any gun talk.

20 dollar F-2's, I will take all I can get. Maybe make a lamp out of it, sure as hell there would be some choice parts to hoard. In lieu of any firearms, you could take a couple F2s, lock open the shutter on T , take the backs off, run a rope through them and use the combination as Chuck Norris Japanese Nunchaku (nunchuks) I would hate to get hit in the head by those suckers, especially if it had a MD-2 with 10 battery MB-1 battery pack.

 

[Robin Guymer]

And where did you find an F2 for $20? Got any more for $20?

Unfortunately it came with the DP-1 finder in pieces as the owner thought it was the part not working. But the F2 wiring has cracked insulation and is shorting out inside the body where it passes the mirror box to the finder connection point. It looks like this will become a common problem for old F2's as the insulation breaks down.

 

[Cholentpot]

OK I'm instituting a unilateral halt to any gun talk.

20 dollar F-2's, I will take all I can get. Maybe make a lamp out of it, sure as hell there would be some choice parts to hoard. In lieu of any firearms, you could take a couple F2s, lock open the shutter on T , take the backs off, run a rope through them and use the combination as Chuck Norris Japanese Nunchaku (nunchuks) I would hate to get hit in the head by those suckers, especially if it had a MD-2 with 10 battery MB-1 battery pack.

There's gotta be some kind of negotiations here...

 

[fstop]

I got a clunker F-2, should I go pump a few rounds into it? I would be shooting my F-2 ... so that would be on topic, right?

 

[mshchem]

I got a clunker F-2, should I go pump a few rounds into it? I would be shooting my F-2 ... so that would be on topic, right?

Beware of the ricochet! You shoot a F2 Titan You better have on a bullet proof vest and a helmet

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I agree, the .30/40 Krag is a more apt comparison, albeit a less common one than the .30-30.

Are you still able to find surplus .303? I can't find it anymore.

I honestly don't know where the surplus military .303 I had came from. I kept the brass, but it's in storage somewhere -- dunno exactly where at the moment, or else I could pull out a couple of cases and let you know. All I know is the recoil was as stiff as my 7mm Rem Mag, but the latter had a butt pad, so it didn't hurt. Perhaps some of it was one particular Enfield I own. It started life as a Lithgow No. 1 Mk III, but an outfit in SoCal call Federal Ordnance must have gotten hold of some surplus No. 5 Mk I flash suppressors, so they converted some No. 1 Mk IIIs to "Jungle Rifles". I bought one in 1992, mostly because it was cheap and it reminded me of a No. 5 Mk I I'd owned way back when I was a teen and young adult. Maybe it was the shortened barrel of that conversion, but that was my first experience with a bruised shoulder firing an Enfield. I have another No. 1 Mk III and a No. 4 Mk II, both of which I've shot some but I was putting my own reloads through them, so they don't count.

I shot up all that ammo back then, but I still have a couple of bandoliers that I've kept for sentimental reasons. The markings on those rounds are RG 50 7. Whatever that means. These bandoliers I bought a couple years after shooting up the earlier military .303 I had.

As for surplus .303, all I know of is a private source of Winchester lend lease stuff from '41, '42, and '43 which I have dibs on because the brass is easily reloadable with large rifle primers. Berdan primers for the other stuff are too hard to find.As for the jungle carbine, the one I shot was loud and unpleasant. The No.4 mkI that I now have was made at Long Branch 1944 and has a two groove barrel. It will put decent ammo into three inches at 100yds, often a bit less. These rifles were selling for $79.95 plus shipping in the mid 80s, ammo was dirt cheap. Now a good Enfield is pricey, lazy shooters didn't clean them and most have dark bores.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

... As for the jungle carbine, the one I shot was loud and unpleasant. ...

Well, the Jungle Carbine is the lightest of the Enfields, so it's earned a reputation for kicking like a mule. However, it is the nicest looking.

As for the .303, just my preference, but I don't like the idea of rimmed cartridges feeding from magazines in a military weapon. The old .303 may be the last of them to do so, though I suspect the French 8mm Lebel is its contemporary.

After the Great Patriotic War, I think many Enfields were Ishapore Arsenal .308's.

 

[cooltouch]

Well, the Jungle Carbine is the lightest of the Enfields, so it's earned a reputation for kicking like a mule. However, it is the nicest looking.

Probably why it came from the factory with a hard rubber butt pad. Pretty useless, I always thought.

As for the .303, just my preference, but I don't like the idea of rimmed cartridges feeding from magazines in a military weapon. The old .303 may be the last of them to do so, though I suspect the French 8mm Lebel is its contemporary.

As long as the magazine is designed properly, feeding isn't an issue, I've found. Also the Russian 7.62 x 54R, as used in the Mosin-Nagant, is a rimmed round.

After the Great Patriotic War, I think many Enfields were Ishapore Arsenal .308's.

If, by "Great Patriotic War" you're using the Russian moniker for WWII, nope, Enfields were still being made in Great Britain. I have a 1955 No 4 Mk II from the Fazakerly arsenal. I believe the Aussies continued to produce No 1 Mk IIIs at Lithgow after the war as well. I don't know about other armories. But the .308 caliber Ishapores weren't even issued until 1963, and then they were issued as rifles to reserve troops. Production of the Ishapore No. 2A/2A1 ran from 1963 to about 1975.

And my F2s are still trucking along with nary a ping to be heard from either of them. My oldest is a 71xxxxx, which I've owned since 1991, and I've never had it in for a CLA. Haven't felt the need, since everything still works the way it should.

 

[chip j]

PLEASE go to the DIGITAL GUN THREAD!!

 

[Sirius Glass]

+106

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Here's a challenge.
You will need: A rifle with telescopic sight.
Three F2 cameras on tripods, with lenses and backs removed, shutters open on T.
A bench and sandbags.
The challenge is to place the three cameras at 50, 150, and 250 yds and then put a single bullet through all three film gates. If you nick the film gate, it will go "PING".

 

[Sirius Glass]

Enough about guns already. Please get over yourselves. Your gun mania is just not interesting to the rest of the world.