Help with British Enfield No4 Mk1 stock replacement

[351 WINCHESTER]

also I am noticing my casings are hardly ejecting at all. as well, sometimes the first round in the mag gets skipped over by the bolt. time for a new ejector screw and mag spring maybe?

Take your mag apart, clean & lightly lube it on the sides/front/back of the follower. If that doesn't do it you man need a new spring. My enfield sometimes barely gets some of the empties out. You may need a new extractor & spring too.

 

[Curator]

The Lee Enfield is designed to be operated with alacrity. Pull the bolt back sharply, like you mean it. Cases will fly out like they were designed to. No need for new ejector screw or extractor. Think about a battalion of huns coming over the ridge and operate the bolt with authority. "Soft-stroke" it only if you don't mind picking the fired case out of the action.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I have several Enfields that will eject most of the rounds pretty well, but sometimes you will get a round that just barely makes it out. Sometimes you will have one that doesn't make it out. Loaded rounds are no problem as the ejector will get them out, but empties are another matter. I've never been accused of soft stroking my enfields. Good springs all the way around are a must as many are weak and rusted.

 

[Mk VII]

Feeble ejection in Enfield is more often caused by weak extractor spring. Try that first. If you can move the claw easily, replace the v-spring.

 

[DisgruntledPatriot]

New spring on order for the ejector, as it can be moved with just a finger. Can anyone tell me if a 1" diameter scope would fit the #32 reproduction military mount? I would like to scope her, and want to stay as authentic as possible, however, I do not know the quality of the 3.5 power repro offered by Numrich. Can anyone tell me the maximum objective bell size I can get away with and still have daylight between the scope bell and the handguards? or should I just go with the 3.5 repro?

 

[DisgruntledPatriot]

also, would cryo-ing a criterion barrel do any good? If I wanted to go further.

 

[DisgruntledPatriot]

OK guys, might have pulled a stupid move here. Today I bedded the gap in the forestock/ wrist piece area, filling it for no fore-aft movement, the issue came when I bedded the contact area of the entire action and the first six inches of the barrel channel. At first the sear wouldn't engage at all, then I started slowly removing the rear of the action area's bedding compound, pass at a time with a file, assemble, test, repeat. Now I have a single stage trigger with some creep instead of a two stage trigger. the half cock notch wouldn't engage at first, but after judicious removal of compound it will now. I put it on half-cock and cannot get it to disengage by pulling up away from the sear, the same for full cock.

Also now there is a bit more spring pressure when assembling the trigger guard at the king screw area. Recommendations for places to look to adjust fitment?

 

[boom boom]

OK guys, might have pulled a stupid move here. Today I bedded the gap in the forestock/ wrist piece area, filling it for no fore-aft movement, the issue came when I bedded the contact area of the entire action and the first six inches of the barrel channel. At first the sear wouldn't engage at all, then I started slowly removing the rear of the action area's bedding compound, pass at a time with a file, assemble, test, repeat. Now I have a single stage trigger with some creep instead of a two stage trigger. the half cock notch wouldn't engage at first, but after judicious removal of compound it will now. I put it on half-cock and cannot get it to disengage by pulling up away from the sear, the same for full cock.

Also now there is a bit more spring pressure when assembling the trigger guard at the king screw area. Recommendations for places to look to adjust fitment?

Pictures if you can do it will help. If you did not alter the trigger mechanism, then it should not be a single stage trigger. My guess is that something in your trigger mechanism is dragging on the bedding material--not a good situation and it can be unsafe. Try dry firing the barrelled action mechanism without the stock. If you return to a two stage trigger then your trigger mechanism is binding on the stock's bedding. To determine where, try using lampblack (fine soot will also work) or inletting fluid applied to the trigger mechanism and work the trigger. It should leave rub marks on the offending bedding material. Remove that material. You also want enough clearance that the stock's wood expansion or debris will not cause the issue to repeat in the future.

Regarding the up pressure on the barrel via the receiver and king screw--the only way to find out how much is to shoot it which varies per rifle and then remove or add bedding to reduce or increase it. You will also need to adjust the fitting of the handguards and perhaps even thin the barrel bands as well for optimal accuracy. That is why some folks just use shims instead or start with shims until they get a good idea of what their rifle wants before bedding. Roger Wadham describes the process in detail in his book which you can get as an ebook from Amazon.

 

[DisgruntledPatriot]

I will try to get pictures up today if at all possible. From what I have fixed so far, the action is sitting too proud in the stock by maybe a 32nd of an inch, or so.

While I am at it I will get the old wood out and do the before and after.

Thank you for the reply, Boom Boom.

 

[boom boom]

I will try to get pictures up today if at all possible. From what I have fixed so far, the action is sitting too proud in the stock by maybe a 32nd of an inch, or so.

While I am at it I will get the old wood out and do the before and after.

Thank you for the reply, Boom Boom.

Use some sort of marking fluid on the receiver (inletting fluid is best, lampblack (soot) works but is messy, or even cheap gaudy colored lipstick, when fitting the stock to bedding. It will show the high marks in your bedding job.

You might find these No. 4 rifle diagrams useful in this forum posting
http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=202791
This guy also knows his stuff with diagrams.
http://www.allaboutenfields.co.nz/links-resouces/articles/articles-of-interest/

Looking up my references, 2-7 lbs of upward pressure on the barrel at the forend tip is the range that most people have reported works--varies per the individual rifle-military std. was about 4-6 lbs as issued. The fit of the receiver around the rifle's draws is the most critical here. Milsurps.com in their Lee Enfield forum has a series of sticky postings by a true British armorer and officer, Peter Laidler, dealing with these issues. While he is discussing the way the British Army took care of business, his approach can be adapted to use bedding compound.

One last thing, check the rifle stock carefully for any tight cracks in it and reinforce them before you fire it. You should also have about a fingernail space on your buttstock all around between it and the rear of the rifle receiver. The forend on the other hand should be snug as otherwise it will batter itself on recoil and to do this you have to properly fit the draws to the receiver. Otherwise you get chip out around the forend or buttstock where it contacts the rear of the receiver.