No.5 MkI Help

[b32dominator]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this.I have a No.5 MkI that has an issue I can't shore up. The barrel appears to be perfectly centered in the channel.but if I slight "pull" it it will stay to the left. This doesn't happen as much to the right, manly to the left. I can hand center it back but obviously this doesn't seem right and cannot be good for accuracy. The barrel is floated perfectly and the stock fits snugly. Any guidance is appreciated.

Information

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[Ridolpho]

b32: If the barrel is truly free-floated all the way back to the reinforce, then for what you describe it would seem to me that the action-body is shifting in the forend when you pull the barrel to one side. Two questions occur to me- 1) Is the fit in the "draws" tight and equal on each side?; 2) Is the front trigger-guard screw bottoming out on the collar before getting a good clamp on the wood? Has the rifle had a new forend fitted recently? I did some major repairs to the wood on my own No. 5 recently and found it a fair challenge to get the barrel floated and perfectly aligned in the forend. If you provide more info there are some real experts on this forum that will chip in some advice. Regards.

Ridolpho

[browningautorifle]

Possibly the collar is no longer present. I've seen that, and that would also account for the shift.

[Seaspriter]

Possibly the collar is no longer present

Is the fit in the "draws" tight and equal on each side?; 2) Is the front trigger-guard screw bottoming out on the collar before getting a good clamp on the wood?

I had both these problems in one No.5 that was in otherwise very good condition. Just pulling the trigger to the first stop moved the entire action about 1/16". The Trigger guard collar (spacer) was missing and the drawers were suffering oil rot. There was also a lot of wood wear surrounding the collar, preventing the good clamp Ridolpho mentions as well as movement around the collar after it was inserted.

I also found that another of my No.4 Enfields was missing the trigger guard collar -- it seems to be a common missing part. You can buy one for about $3 at Numrich.

[Peter Laidler]

First things first. Obviously the fore-end (the stock) DOESN'T fit snugly because this problem wouldn't arise if it was tightly and correctly fitted.

Make sure that the fore-end collar is a) present and fitted to length CORRECTLY, as partly explained by BAR and Ridolpho. There is a full explanation of it somewhere else in this forum. If the reinforce (or round breech end) of the barrel is correctly seated within the corresponding area of the fore-end, then while the barrel may flex left/right/up/down, it will always automatically centre.

The front trigger guard screw can also bottom out if the square section lock washer is missing from underneath it. Not common, but worth a look!

[b32dominator]

Thanks for the trouble shooting! It is as original to the gun as I can tell. The wood is quite depressed on the trigger guard channel. I added a couple of card board shims to see if it was bottoming out but the screw seemed to snug up just as it did without them. The stock does not shift side to side nor front to back and needs slight (gentle) force to remove it. It also retains the collar, but does have a quite a bit of space around the collar. I will shore that up first. I will also check the draws for play, they don't look worn or anything but I could be wrong. Would the length of the collar be a factor? It is shorter than the one in my No.4 MkI. Thanks again for your guidance, this rifle is one of my favorites in my collection.

[Peter Laidler]

The problem now is that while we've got to the point, we really can do no more because if you were in the Armourers shop now we'd be able to see, determine and fix. But we can't see, determine nor fix! But it sounds as if the fore-end has been 'chattered' away at what we call the fulcrum point or the axis point of the front trigger guard screw. You need to get it to a good Armourers shop and get him to fix it

[b32dominator]

I can try and post a picture or two later today. I am planning on using a high grade epoxy to fill the gap around the collar in hopes of shoring this issue up. I also have been reading about worn draws and how to properly repair them as British armourers would have and may go this route if correcting the fulcrum point doesn't work.

[Peter Laidler]

If the reinforce area is faulty and needs building up then in my opinion, the only way to do it is to cut out the old crushed wood, patch and glue in new hardwood and do it properly with good quality wood glue. Just my opinion of course!

The collar should just slip in and out of the hole in the fore-end
If the drawers are good and fitted correctly to your rifle then the fore-end CANNOT move fore and aft because it's locked rearwards in the taper between the rear of the drawers and the front face of the butt socket. The BIGGEST killer of drawers is enthuisiastic amateurs/bubba/just plain and simple turkeys removing the fore-end by pulling down on the front instead of tapping it down across the rear
If the body is seated evenly along the front half or so of the internal ledge in the fore-end and the round barrel is seated in the round corresponding barrel section of the fore-end and pulled down tight by the action of the screw against the spring washer against the trigger guard against the correctly fitted for length collar against the wood in the fore-end at that point then as I said earlier, the barrel will always centre.

Don't forget too..... and not many people realise this, but when you flex the barrel left/right/up/down within the fore-end, it's the BARREL that flexes and not the fore-end. I see trouble ahead unless you read the article about correctly fitting fore-ends. Then read it again..... and again!

Here endeth the lesson

[b32dominator]

Peter thank you very much for all of your information. I read what you wrote earlier and set right to work in my "Armory" and started some testing. I do believe the draws to be worn because as you stated the rifle shifted back and fourth. Which I also believe caused the fulcrum wearing. I fitted some .303 ammo box card board in the draws and around the collar and that took care of the shifting. I will set to work finding some hard wood scraps and reading up on the repairs. I've seen some good write ups on the draw repair. Thank you so much for your insight!

Ps. Anyone have a lead on a original No.5 front band? Mine must have been in Malaysia because the under side is so pitted and the outer surface was polished and blued.

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Here's the rifle in question )plus my other enfields).