Accurizing No.4

[gblacksmith]

Mates:

I would direct this question to anyone who has accurized their No.4 using the wood-patch to receiver draws method. My questions are:

How can you tell when your receiver draws are worn and needing replacement?

Will hard maple wood work as a patch? My guess is that it will.

I know that the patch is beveled....how can you tell when your fit-up of draws to receiver is correct?

What other fore end work is done at this time? Any shimming or changes to forward band or mid-foreend center point?

Are thre any "Tips & Tricks" when doing this work?

What kind of changes to accuracy can be reasonably expected, assuming a correctly done job?

Thanks!

Grant

Information

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[Thunderbox]

If you have any forwards/backwards movement in the forend after you remove the bands, trigger guard and screws, then the recoil faces are indented and need to be repaired.

Any decent hard wood is suitable to make the repair.

When you have put in new recoil faces, the forend should not fit onto the rifle action. You have to gradually adjust the recoil faces - fitting and re-fitting the forend many times - until the forend just goes onto the rifle. Ie the forend should be a tight fit.

The forend should return to its former bedding, ie good fit all around the receiver and under the chamber/ free-float up to the muzzle/ slight barrel down pressure onto front of forend.

Centre-bedding involves changing the angle between rifle and forend, and should not really be attempted unless you are quite skilled at fitting forends. Its debatable whether centre-bedding actually has any accuracy advantage over standard military bedding - standard rifles can be just as acurate as SRb rifles.

Accuracy depends upon barrel condition and ammo type/quality as much as bedding. A very good set-up using factory/surplus ammo should be able to achieve a 2" group at 100 yds depending upon the shooter, of course!. Handloads, sandbag and a scope might get the group down to 1". I have to say, however, that the majority of rifles are more accurate than the majority of shooters are able to aim....

[Thunderbox]

Here is the basic sequence for repairing the recoil faces.

Please - no flaming by HM armourers about workmanship!; these photos just record a very quick "invisible" repair with no dowelling to the outside.

First cut out the damaged recoil faces. Bond in a hardwood block of suitable size to give good strength. Wood might need to be de-oiled on some old rifles in order for glue to adhere.




Initial shape and size of bonded wood block. I tend to remove sear, spring and trigger from action in order to shape block as a single strong unit.




Carefully refit the action to check for fit.




Witness marks left by the action's recoil faces. These marks are carefully relieved, so that on each iteration, the action fits a bit deeper into the forend. After multiple adjustments, the action should fit all the way home - but tight.




When action is a decent tight fit, I remove the centre portion of the block. Then make good and tidy up. I tend to seal all of the exposed fresh wood with wood glue, so that the risk of splintering or crumbing is reduced.




NOTE: for maximum strength, its best to drill through the entire repair from the side and use a wood dowel to afix it to the sides of the draws. I don't do this on collectors' rifles, as the dowels disfigure the outside of the forend. As rifles don't get hammered as much as they did in military service, this type of "invisible" repair lasts quite well without the dowels.

[newcastle]

that is a really good representation of how to do this.
I have a project rifle to work on and will try this myself. what tools do you use to shape and fit the blok and to cut out theslot?

[RJW NZ]

Nice work!

[barbarossa]

Thunderbox, I am duly impressed! You have done an excellent job of illustrating how to undertake this job. This thread ought to be added to Lee Enfield Knowledge Library for future reference by collectors. Thanks, Cowboy!

[Brian Dick]

A good sharp chisel and small saw is all you need. I always dowel them down from the top too.

[tbonesmith]

Here's my last one: Refurb of 7.62 Range Rifle No4Mk1/3 I know it's not in full wood but it's the same setup at the back.
When you stock them up as directed in Peter Laidlers archived posts, accuracy is very good, the last full wood was giving me about 2MOA, as was my No4T done the same way.
You can tell the fitup is correct by using bearing blue, without it, it's guesswork.
My tip is to go slowly, because when you've removed too much timber you have to patch the draws again(pain in the ar.., but it will happen!), and ensure that nothing beyond the draws influence the centreing of the barrel(wrist and wood around receiver)
Also read, and read again Peters instructions and be prepared for for a big job, because the first few take ages.
Good luck!

[newcastle]

How does one use bearing blue exactly? can someone explain the process please?

[Thunderbox]

How does one use bearing blue exactly? can someone explain the process please?

Its just one way of checking the fit of wood to metal by using something that leaves witness marks. "Engineer blue" is the traditional method for metal fitting, but for stocking up Enfields I just use talcum powder on the wood and oil on the metal:

1. Dust the inside of the forend with talcum powder:






2. Lightly oil up the metalwork:




3. Re-fit the barrelled action. Screw everything up to normal settings. Take the opportunity to test the barrel movement & weight:






3. Dissemble the rifle. Check to see where the metalwork was touching. Adjust (carefully and in tiny increments!) where necessary:

This rifle is quite well bedded at the arrse end - good contact all around the receiver and under the chamber....




..... but the barrel channel needs a little attention as the barrel rests off-centre and also a few inches behind the muzzle (the second dark mark further up the barrel channel):




Repeat the above steps again and again until the bedding is satisfactory. No4s are quite easy; SMLEs in new forends can take twenty or more assembly cycles to line everything up correctly.