BSA No.4 MKI (T) Restoration from cut-down sporter

[jimmieZ]

I purchased a Bubba-modified BSA No.4 MKI (T) off the web a couple of years ago. The barrel was shortened and it was wearing plastic furniture. Thank goodness that Bubba didn't mess with the scope mounting pads. All numbered metal parts were matching but the barrel was a disaster - shortened and very dark pitted bore. I obtained a real nice used 5 groove barrel from the wb and sent the barreled action to Brian Dick to have the "new" barrel installed. I found some inexpensive furniture pieces on the web and the result is a nice looking restoration of a good old gal who needed it. Photo slide show is below.

Enfield Sniper Slideshow by jimmieZ | Photobucket

Jim

Information

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[Seaspriter]

I purchased a Bubba-modified BSA No.4 MKI (T) off the web a couple of years ago. The barrel was shortened and it was wearing plastic furniture. Thank goodness that Bubba didn't mess with the scope mounting pads. All numbered metal parts were matching but the barrel was a disaster - shortened and very dark pitted bore. I obtained a real nice used 5 groove barrel from the wb and sent the barreled action to Brian Dick to have the "new" barrel installed. I found some inexpensive furniture pieces on the web and the result is a nice looking restoration of a good old gal who needed it.

Thanks Jim. She is a real beauty. You did the right thing keeping this gem in battle-ready condition. Would love to see the "before" pics if you have them.

I also purchased a messed up Long Branch sniper (without scope, sporterized barrel, no fore-stock, messed up butt, stripped of its guts, ) that Brian Dick is currently restoring. I now can envision what mine will look like when it is returned.

[browningautorifle]

Looks great Jimmie.

[JGAU]

Looks great mate... as SeaSpriter said, would love to see some 'before' pictures to go along with it!

I'm also currently tossing up the idea of getting a really really cheap 'bubba-d' rifle or barreled action, so that i can put some time and effort into bringing it back to 'original' or 'as it should be' and learning how it all goes together etc along the way, as well as getting the satisfaction of knowing that you built it from the ground up yourself and having something that you can shoot in service rifle competitions etc without having to worry about something breaking or damaging something on an 'original condition' collectible...

[Roger Payne]

Excellent. You have the satisfaction of knowing you dragged the old girl back from the precipice, & you now have the enjoyment of owning & shooting her as she was intended to be.

ATB.

[jimmieZ]

You should recognize one of your superb scope brackets on this lady Dr. Payne. Let me know when you get some more made up.

Jim

[Gurn]

Nice save, look good. Shoot good?

[mr.e moose]

Good save.Satisfaction in the final product is what all of us Lee Enfield junkies strive for. My first restoration was the most hideous 1915 Enfield ever.Thankfully nothing on the barrel or receiver was cut.Sourcing the wood and all the little bits got me hooked. After all these years I still have it and it is one of my best shooters.

[Roger Payne]

Thanks for that Jimmie! I have another batch of castings for the No32 brackets waiting to be machined at the moment, but my machinist is ridiculously busy so I've no idea when exactly I will have them finished & ready for sale. It's not a great situation to be in but unless I can find another machinist who is good & can do the work at a reasonable enough price (I'm already much dearer than the Pacific Rim rivals) I'm stuck with it. But they'll be ready eventually no doubt.........

ATB.

[Peter Laidler]

I wonder if cut-down, butchered and commercialised L42's will ever fall into this 'cut down sporter' category in the future.

A distant friend of mine purchased a telescope-less bit-of-a-heap L42 several months ago that did have an original but bit-of-a-heap and badly fitting bracket bracket. He's also got a bracketless No4T fitted with a totally worn-out Mk1 scope fitted to a bad repop bracket. What I've suggested he do is this........

Properly fit the original bracket from the L42 to his real No4T and sensibly restore it and fit the clapped out but restorable Mk1 telescope. That makes one useable and original rifle.......
Fit a DRP bracket to the L42, restore that and use it with iron sights until he can find a cheapo(?) Mk2 or 3 telescope. After all, the DRP brackets were used on a quantity of needy War Stocks of L42's and ALL were fitted with converted telescopes in any case.
That way you will immediately start with one fully rebuilt and useable No4T with an ALMOST rebuilt but still useable L42. The sight will come later of course