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Let me get this right................ Or am I missing something............ How do I put this diplomatically? You went into a gunshop and bought a rifle that the dealer says is unfit/unsafe to fire and ............ er............ you haven't looked down the barrel yet............ Is this a NC thing? Like Me2 is saying, just get a pullthrough and a piece of 4x2 down the bloody barrel..............
I am curious as to whether it was purchased with the intention of shooting it(it seems not), or if it is more of a historical artifact. It seems the latter as Mr. Richards seems to be doing his homework as regards markings, paint, and such.
So far, it seems decent enough. And not all gunsmiths deserve the term, esp. when they step out their area of expertiece, if any.
You are right -- I did buy it more as a collectible/cleanup project, however, if it can be made servicable again, all the better. Sorry I have not moved faster -- I have a 7-month-old ruling the house and a wife who tells me I have more important things to do that messing around with old rifles all the time.
Anyway, I will pull out my SMLE pullthough and give it a clean (the one that came with this rifle is caked in cosmoline). There are no obstructions or pitting as far I can see. I did read last night that in postwar civilian ownership, sometimes alterations were made to the trigger assembly parts to make them easier to pull and are subsequently arein danger of going off at any moment when loaded. That might be a culprit here too. I will take a closer look and get back to you.
Take your time and give it a good cleaning. As far as the smith listing it as non-serviceable it could be as simple as he dropped an American no-go head space gauge in the chamber and the bolt closed. Best to go over it slowly with the correct tools and books.
and get yourself a cleaning rod, bore brush and some cotton 2x2 patches.