LongBranch Enfield Newbie questions

Maple was an approved alternate . You see some outandaing colour and figure on Long Branches. I've seen the "frozen and cracking" statement on the net a few times however it's just a tale. Doesn't make sense as moisture content was tightly controlled in any wood species (8-9% prior to duplicating) and then saturated in BLO finish....proved to be water repellant for many decades. A forend cracks for structural reasons such as a flaw in the wood, action not bedded or loose. Just my two cents worth. Ron

Information about maple was from Warren Wheatfield. Perhaps he will chime in with details.

I was able to break the Enfield down to small components, clean & lubricate. I have done a bit more research on how to care for the stock and the discussions seem a bit confusing. Some state that BLO makes the stock shiny and is not a valid substitute for the RAW Linseed Oil originally applied to the rifle stocks. The link below has a picture of a stock with BLO on the left and RAW Linseed Oil on the right:

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...1/IMGP2270.jpg

The push back on BLO > no one went into combat with a shiny rifle. So, should I track down BLO or 'RAW' Linseed oil to apply to my Enfield stock? Some even state that Raw Linseed oil is not toxic, while BLO is very toxic due to the additives...

The top/right stock looks like it could take more oil, the shiny one looks like it has had a finish applied to it, not just oil.
Remember to take some of the comments with a grain of salt, maybe even the entire shaker sometimes, when it comes to finishing/oiling timber, there are enough different idea's out there to make your head spin, some members are so set in their attitudes to even create conflict when questioned or see something that is not within their scope as ideal. I have had a rough time at their hands early in the piece and now do not comment on cleaning or finishing methods, I will just keep doing it my way or if I see a better way, will try that.
Do what you think is best, if it doesn't work, try something else. What the heck, at our age we have little else to do.

The "ENGLAND" stamp is interesting, maybe suggesting your Long Branch left service in England and was surplused directly to the States from there, possibly pre 1968 before the importer's name was required? Cheers, Don

BLO contains a drying agent and can produce a wonderful, glowing "sporter grade" finish if many coats are applied thinly, rubbed into the wood and allowed to dry between coats. If BLO is just slathered on to a stock most of it will will sit on top of the stock, rather than in the wood. It will never dry properly and the end result will be a sticky mess. The military specified raw linseed oil for initial treatment and maintenance of stock finish. This should be applied and allowed to penetrate the wood with any excess wiped off the surface. I can recall getting gallon cans of raw linseed oil to re-condition our FN stocks after a spell in the field.

It seems that any MILSURP forum will include an ongoing whizzing contest over raw, versus boiled linseed oil on military stocks. The US military went to tung oil at a point in Garand production with raw linseed specified for maintenance. I like pure tung oil for stock maintenance on any milsurp. Just wipe it on, let it penetrate for 10 minutes, then wipe off the excess.

The Enfield is done, broken down and put back together. I used a light coat of BLO after cleaning the stock. I even installed the safety assembly (missing prior), thanks to Brian at BDL. Thanks for all the support. :dancingbanana: