Um, whats this?
Lee Enfield Gauge | eBay
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Um, whats this?
Lee Enfield Gauge | eBay
Vickers lead gauge.
Not much use on a rifle, because there is no accurate datum point against which to measure the lead - each rifle has small variations in the position of the barrel relative to the receiver.
Clearly a leed wear gauge but for what? The Vickers one that we used was in a black, steel dual-use, two-part unscrewable case. In fact, THIS gauge was the last vestige of the Vickers gun to remain in service, only leaving when the last of the old .303" Brens went. I do actually recognise the gauge shown but for what......, just defeats me for the moment. The trouble is that we don't have any diameters. It could be ANY gauge, even a revolver. We have nothing to relate to.
Tankie, what does your gauge book say about SM 394?
Searching this was the only reference I could find, its not to sure either.
Lee Enfield inspectors gauge (07/07/2012)
The seller seems to be selling enfield parts possibly from the parker hale workshops....just guessing but some sort of manufacturers or govn inspectors gauge as the rifles were made?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ssj
Only a small number of his gauges are for rifles; the vast majority are for other weapons. Many are manufacturing and tooling gauges, and probably have no worthwhile use even for gunsmiths.
The mystery lead gauges have inscribed lines on them, which are intended to show the position of the lead plug reference to the base of the chamber or some other point that is fixed in relation to the chamber. The lines do not coincide with anything on a rifle, and in any case the end of the fixed part of the barrel is masked by being inside the receiver ring. The gauges are evidently designed to work with barrels that have a barrel extension or other fixed datum point protruding beyond the chamber.
I've got four or five of these gauges. Its a while since i tried to use one, but, IIRC, you can't even put them in a rifle because the perpendicular arm butts up against the charger bridge before the plug gauge reaches the lead.
The similar gauge for the Vickers is measured from the visible breech face and registers leed wear for remaining barrel life in OHF or Overhead Fire guns where a few rounds dropping short could cause, er......., problems! It was not designed for the rifle but I dare say that the inspectors/viewers/examiners would use one in a borderline case. Once the leed starts to wear with boat tailed bullets, there's no set-up and the gas wash past the bullet really accellerates fast. It doesn't take long to go from 1st quarter of life rapidly downhill
Sorry for going off on one of my tangents......
But to be brutally honest and frank, the worst thing you can give the enthusiastic amateurs is a load of gauges, believe me............ Take CHS gauges for example........ Oh dear....., you've got me going again....... Give one of these EA's a set and he's changing the bolt heads and testing for this that and the other and buying different sizes and....... But nobody told him that the 'sizes' are really all over the place. And even worse is when they get their hands on the 'so called' muzzle wear gauges. Jeeeeees, at that point they are immediate experts. Right....., I'll stop now; I promise!
Sorry, can't help myself but don't |EVER give one a striker removal tool. Or if you do, make sure that it's made of plastic!
Well then...I guess we have to cycle all our re-builds through you lot...there's about three or four of you that'll need to stand by for the delivery trucks arrival. That should keep you all busy...?Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
Well, you know what I'm saying BAR............. But in real life, if it ain't broke and it's accurate, then don't fix it. My No4T hasn't been stripped or gauged or anything since the 50's although I did clean/boil out the bore and wipe it down with some linseed last May
I DO understand. I have mostly the same policy, I don't re-do something just for the sake of it. My 303s never got much of a check over except eyeball serviceability. I never expect much out of the brass, so I just shot them and watched what happened to it. It would be nice though if there was someone local to go to that had been hip deep in these things at one time. It would eliminate guess work.
In one of the books there is a photo of a fitter at RSAF Enfield using a very similar looking gauge on a No4 Mk2 body, purportedly during the assembly of the ENVOYs or ENFORCERS if I remember correctly.
But if it was a Lee Enfield gauge we would know by now!
The gauge is for use with the "No. 1 Rifle"
Can't remember which manual I got the info from but it lists SM394 as:
SM394 Inspectors, bullet head No. 1 Mk. 1 No. 1 rifle
A number of the descriptions for the other gauges the vendor is selling aren't right;
There's one for a P14 (SM292) Inspectors, plug compound 0.306in. and 0.3007in. Mk. 1
Another for No. 4 & No. 5 rifle, No. 1 rifles (SM386) Inspectors, slip 0.5 in. Mk. 1
Another for the No. 4 & No. 5 rifle, No. 1 rifles (SM391) Inspectors, plug 0.084 in. Mk. 1
let the bun fight begin.
EMER from 1956
There's a good chance that if it is for a No1 rifle, then it'll be for the No4 rifle too. However, sometimes the style would change because the bullet lead for the No4 rifle was used on a calibrated GAUGE, armourers, rod. This rid was useful for a number of reasons because............. anyway..., it was!
I should have mentioned that in the photo I recall, the gauge was inserted in the bolt way with the "leg" projecting down between or adjacent to the rear trigger guard screw lugs. For some reason I have the impression in my mind that it, or the one in the photo, was used to check alignment of the bolt way with the chamber.
