Buttstock replacement on a 1950 Long Branch

I have a 1950 LB that came with a "S" short buttstock. I normally like to leave things alone and not swap parts on such a well fitted rifle. However, I am tall (6'-2") and would much prefer to have "L" long stock for shooting. I recently found a correct unissued Canadian Arsenal marked "L" buttstock. I have found a lot of good info here about fore-end fitting on No4s, but not much on the specifics of buttstock replacement.

I guess my first question. Is this worth the fuss and effort? Second how hard is this to do? I know the forends take a lot of skill and experience to do properly. I have the tools to remove the bolt and the bolt protrusion gage. Is this all I need? Finally If the process is explained here on the forum could someone point me to the write post?

I am sure that I have written it all here as it involves fitting there butt socket taper. Just make sure that the butt plate is fitted correctly afterwards too. It must sit evenly on the butt with a small gap around the edge as the butt is proud of the butt plate

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Originally Posted by therno

Is this worth the fuss and effort?

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One could use a slip on butt pad. That would extend length of pull by a few inches without having to do any modifications.

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Originally Posted by WarPig1976

One could use a slip on butt pad. That would extend length of pull by a few inches without having to do any modifications.

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Very good!

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Originally Posted by therno

I have a 1950 LB that came with a "S" short buttstock. I normally like to leave things alone and not swap parts on such a well fitted rifle. However, I am tall (6'-2") and would much prefer to have "L" long stock for shooting. I recently found a correct unissued Canadian Arsenal marked "L" buttstock. I have found a lot of good info here about fore-end fitting on No4s, but not much on the specifics of buttstock replacement.

I guess my first question. Is this worth the fuss and effort? Second how hard is this to do? I know the forends take a lot of skill and experience to do properly. I have the tools to remove the bolt and the bolt protrusion gage. Is this all I need? Finally If the process is explained here on the forum could someone point me to the write post?

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If you have a file, a mallet, and a long screw driver, you are set.

Get the L and fit it. I started with a NOS butt stock. Tap it into the wrist and see where it needs sanding or filing. Proceed with caution. Some days it seems like rocket science, but really there are so many variables with Lee Enfield. This is where the obsession begins. No one answer to one question!
Keep the brass or steel butt plate.
I altered my 870 Wingmaster to boiled linseed oil and to take a No4 brass butt plate last fall. I shot a few slugs from it and was amazed at the pain level. Its back to original condition again!

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Originally Posted by JerryEAL

I altered my 870 to boiled linseed oil and to take a No4 brass butt plate last fall.(OBSESSION/STUPID) I shot a few slugs from it

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I'm understanding this right, you put a No4 butt plate on a shotgun?.... Why?

I bought the 870 Wingmaster that had a heavily varnished finish with many scratches and dings. I stripped the finish and it had walnut stocks. Oiled them and it looks just like an Enfield stock. The No4 brass buttplate was extremely close in size and screw location. It was an experiment only. It did "look very nice" as brass and walnut do together, but as I admitted not very practical or enjoyable to shoot.

Jerry, fitting the butt is v easy. You need a rubber mallet to tap the butt in, and a file with fine teeth or a bit of medium sandpaper to relieve the wood. To see where metal is pressing, it helps to dust the butt with talcum from time to time. On the No. 4 the metal of the butt socket should not come into tight contact with the wood - there should be a gap about the thickness of one or two playing cards all the way round.

Jerry - I am not an expert, but as I understand it: the No4 butt socket is tapered internally, so the wood of the butt should be tapered to match.
Unlike earlier rifles like the Martini Henry or Lee Metford, where the vertical face of the wrist fits snug against the internal flat face of the butt socket [and in which this face takes the shock of recoil] in the No4 it is the tapered sides which receive the recoil. Now, if your long butt is un-used, even if it is old and dry, the wood fibres have yet to compress with use.
When I fitted a new No4 butt, I was advised [by an expert forummer] to initially leave a big gap [2-3 mm] between rim of metal butt socket and wooden lip of butt. I did this, and at first it looked odd. Then, as I used the rifle, over time I found I could gradually tighten the stock bolt and take up the gap, eventually leaving a fine gap all the way round. If you don't leave this fine gap, then action of the recoil and/or stock bolt tightening can chip pieces of wood off the rim. If you find you have over-done the taper and the gap is zero, then I guess you could put some spacers between the vertical face of the wrist and the butt socket... I have done this on Martini Henrys, I use playing cards - uncompressible and of uniform thickness.

Therno, it's quite a simple job to fit a new butt stock to your No4 rifle, just a bit of patience really. Just take your time- it's much easier to remove wood than to try sticking it back on. You should find that your L marked stock is about 1'' longer than the stock on your gun which you state is marked S. There is a about a half inch difference between the short normal and long stock. I believe that the rare bantam stock is 1'' shorter than the S marked stock although I'm not certain on this and it may only be half inch shorter which would seem logical???

There's a fellow on that auction site that sells rubber butt pads for Lee Enfields. They fit against the butt plate and use the usual screws.

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Originally Posted by Baal

rubber butt pads for Lee Enfields

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Everytime you change a gun, it becomes less original. Try BAALs suggestion first. They are only 19.95, and you could use the same pad on other Enfields.
Amazon.com : BUTT PAD Lee-Enfield No.1 No.4 RIFLE STOCK 1 Outdoors

Surely if the rifle has a stock marked S it's already non original? Or did the manufacturers send out the rifles with a selection of different butt sizes fitted to the rifles in each batch? For example in each batch of rifles despatch to a unit were 70% normal butts, 10% short, 10%, long and 10% bantam size? These figures I have plucked out of thin air.

I agree. I'd fit the long butt. The rubber pads look like balls on a bulldog.

Well said and diplomatically put Rob! No4 issue to regiments from Ordnance was 80% medium, 10% short and long. Armourers would change to suit…..

Peter, how did the rifles arrive from the factory to Ordnance? Were all the butts fitted medium/normal and Ordnance fitted the 10% short and long? Or, perhaps, the riffles didn't have the butts fitted at the factory?

They were built and sent to Ord complete. Officially, the build rate was 80/10/10 rate and they were catalogued as short/med/long as you will see in the parts lists. That's the UI (Unit issue) rate too