'42 Long Branch No4 MK1* gets a new butt

I've been unhappy with the fit and appearance of the butt stock on this rifle since I acquired it. The butt was loose, and after tightening the bolt, it was drawn up tight against the butt socket. It also had a couple of cracks in it, and had been sanded heavily.

https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....1&d=1368923819

The rifle was also missing the upper sling swivel, so I recently ordered a new LB walnut butt stock, sling swivel, and No4 MKII bayonet from Springfield Sporters.

The package arrived the other day, and I got a chance to work on the rifle today.

The butt required a little fitting, and may still need to be fit closer. I'd like to hear the armorers opinion on that. I didn't want to get the shoulder up against the socket, so I stopped fitting with a bit of a gap still showing.

https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....5&d=1467690814

https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....6&d=1467690817

Now all I need is a sling, action cover, grenade launching attachment, bayonet frog, carrying case, bandolier....anything else??:)

Have a look on the threads for fitting a L E rifle butt

Might be nice to save the butt, if it is the original butt.

I found some years ago with loose butts that I could restore them somewhat by soaking in raw linseed oil, and then one more or less dry the last step is too soak in a linseed /turpentine/beeswax/solution.

One last way I have seen on guns is to get brown paper and a single wrap around the butt, held in place with the same wax mixture.

This seemed to work on guns that were dried out. cracked wood would generally indicates that. for some reason wood that has been really wet and then dried seems to do that as well.

Also I have found with dirty stocks that using a turpentine/linseed oil/white fruit vinegar solution cleans them quite well of surface dirt, though it will not get rid of mold stains.

There were supposed to be a couple more photos in the original post. Don't know what happened to them. Trying it again.

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Nice looking rifle...

You have a bit more work to do fitting the butt. A gap the width of a hacksaw blade should be present.

Well, this is about as good as it's going to get. I did a little more fitting on the butt, then snugged up the stock bolt, to see how far it would draw in, and it stuck tight, and wouldn't come back out, without applying excessive force. So this is where it's going to stay. The gap is about .080, pretty close to the 2mm that Peter Laidler recommended in his article.

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I can't help but wonder where this rifle has been. So much history. Maybe it was in North Africa, maybe it came ashore on Gold, Juno, or Sword beach, maybe it helped liberate Caen, who knows... all speculation now, but that's what makes military rifles so interesting.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...les_caen-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...pankaski-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tsfrance-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...beration-1.jpg

War trophy with the MP-40 last pic

Nope, just my observation (photo 1, thread 7), based on nothing more than experience, but that butt to butt socket gap is about twice what it should be. It'd be a shame to leave it looking amateurish when you could get that EXACT in about 3 minutes by taking a tiny amount of wood off the taper, knock the butt in from the rear, get the gap correct, then lock up tight. Make sure that you have the flat washer inside the butt AND the double coil spring washer between the flat washer and the bolt head

Like grandfather said, "It'll do" won't do....."It's either right or wrong".

Nice clean rifle BTW!

We had several boards hanging from the beams in our 1940's era basic fitting workshops/classrooms. The one directly in my line of sight, hanging over 'Big-John' Hessell's workbench said
'....near enough isn't good enough. But exactly right is near enough'. It's funny how you remember all these little proverbs - and try to keep to them as the years tick by. So good was our basic engineering training lessons and practical work that I still remember my class instructor, Mr Surtees and our machine shop teacher, an ex Armourer, Mr Owens.

I appreciate the comments. Especially those from Peter Laidler and Brian Dick. I will attempt to fit the stock closer. The rifle deserves it. I do have an example of proper fitting in my No5 Mk1. I will try to duplicate that.

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Peter,

I remember my old class teacher who taught welding more than 40 years ago, "Always chip away from yourself !" I hear his voice every time I pick up a chipping hammer!!

Grand teacher, Mr Hardman...

Harping back....... And another...... Our grand old physics teacher who always made lessons so interesting that we didn't want to go on to the next lesson. I always tried to copy your enthusiasm Mr Percy.

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

always made lessons so interesting that we didn't want to go

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That can be done by a teacher that actually knows his subject, instead of mumbling about something in the curriculum.

Ok, here's the latest attempt at fitting the stock. Hopefully, she'll pass inspection this time.:)

I took the rifle to the range last weekend, and discovered that my eyes can't see the front sight anymore. Got a compliment on the rifle's appearance from a guy with a Mosin, and a Garand. He tried out the Enfield, and I got to shoot the Garand.:)

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I'd say that's pretty close. Peter will be along to critique...

That'd pass!

Littlejohn, re: your eyes, here's a suggestion - if you make the No.4 rearsight aperture smaller, you'll get a pinhole effect and the foresight may be sharper. You can do this with a piece of black paper stuck over the rearisght bridge. Start with a neat 1mm aperture and if it works, widen this with a pointy thing until the effect is lost. Use the smallest aperture though which the target still seems bright enough to see - fine apertures work best but darken the sight picture. If none of the above works, maybe it is time for a No.4 (T)...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RobD

Littlejohn, re: your eyes, here's a suggestion - if you make the No.4 rearsight aperture smaller, you'll get a pinhole effect and the foresight may be sharper. You can do this with a piece of black paper stuck over the rearisght bridge. Start with a neat 1mm aperture and if it works, widen this with a pointy thing until the effect is lost. Use the smallest aperture though which the target still seems bright enough to see - fine apertures work best but darken the sight picture. If none of the above works, maybe it is time for a No.4 (T)...

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I did notice an improvement when using the smaller aperture in the ladder sight. A No.4 (T) probably isn't in my future, but I do have a no drill mount which came with my No. 5 MK1. Might have to try that.