Buy the rifle not the story!!!!!

[Seaspriter]

ALL, every last one of the weapons that pass through our large workshops are just that when they get to the Out Inspectors bench. Robbie Robertson, bless him! Parts guns. The only parts that stayed together were the barrel, body, bolt and fore-end. And without doubt, in some cases with some tired and worn/shot-out old dogs, it was just the body, the master component that was original!

Gentlemen, thanks for this dialogue. Captain, perhaps you and Roger and the Colonel and Brian and Buccaneer and Beerhunter and others have (at least for me) begun to use this thread to map set of standards that might move us past this hurdle of "what is" and "what isn't." Since a large number of Lee Enfields underwent some form of repair (sometimes extensive) and Nitro-proofing before going into civil ownership, then nearly every gun (with the exception of the unissued or unused guns) is more than likely to some extent a "parts" gun -- something has been replaced or repaired and tested.

Then let me propose (just a starting draft) what a simple "Milsurp Standard" for Enfields might be:
1) Refurbished/Restored to British Armourer's Standards for FTR (i.e. all parts within spec and 80% life expectancy)
2) No Serial Number finagling
3) Changes made only when needed or were normal in FTR (i.e. no extraneous changes, such as converting a regular issue gun to a sniper or Jungle Carbine)
4) Before and After printed documentation of the restoration

Those of us who restore guns can state: "RESTORED TO MILSURP STANDARDS established by British Armourers for the 21st century." As Colonel Enfield remarked: openly acknowledge the rifle has been through a "Commercial Thorough Refurb" ["CTR"]

Please add your thoughts.

This might evolve into a new thread on proposed "Milsurp Restoration Standards" that will be an informal certified Standard of Excellence that many of you already adhere to, but is not written down and codified for future generations. I know many of you have these standards in your heads, have been trained in applying them, and admonish us when we don't meet those standards. A short codification of the standards & general principles might be helpful (God forbid it shouldn't look like government regs or ISO standards). Sort of a 21st century version of the British Armourer's Manual. Captain Laidler's expert Knowledge Library could be the start of such a Next Generation Armourer's Restoration Manual & Standards of Excellence.

In the appendix we could put serial number data, deciphering Enfield markings, how to spot a fake, identifying types of wood, tips & techniques: when to use more modern techniques, such as using modern seals, lubricants, using Loctite instead of staking screws & nuts over, using BLO instead of RLO, etc.

Most of what I'm proposing is already in the Milsurps library of threads, but often scattered (with the exception of Captain Laidler's knowledge library.

What do you masters/experts think?