Need help/advice on a wandering POI problem

[Edward Horton]

Mr. jmoore

"Artsy" raw linseed oil found at craft stores are highly refined linseed oils that have all impurities and fatty acids removed, these impurities and fatty acids are what causes mildew and mold growth.

These "artsy" linseed oils were never applied to the Enfield rifle while in military service. BUT they do come in small little itsy bitsy bottles and are handy to use. Also these artsy little itsy bitsy bottles would even fill the need of the fussy Michelangelo types when painting the Sistine Chapel or re-oiling an Enfield stock.



On top of this Boiled Linseed oil was NEVER used on the Enfield Rifle, as a side note I also have manuals from the 1970s stating that RAW linseed was used on the American M14 and BAR rifles.

Trust me, during my excessive compulsive linseed oil testing phase, Clean Strip BLO was investigated, researched and NEVER mentioned in any of my postings.

Please show me any British or Commonwealth Enfield manual or publication where you are told to use Boiled Linseed Oil on your Enfield rifle.



You don't put boiled linseed oil in a heated hot dip tank without this oil turning into a thick Jello like substance.

The majority of bedding problems our Enfield Rifles have is because they were not re-oiled monthly with RAW linseed oil and the wood shrank as the wood dehydrated.

The untouched Enfield below went through a FTR in 1953 and had raw linseed oil applied to it and NOT BLO.



The dark spots (freckles) you see were caused by the impurities in the raw linseed oil, the "artsy" oil will not let this happen because it is so highly refined and filtered.





The Clean Strip BLO will seal the wood and make it more water proof than RAW linseed oil, BUT it will need to have the shine knocked down with 0000 steel wool. Using BLO will make it far harder to apply successive coats of linseed oil that will sink deeply into the wood and keep it hydrated.

Below and forgive the small photo, pure raw unfiltered cold pressed linseed oil on the left with the impurities laying in the bottom of the jar. On the right is refined and filtered raw linseed oil with ALL the impurities removed. (the "artsy" linseed oil)



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[Thunderbox]

The majority of bedding problems our Enfield Rifles have is because they were not re-oiled monthly with RAW linseed oil and the wood shrank as the wood dehydrated.

I'm sorry Ed, but I think you are mistaken in this. I see no evidence whatsoever in the majority of rifles that bedding problems are the result of wood shrinkage from lack of oil or other agent. In fact I rarely see much evidence of wood shrinkage at all - on the contrary, its remarkable how many very old rifles have incredibly tight stock fit. Enfields were of course stocked using naturally seasoned or kiln-dried wood, thus the wood was de facto pre-shrunk anyway. In fact one of the properties of linseed oil is that it appears to soak wood without causing any expansion or structural alteration. IMHO, bedding problems most commonly arise from wear and tear (especially in the draws) or poor maintenance.

[Edward Horton]

I'm sorry Ed, but I think you are mistaken in this. I see no evidence whatsoever in the majority of rifles that bedding problems are the result of wood shrinkage from lack of oil or other agent. In fact I rarely see much evidence of wood shrinkage at all - on the contrary, its remarkable how many very old rifles have incredibly tight stock fit. Enfields were of course stocked using naturally seasoned or kiln-dried wood, thus the wood was de facto pre-shrunk anyway. In fact one of the properties of linseed oil is that it appears to soak wood without causing any expansion or structural alteration. IMHO, bedding problems most commonly arise from wear and tear (especially in the draws) or poor maintenance.

Thunderbox

What you see on your side of the pond is quite different from what I have seen the last six years studying Century Imports on this side of the pond.

If you don't keep the wood properly oiled it WILL shrink and I can say this for curtain from looking a what I believe were primarily Enfield Rifles coming from Turkey that never had a British Armourer lay hands on them.

My wooden deck and the Imported Enfield rifles I carefully inspected and looked at tell no lies.

Below, when wood dries out it shrinks as the gaps in my wooden deck show below.



Also when you re-oil the fore stock and the draws area tightens up this also tells me something.

Thunderbox I mean no disrespect in what I said above but there is a good chance we are both right in our findings of the Enfields we have looked at.

My main point here Thunderbox is you should oil the stock with raw linseed oil BEFORE deciding the stock is a loose fit and before making bedding adjustments. As an example cork sheets under the barrel tip or bedding your Enfield with beer cans and credit cards when oiling the stock just might fix your problems.



Below is a 1950 unissued Canadian Long Branch rifle I purchased from Brian Dick, it has a slight wood shrinkage problem. The first thing I'm going to do is give the stock a long drink of raw linseed oil before even thinking about shimming any part of the draws.



Raw linseed oil will re-hydrate the dry wood in the stock and cause the wood to swell or enlarge.