Need help/advice on a wandering POI problem

[Edward Horton]

If you have a spare, go ahead and try it out. Don't change anything else that doesn't require it for a correct fit, and see what happens. At least you'll have some more to go on.

Other thoughts-

Have you checked your fore stock tip up-pressure at both the start and finish of the string?

Also, the nature of the stringing suggests that your dramas are either in the barrel itself, or in the front end of the rifle, not the back, as it seems heat influenced. The crack in the back would seem to me to add randomness to the situation, not a repeatable phenomenom(enomenom).

The rear sight isn't one of those sheet metal jobs, is it?

Mr. jmoore

The "rear" of the Enfield fore stock at the draws area controls vertical stringing, if the draws area is loose the fore stock can rock or pivot at the forward trigger guard screw. Meaning low or very little up pressure at the fore end tip or inconsistent up pressure at the fore end tip due to bedding shifts.

Below, up pressure is controlled and adjusted at the "rear" of the fore stock in the draws area.



On the Enfield Rifle a loose fore stock causes vertical stringing and a loose butt stock causes horizontal stringing.

Below, top photo, loose fitting draws area and a trigger guard bushing that is too long, bottom photo tight fitting draws area and proper length trigger guard bushing. All these areas are in the back of the fore stock or are you going to "fix" this by putting cork under the barrel at the fore end tip like someone else we know.

[jmoore]

Points taken, Mr. Horton.

What I meant to say was that the crack alone, at the very rear of the fore stock, itself is not likely to cause the progressive 8 MOA shift. However, as you note, the entire "package" may be out of spec.

I still think the downward shift during the "heat-up" phase is a major clue. Gravityfan does note, i think, that once warmed, the POI shift more or less stops. I'm thinking poor overall bedding or some drama in the barrel itself, leaning heavily toward the first choice. Other likely suspects seem to have been ruled out...

Y'all have fun, now. Time for me to go home and sleep!

[Edward Horton]

As a side note to the photos posted above showing vertical stringing, this was my first Enfield and a Century import which came from Turkey. The wood was very dry and inspections over several years showed that many Century Enfield stocks were extremely dry. These Turkish Enfields never had a British armourer touch them and the maintenance was not up to British military standards.

Also on a wooden stocked rifle it can be bedded to perfection and your hand loads have it grouping tightly to perfection. You can then go out to the range six months later when the temperature and humidity have changed and the rifle groups and be much larger or left or right of center.

You also can not rule out the old surplus ammunition that is being used which can have much larger than normal fluctuations in chamber pressure and velocity which can greatly effect group size.

From my experience the majority of accuracy problems on the Enfield rifle are bedding related caused by lack of TLC from a trained armourer. The manuals state that issued Enfield Rifles were inspected four times per year, three mini visual inspections and one complete tear down inspection.

You are now your Enfields best friend and Armourer and here is something else to check. The receiver sides should not be touching or exerting side pushing forces. One manual I have states the sides of the receiver should have .010 clearance between the receiver and stock.



Also constant steady up pressure can change and vary with humidity, please look at the shims added in the photo and drawing below.

The shims added below help keep a constant up pressure at the fore end tip, they were added to the National Canadian rifles used in competition and also on the pictured Australian range rifle.



These shims prevent the rear of the fore stock from moving upward and the corresponding loss or decrease in up pressure at the fore end tip.

Know thy rifle...........................and read the manuals. (RTFM)

[jmoore]

Oy!, Gravityfan! Did you ever sort the POI shift?