Combining a DP Enfield, a Shooter and a Gunsmith ended up with catastrophic failure!

[enfield303t]

Old Joe
Thank you for the chronology of purchasing this rifle and again you need to tell this to your lawyer. I can not stress enough that someone in the chain of events needs to be held accountable for their actions. The firing pin should never have been replaced in this gun and your actions have the posibility of preventing such a incident again.

[louthepou]

Old Joe, thanks for taking the time to share your story here despite the obvious obstacle to fast typing.

Hope you'll heal well and fast.

Lou

[Old Joe]

Old Joe
Thank you for the chronology of purchasing this rifle and again you need to tell this to your lawyer. I can not stress enough that someone in the chain of events needs to be held accountable for their actions. The firing pin should never have been replaced in this gun and your actions have the posibility of preventing such a incident again.

In hindsight this indervidual bought more than one (five to ten I would guess) and paid a gunsmith to modify them back to operational condition. he does a lot of rebuilding of Springfields and Garands for money this way. I know the old gunsmith he used and he simply missed the hole drilled into the chamber..partially because of the wood..partially because he is old, who knows. My brother is a lawyer. I will not sue him because I bought a curio from him that happened to malfunction. I am going to sue him because he sold a professionally Dmilled weapon representing it as a functional one. I will name him and the gunsmith in the suit . I will keep the boards posted on my journey however long or abruptly short. I will also promise to buy a real Enfield and post an M-Peg if possible of me firing it..All may cheer when I hopfully don't blow my other thumb off.

Old Joe

[Surpmil]

Rather than open the door to a monotonously repeated string of falsehoods and opportunistic over-regulation as followed a similar accident in the UK, a quasi-military one dealt with elsewhere on this site, may I suggest a nice out of court settlement and we all forget all about it?

The "enemy" has enough ammunition already. I'd suggest we consider the larger scheme of things and what is to our real benefit.

That being said, I'm very sorry to hear about your injury.

As I read somewhere recently, "there is no such thing as a foolproof rifle and fools should leave them alone." (and I mean the "gunsmith" and the "dealer" who should have known better)

[jmoore]

I'm afraid I've nothing kind to say about any of the other participants involved in this debacle, (excepting Century Arms- they are in no way accountable), but I must commend Old Joe in coming forward and sharing this experience in such detail. Perhaps he'll prevent another tragedy from occurring.


BTW, Old Joe, were you shooting the rifle from the standing position? I'm trying to cipher out how your thumb was positioned just so when operating the former ex-weapon.

[Calif-Steve]

AGAIN, you need a lawyer. That will stop this gun dealer AND his clueless "gunsmith". Get a lawyer!

[jmoore]

I'm not so sure "lawyering up" would be best if Old Joe really does value his relationship w/ the gunshop owner. If the shop owner inspected the item personally it's "very bad", but maybe he did not...

As for the "gunsmith" and consignor, they should be banned from any further business w/ this establishment at a bare miimum. Figure out a way to have the "gunsmith's" license revoked. His name should be known if he is allowed to stay in business, so that others know to avoid him.

Horrors! Evilness.

I have a feeling that even if the shop owner is not initially involved w/ a suit, he'll still be drug into the ensuing fray. There

[Peter Laidler]

Look, and sorry to say this Joe, but Joe doesn't need a lawyer, he needs to take a good look at himself. What he did was buy a car that didn't have any brakes. He took it out onto the motorway and crashed it. Whoever buys a car without brakes and takes it on the road. Those whacking great holes were there when he bought it. Can you imagine going into court, taking someone on for a megga injury claim and telling the jodge that you looked down the bore and didn't see them and you didn't see the holes, albeit half covered by the fore-end.................. come off it - you'd be laughed all the way out of court with massive costs against you!

Now if Joe was a 17 year old with his first rifle, things might be different

[Alan de Enfield]

Look, and sorry to say this Joe, but Joe doesn't need a lawyer, he needs to take a good look at himself. What he did was buy a car that didn't have any brakes. He took it out onto the motorway and crashed it. Whoever buys a car without brakes and takes it on the road. Those whacking great holes were there when he bought it. Can you imagine going into court, taking someone on for a megga injury claim and telling the jodge that you looked down the bore and didn't see them and you didn't see the holes, albeit half covered by the fore-end.................. come off it - you'd be laughed all the way out of court with massive costs against you!

Now if Joe was a 17 year old with his first rifle, things might be different

Afraid I have to disagree - Joe bought the car (rifle) from a dealer, a mechanic (gunsmith) had serviced it (made it 'live') and it was sold as a 'runner' (shooter) It appears that this was Joe's first car (Enfield) and he didnt know what to look for.
On another forum a thread was running about a guy who had bought an Enfield then decided it was drilled thu' the action and so DP - it turned out that he was actually looking at the gas vent - everyone starts out knowing nothing.

Maybe Joe can expand on his firearms (and Enfields in particular) experience/knowledge

Still reckon it was 'not fit for purpose'.

[Cruisey]

I don't think anyone with any knowledge of firearms could mistake holes that size for a gas vent.

I'm sorry you got hurt Old Joe, but how did you not see that ?