Lee Enfield Hammered Barrel

[Peter Laidler]

There was a two-piece Mk2 No4 barrel made during the war by Accles and Pollock using the hammered method. The actual design method was 'perfected' by Reginald Shepherd from the BSA Co - formerly of RSAF Enfield and the co-inventor of the Sten Gun. The method was also used to produce two-piece Vickers barrels, 2 groove Sten barrels and, they tell me, two groove Bren barrels too. But I'll believe the Bren barrel story if I ever see one. The barrels were FAR too thick to be hammered using the archaic methods of the era in my opinion and secondly, such a barrel was never mentioned in the EMER's.

The Mk2 rifle barrel always had a dull streaky finish and the nocks (?) form was shrunk on and retained with two tapered cross pins that were visible if you looked hard. The nocks form was also marked Mkll. These barrels were declared obsolete by the late 40's and I only ever saw/identified a couple. But, I did see a stack of NEW ones in the store at Ngaruawahia and I told Robbie about them but I don't think he ever scrapped them!

According to the REME Inspectorate memo sheets that we used to get from time to time, the Mk2 barrels were mainly used in Maltby production where they were close at hand to A&P production and they were alsoallocated for spare parts. As I said, these two-piece barrels were fairly easy to recognise due to their dull streaky finish and once you'd seen that, then the two pins around the nocks form and hairline mark of the shrunk on part was a give away. I don't know if one ever failed but the problem was that the barrel could work loose

Yes, fabricated hammered barrels. Haven't seen one for absolutely ages............ But they do exist

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[Lee Enfield]

There was a two-piece Mk2 No4 barrel made during the war by Accles and Pollock using the hammered method. The actual design method was 'perfected' by Reginald Shepherd from the BSA Co - formerly of RSAF Enfield and the co-inventor of the Sten Gun. The method was also used to produce two-piece Vickers barrels, 2 groove Sten barrels and, they tell me, two groove Bren barrels too. But I'll believe the Bren barrel story if I ever see one. The barrels were FAR too thick to be hammered using the archaic methods of the era in my opinion and secondly, such a barrel was never mentioned in the EMER's.

The Mk2 rifle barrel always had a dull streaky finish and the nocks (?) form was shrunk on and retained with two tapered cross pins that were visible if you looked hard. The nocks form was also marked Mkll. These barrels were declared obsolete by the late 40's and I only ever saw/identified a couple. But, I did see a stack of NEW ones in the store at Ngaruawahia and I told Robbie about them but I don't think he ever scrapped them!

According to the REME Inspectorate memo sheets that we used to get from time to time, the Mk2 barrels were mainly used in Maltby production where they were close at hand to A&P production and they were alsoallocated for spare parts. As I said, these two-piece barrels were fairly easy to recognise due to their dull streaky finish and once you'd seen that, then the two pins around the nocks form and hairline mark of the shrunk on part was a give away. I don't know if one ever failed but the problem was that the barrel could work loose

Yes, fabricated hammered barrels. Haven't seen one for absolutely ages............ But they do exist

Is it a MkII barrel or a MkIII ?

Wouldn't a MkII be a conventionally rifled 2 groove barrel ?