How far should I disassemble my Enfield before taking it to the range the 1st time?

[ptf18]

Recently purchased a "Irish Contract" Enfield that has been a shooter. Im wondering how far I should disassemble it to throughly clean it and give it a once over before I take it to the range the 1st time. I've heard/read stories about having accuracy issues because stocks were removed from the rifles.

Thoughts?

Information

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[Parashooter]

Unless you have reason to believe there's rust, congealed crap, or mechanical damage hidden by the wood, there's little need for more than removing the bolt, swabbing the bore, unscrewing the bolt head, flushing out any crud inside the bolt, and finally making sure all screws are snug. More damage is done by unnecessary amateur disassembly than any other activity. "Not broke? Don't fix!"

[Maxwell Smart]

What parashooter said...

Possibly also make sure that the peep hole in the rear sight is clear of muck, and the foresight blade has all the fluff wiped off it.

[Peter Laidler]

Exactly what Parashooter said. Tinkerers are the bane of ALL Armourers. If it ain't broke then DON'T FIX IT

[David TS]

When I bought my '54 Fazakerley Irish contract No 4 last year I decided to do some extensive work on it before I shot it......

I took the bolt out and peered down the bore to make sure squirrels hadn't built a nest in it - the bore was nice and shiny, so I went to the range and shot it. It shot nicely, and I'm still alive

[Ridolpho]

Personally, I strip every old rifle I purchase before shooting. I think you owe it to yourself to inspect every inch of a 100 year old gun prior to using it. In addition to finding problems that might hurt you, you may find issues that might cause damage to the gun without rectification (like a split forend?). To properly care for these guns you're going to have to learn how to properly disassemble them so you might as well get started. As far as being a "tinkerer", we're collectors not army conscripts.

Ridolpho

[Peter Laidler]

Guess what Ridolpho........ If I had to choose between collectors and trained Army recruits.........................

Steel helmet on and awaiting incoming mortars.........

[Capt Mil Coll]

I personally do a complete dissasembly of all my military rifles before fireing them. On an Enfield I wouldnt take that stock off if I didnt have to. And I rarely take front sights off. And I would'nt take a barrel off ever unles I absolutely had to. There is common sense after all. As for the "I can do it but your too stupid to do it" people mouthing off, all I can say is its a firearm not a rocket. I can tear down and fix a PC with no problem. I can tear down and fix a car with no problem. Why the hell cant I tear down and fix a rifle? Give me a break.

And why do I do this? Because in my experence I have come across ejector springs so crudded up with decades old dried up cosmoline that the springs wouldnt even work.
I have had rifles with rusted parts in them that I felt would be dangerous to shoot in that comdition. I have seen parts fly off rifles because someone somewhere did not reattach them correctly.

I see no reason to not dissassemble a rifle to make sure it is clean and safe to shoot.

[Ridolpho]

Yes Mr. Laidler, but the army boys rifles were maintained by professionals like yourself not handed to them by a stranger at the Possum Hollow gun show. How much would an infantryman have been allowed to do in maintanence of his rifle? Most of us have little access to experts and have to rely on our own judgement. As the owner of a wheat farming operation I've found that when it comes to potentially dangerous machinery the guys with 10 fingers and 2 eyes generally know their equipment really well. Respectfully,

Ridolpho (10 fingers and 2 eyes).

[NRA]

I agree I would rather be safe than sorry, I inspect all my surplus before I fire them. If you are unsure there are many good videos (and some bad) on Youtube to take down any rifle out there.