Enfield furniture and humid climate?

[32ndgeorgia]

I live in SE Georgia US and it is very humid here. I was wondering how Enfield furniture holds up for extended periods in hot wet conditions. Our brothers in Australia spent some time in Burma, NG and other horrid climes. What happened to the furniture? After extended field use, did the wood warp or have to be replaced? Did the accuracy deteriorate because of the weather?

What was done to mitigate damage?

Thanks in advance for any information.

Lewis
Savannah, GA

Information

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[Ridolpho]

Not to answer 32ndgeorgia's question but to add to it, what about very dry climates (like here in Alberta) or, probably worst of all, taking wood from a very humid environment to a very dry environment? I have several Ishapore and Indian owned rifles stocked in a variety of woods that appear to have suffered no damage from either being in the tropics or making the later move to the "dust bowl". But I would like to know if any special precautions should be taken to protect my stocks.

Ridolpho

[jrhead75]

I'd think that an annual RLO rubdown would keep dryness away. There are also quite a few gun safe dehumidifying solutions out there, from absorbents to heating elements. I live in a pretty damp area (PNW), and have more trouble staying on top of mold/mildew than anything else. I've found a mold killer that comes in a pump spray bottle that works very well. I've been doing some experimentation with it on old leather and wood, and so far it's been great. I'd be happy to share the name of the stuff if I could only find out what the CO (OC) has done with it.

[Thunderbox]

Enfields were stocked up in either fully-seasoned wood or kiln-dried wood, so they appear to be extremely resistant to variations in temperature and humidity. Rifles returned from India, South Africa, the Middle East do not show any perceivable trend in warped or environmentally-damaged woodwork - and many of these rifles have been back and forth to hot/wet climates for over 100 years now....

[Patrick Chadwick]

Do not forget than an external rubdown alone is not sufficient. If you want to keep the wood in balance, it is necessary to remover the woodwork from the barreled system and apply linseed oil inside and outside. You can check for signs of rusting at the same time.

[Peter Laidler]

linseed oil is all we used in Malaya. And it had a tendency to get both hot and damp there, in equal measure except at night when it was more damp than hot. This was especially so in the monsoon season which extended from the beginning of August until the end of the following June!

Just linseed oil on the wood and pack the metalwork under the wood with XG279 grease or the US Military equivalent and it'll see you through

[jmoore]

I live in a pretty damp area (PNW), and have more trouble staying on top of mold/mildew than anything else. I've found a mold killer that comes in a pump spray bottle that works very well. I've been doing some experimentation with it on old leather and wood, and so far it's been great. I'd be happy to share the name of the stuff if I could only find out what the CO (OC) has done with it.

I would like to know more about your experiments and the name of the product if it works out for you. I have several rifles that just insist on fuzzing out, mostly Indian 2A1s. Other nearby rifles have no dramas, but I 'd hate to see it spread!

[jrhead75]

I would like to know more about your experiments and the name of the product if it works out for you. I have several rifles that just insist on fuzzing out, mostly Indian 2A1s. Other nearby rifles have no dramas, but I 'd hate to see it spread!

Pretty basic experimentation actually, I let an old holster, and my FR-8 (a mold magnet from the beginning) get a nice coating of the stuff, cleaned it off with the mold killer, then put them back in the closet that seems to have the biggest problem. The rifle's still clean about a year later, and the holster just has a small spot where the mold grew back.

Not nearly a big or wide enough sample size to publish , and I haven't tried it on any other finishes yet, but I do like it's mold preventative properties so far. It also doesn't seem too disruptive of finishes. As soon as the wife and I can come to some agreement over who used it last, I'll find it, dig it out, and post the name.

[muffett.2008]

Maybe this would be of interest, this is the method adopted by SAF Lithgow.Attachment 36371Attachment 36372Attachment 36373