L42 Style Build

[tbonesmith]

Hi Guys,

I am having some issues with bedding the rifle. With the wood being a bit warped I couldn't get the barrel to sit in the centre of the barrel channel. Because the barrel is so fat, there isn't any wiggle room. I gave it a good run, but without glass bedding this forend is a bin-job. But we have the technology!

I have very good bearing on the draw and wrist but I needed to elevate the front of the action a bit and centre the barrel in the channel, so I taped the barrel at the front of the forend so is sat where I want it to, and bedded the front of the action and the knox, I put the trigger guard and screws in mainly to ensure alignment.

One thing to keep in mind if doing this is to "ENSURE THAT THERE ARE RELEASE ANGLES WHERE YOU APPLY YOUR BEDDING COMPOUND". Where I have been concerned about the lack of release angles I have created them with plasticine. With regard to release agent forget hair spray or WD40 or any other rubbish, just buy some "Mould Release Wax". The tin on the table cost about $25, 10 years ago and has released hundreds or articles from various moulds and will do me for another decade I expect. It is easy to use, economical, and thoroughly reliable.

The bedding material I prefer is a shop mix of epoxy resin and powdered aluminium, and the viscosity you are after is so that is will sag but not drip off an inverted scraper/stick. It should look wet, if it looks chalky or dry you have added too much powder.

Anyway I prefer to avoid this method on these types of rifles, but it works great and as I said this forend was stuffed for other methods, and could yet prove a failure...

[CINDERS]

TBone that is looking spectacular we in the forum and I will speak for others it looks bloody fantastic honestly bloke a real good job and I do not think I will be alone in saying this to you.....

[Peter Laidler]

Just a minute TBone.................... If you need to raise the muzzle at the front/lighten the muzzle bearing load, then you should lower the body slightly at the rear of the fore-end. The body longitudinally rotates around the front trigger guard screw in effect when fitting fore-ends. Additionally, the accumulative error ratio achieves the aim.
A similar method of bedding was permitted at the end of the old L42's life in order to utilise existing stocks of old fore-ends (and some were worse than dire, believe me!). The method was to set the epoxy on the fore-end, place cling-film between it and the rifle, then seat and allow to set. Remove rifle and clingfilm if you can(?) and that was it!

[tbonesmith]

If you need to raise the muzzle at the front/lighten the muzzle bearing load, then you should lower the body slightly at the rear of the fore-end

In this case it's all a bit twisted and I understand what your saying but I'm out of room all round with some twist and warp, I can't go lower at the rear.

[tbonesmith]

Hi Guys,

I got it together this morning, gave it a quick run in, then shot the attached 5 shot group using 6 0'clock hold at 50m (it looks like 4 holes at 5.30), made some scope adjustments and shot it at 100m for the service shoot, it did well.

I will stick with this wood set, and just refinish it as best I can. I would like to use better timber, but I suppose this is 2014 and I have to use what I've got. None the less I think it will look fully respectable and be extremely accurate and reliable.

One other thing to iron out it that while it feeds and extracts reliably, it's a bit stiff on feeeding, so I will chamfer and polish the mouth of the chamber a bit.

Next week is a good test, 400m scoped "sniper" shoot.

[CINDERS]

Not bad looking rig love the stripe patination on the butt has been a good thread gets better each time well done Tbone

[tbonesmith]

Hi Guys,

This morning I pulled the barrel out again and adjusted the mouth of the chamber a bit, radiusing it a bit and polishing it. I got it back in, and feeding is pretty smooth and happy.

Shot the rifle at 400m today, it was single snap on a figure 12 with a 6"bull. I got 19 out of 20 hits, no bulls, but the groups were pretty tight, up and right of the bull. So no big issues, plenty of elevation left on the scope too. With regard to collimation I was wondering how it would pan out, and today we had about 5 points of wind, and I had 7 or thereabouts on the scope so I was out by 2-3 MOA which I'm pretty happy with really.

I am not 100% happy with the forend as the barrel is not perfectly centred (about 1.5mm off), it is however free floating and the rifle performs very well, so I'm just going to leave it as is. I can't justify the time and scrapping something that is perfectly functional. So I'll pretty up the timber and get some pics up this week.

[CINDERS]

What was the 20th Tbone a trigger shot ?

[tbonesmith]

What was the 20th Tbone a trigger shot ?

[BrianLara400*]

Hi All, first time poster - long, long time reader

T-Bone have enjoyed following your project for a while now, and am impressed with how it has come together so far. You've got me quite keen to build an L42ish rifle of my own.

Wondering about the barrel you've used:
-How near to the original L42 specification is the profile? What contour#?
-Is it a local blank (AUS)? Tobler, Tse, Maddco etc,?

Unsurprisingly the RSAF enfield 7.62 mag (L8, L42) is proving very difficult to track down, Does anyone have any leads on one of these?

Thanks