Help! Misaligned Pads on No 4.

[Seaspriter]

If you embark on another conversion I'd use a set of pads that Fultons make - they're superb.

When Brian Dick restored my Long Branch Sniper (which was missing the front pad), I had already sent him one which I had purchased from Sarco (probably the same supplier as Numrich). Brian's response was to reject it, and went back to the UK for one that was 100% MoD quality. Evidently the US supplied pads (which are probably sourced from Wayne in Taiwan, but not sure) do not have close enough tolerances.

[Brian Dick]

The pad as supplied from Sarco was crudely made, Lord only knows where. It wouldn't even come close to fitting the original body and the screw holes didn't line up. Cholly Steen should be ashamed to flog such crap but I have a feeling he isn't!!

[30Three]

One thing I don't quite get is why this was done to such a beautiful rifle. Was it a case of getting very bad advice?
To me it would seem more practical to fit a "no drill" scope mount if eyesight requirements mean you need a scope.
If I wanted a T replica, I would start by sourcing a T scope and all the right bits before drilling anything; and it would on a No4Mk1.
I really hope you can get this sorted properly so it remains safe and beautiful.

[Peter Laidler]

Hopefully, with the advice he's got from this site he'll make something from what he's got. But he ain't come back to tell us! I've said iyt once and I'l;l keep repeating myself until I'm blue in the face......... That's the difference between real Armourers that understand the in-depth mechanics and mechanicals of the stuff, the gunsmiths, who are jacks of all trades and masters of...... lets leave that there. And the enthusiastic amateurs.

[Seaspriter]

One thing I don't quite get is why this was done to such a beautiful rifle. Was it a case of getting very bad advice?

Good Question. To me there are two pathways down which this problem manifests:

1. Bubba: This man is a fool, arrogant, and will blunder into anything, massacring everything to which they lay the butcher's touch -- Ouch!! these folks are detestable baboons.

2. Bignorant: This man is generally well intended and skillful in many things, but has a Big-Ignorant portion of their brain that makes assumptions based on experience in another or similar field. They just don't know what they don't know, but they really do care (this describes me when it comes to many of the nuances and intricacies of Enfields and many other guns.) This is the gunsmith that caused the problems -- he was skilled enough to screw it up, but not inquisitive enough to either say no to the job or to find out how to do it right. Probably a very nice gentleman if you met him one-on-one, and very confident he knew what he was doing -- he just didn't go to ask the Masters. This is why I sent my Sniper to Brian Dick -- he's studied with the Masters, like Captain Laidler.

It's one thing to screw up a plain vanilla run-of the-mill battle worn Enfield (a shame, but alas stuff like this happens); it's another thing to mess up a precious Sniper that was so carefully built and preserved through the wars and over the many years afterwards.

[Hal O'Peridol]

The pictures posted of that pad "installment" sent shivers down my spine.

I restored a Savage No4MkI* years ago, one that had never been fitted with a scope. This was WAYYYYY back when the gun and knife forum was going strong, and this fine forum wasn't in existence yet.

I had a little knowledge and some luck. Found the rifle for 59 bucks at a pawn shop, cutdown foreend, no handguards, fuzzy rust in the bore, missing pads,......but it was the first Enfield sniper I had ever seen.

Managed to get all birch Savage marked wood and furniture, and got that part sorted out well. Luckily at the time, Numrich had somehow acquired some original pads, front and rear, 25 bucks the set (should have bought all they had!). Front pad had a small dent in the rear lower corner where some great clod had chiseled the pad off the body.

After looking about for a great while, I finally sourced some 4BA screws! Yay! But they were from an MG repair shop in Vancouver BC and were for an MGA carburetor, both too long and hex headed, but did have a screwdriver slot across it.

I chucked up the screws in my benchtop drill press, and proceeded to take a file to the screws while the were spinning. Through eyeballing, test fitting and such, I managed to make 3 domed head and 2 flat head screws that fit the pads, only messing up 2 other screws in the process.

I then cleaned off the area on the body where the front pad was, and also the back of the pad itself. Used a good quality brush and a propane torch to get the old solder off the back of the pad. I then fluxed and tinned the back of the pad and the action body.

I then ran the screws down evenly until the pad and body were touching, and gradually heated the area up with the propane torch. You could tell when the solder melted, the pad dropped slightly. I applied a bit more heat to avoid a cold joint, and the tightened up the screws with the solder still liquid. Let it cool. Then trimmed the screws off.

Repeated the process with the rear pad. Only difference was trimming the screws to length BEFORE soldering. not enough room back there to do it after.

Ended up with nice tight pads, and when I put on one of Dr Payne's brackets with an old Weaver K2.5 had a reasonable shooter.

My amateur job was head and shoulders above the molestation that happened to this poor rifle.

[CINDERS]

Hows about some pics Hal would be nice to see

[Hal O'Peridol]

I sold the rifle on a few years ago to fund the purchase of an L42. I'll have to look through old files to see if I have any left.