QUESTION REGARDING MR. LAIDLERS BOOK .303 No4 (T) SNIPER RIFLE AND THE H&H CONNECTION

[bros]

Trying still to clarify this!!!
So the pads were installed to the receiver via solder and screws...then they were finish machined and so to say "trued up to the bore". Next the bracket was fixed to the rifle. Obviously at this point the mating surfaces on the bracket must have been finish machined to be accepted to the finished pads on the rifle. The complete barreled action must have then been securely held in a jig and the bracket must have been line-bored....that is the only way I see how the bracket/scope could be trued perfectly to the bore and that's why each bracket was so specific to each rifle!!! I feel that my question has not really been answered. I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers here because I have a lot of respect for the people of this forum they are a lot more knowledge than me but I do have a machining background that goes back more than a few years. Please tell me if I am wrong and if I am, why. The manufacturing process I find is most interesting as well...just trying to get a better understanding.
Cheers!!

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[jmoore]

Trying still to clarify this!!!
So the pads were installed to the receiver via solder and screws...then they were finish machined and so to say "trued up to the bore". Next the bracket was fixed to the rifle. Obviously at this point the mating surfaces on the bracket must have been finish machined to be accepted to the finished pads on the rifle. The complete barreled action must have then been securely held in a jig and the bracket must have been line-bored....that is the only way I see how the bracket/scope could be trued perfectly to the bore and that's why each bracket was so specific to each rifle!!! I feel that my question has not really been answered. I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers here because I have a lot of respect for the people of this forum they are a lot more knowledge than me but I do have a machining background that goes back more than a few years. Please tell me if I am wrong and if I am, why. The manufacturing process I find is most interesting as well...just trying to get a better understanding.
Cheers!!

From my limited experience, whilst it appears that you have most of the steps down correctly, final fitting the bracket did not include the "on rifle" line boring operation. Rather, it appears to me that most of the fitting at H&H was done by scraping in the rear pad surfaces. Probably by noting the misalignment and then working down the appropriate surface(s). Likely a small shell cutter for the front spigot flat, easily made for hand use, but I don't think it needed as much tweaking as the rear. Hand scraping is largely a lost skill, but capable of very precise metal removal in tiny quantities.


I've made up quite a few scrapers out of old files (usually starting by removing the teeth via surface grinder, then shaping to suit) over the years. And have done the repair to a few L42a1s and No.4Mk.I(T)s. Patience, a light touch and a good metal dye are key! That and a way to collimate the works on the bench.


Would guess that folk used to fitting fine doubles would have found the task quite elementary.