Enfield MK III* Possible Re-Arsenal to India?

[Flying10uk]

The aluminum block is neat but the same thing can be done with wood which is probably easier for the inept hobbyist like me.

The thing about the aluminium repair is that it will be very strong and not likely to break again.

[neoisprettycool]

I don't have the capabilities to do any of that myself. I live in an apartment and can't even machine wood let alone aluminum. I certainly would if I could. I will likely use a wood epoxy and sand the original pieces and the stock and hopefully it will hold up. Moving on, is there are anything anyone can make from those markings? There are quite a few there.

[RobD]

Neo
Here's my 5c worth of advice, before "moving on".
In my humble opinion, you'll not be able to shoot it until it's undergone a decent repair; anything glued together will just crumble under the recoil. OK, it'll still go bang, but it won't have much accuracy. What Ridolpho shows in post no. 20 is a perfect result. Now, obviously not everyone has a nice work bench and tools to do this, and if you don't, my advice would be to seek out someone who does and ask them for help. They should be able to follow the same method Ridolpho used, which is shown in great detail here
https://www.milsurps.com/content.php...ter-Laidler%29
Hope that is useful advice.
Rob

[Ridolpho]

RobD: great comments but just to clarify things for Neo's benefit, Cinders and my own rifle required complete replacement of the entire draws area as opposed to the patching of draws where the basic structure is still sound. The draws patch, as explained so well by Capt. Laidler, is, of course, something that we see in a lot of our old rifles- often beautifully executed by a skilled and experienced armourer. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but I suspect forends in the condition of Neo's (and mine and Cinders) would likely have been tossed in the bin as unrepairable? When presented with my first demolished forend I studied up on all the available material on the Forum which included a couple of examples of complete replacement of the entire draws area with a large "patch". Unfortunately I can't seem to find those to provide a link. If you want to attempt this repair as a winter project, anticipate a lengthy trial and error process, but at the end of it you'll have a pretty good idea how a Lee Enfield forend works. A band saw is nice to cut out the raw patch but after that the main tools are chisels and files and you can do a lot on the kitchen table.

Ridolpho

[Flying10uk]

I hope to go into firearm design/manufacturing.

I would have thought that this would be an excellent project for you to begin with, provided that you go about it the right way, as well as keep a photographic record. It would be something worthwhile to show a potential employer at a job interview.

You may need outside help and assistance with some of it but we all need help at times with one thing or another.

[Steve H. in N.Y.]

Neo,
From your pics it looks like one of this rifle's overhauls was at Enfield where it got a new barrel in 1930 (or 36?). Is there a wood screw through the forend in front of the receiver area? (see Ridolpho's picture in post #20). This is a typical feature of Indian rifles built or repaired after WWII. Also, you don't need a complete shop to do gunsmithing. When I lived in an apartment I did all kinds of work on the kitchen table.

[Flying10uk]

Is there a wood screw through the forend in front of the receiver area?

O.P.'s picture that was previously reposted on this thread by myself that shows the screw to which I assume you refer.

[Ridolpho]

O.P.'s picture that was previously reposted on this thread by myself that shows the screw to which I assume you refer.

He's referring to an "Ishapore Screw" (large flat head wood screw) placed an inch or so in front of the receiver ring. I think I see one on one of the photos. The only ishapore parts (in addition to the buttstock and, possibly, forend) I see after a scan of the photos is the bolt-head.

Ridolpho