Bruce, thank you for your response.

Nose-cap: Would putting on the nose cap first create further tension in the barrel? The inner band spring & washer push the muzzle end approx 1 inch above the forend. In fact, they are so large that they make it impossible to mate the screw into the inner band.

Wood been routed: The forend appears to be quite close fitting and has no obvious marks of having been routed or gouged to make room for a heavier barrel.

Plunger and Spring: Yes the plunger and spring are present.

Despair: I will try to keep it in check in the future...my bad.

So far I have tried the spring without the washer but find it still prevents the barrel from dropping low enough to install the nose-cap. I currently have a rubber o-ring in place of the spring and washer and it will allow the barrel to drop down into its groove so that the nose-cap and front hand guard can be put in place. My theory is that the rubber o-ring may serve to provide a similar dampening effect to the "harmonic vibrations" referred to in Wadham's book on Accurizing the Enfield.