Quote Originally Posted by Bruce_in_Oz View Post
The other thing is that all of the gizmo effects on the barrel work on a vertical plane.

The inner band and its spring pull the barre straight down.


The spring and plunger ticked away above the rear of teh nosecap push the barrel UP.

The barrel aperture in the nosecao pushes the barrel DOWN slightly..

and all of this was designed to tune the barrel (and fore-end) to the issue ammo.

If the barrel is clear of the fore-end, pretty much everywhere but at the Knox form, and the fore-end id STRAIGHT, especially where the nose-cap fits, it should all work as advertised, with Mk Vll balll.......First problem, right there.

The "flitch", (the raw, long-term seasoned chunk of wood used to make the fore-end), is SUPPOSED to be "quarter-sawn" from the log of walnut, beech, coachwood, etc. If the flitch is not so derived and appropriately "cured" before machining, all bets are off. This is the provenance problem I see with aftermarket furniture.

Even the REAL stuff can have problems as it comes out of its wrapper after seventy years.

I have a couple of "new" No4 for4e-ends that are not quite as "true" as one would expect. No idea about how they were stored during the decades before I got them Bear in mind that NOBODY expected all these rifles would be getting resuscitated by hobbyists this far down the track. One solution is decidedly non-purist. Rout out the fore-end to a relatively thin shell (except where those critical plungers and springs), fit and then laminate in resin and carbon-fibre mat. I've seen this done on conventional sporters to good effect. As per that tree in a forest: If a SMLE fore-end has fibre reinforcement and you can't see it, is it really there?

If you are entertaining such thoughts about the family heirloom Mk 1, think carefully!
I appreciate the response oz,

My wood is original, unissued Lithgowicon wood, given to me by an Enfield enthusiast.

One thing in your post concerns me, you say the barrel should only touch the wood at the Knox form? I read on multiple posts in this and other forums the barrel must bear on the wood from a little behind the inner band and for the rest of the channel infront of the inner band. As the barrel had no down pressure applied this is why I went through the effort of fabricating a washer for the spring in this rifle, as of now the barrel contacts the bottom of the channel as described above.
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