My 1941 Lithgow and some questions.

[Arnie]

Son, Thanks for your rely.

I don't use the sling. Lately I've been shooting off of three sandbags. I'm going to take your and Peter's advise about warming it up first with 5 shots and I'm then going to hold consistently on the same spot no matter what. I've got some rounds made up using RE 15 and the Sierra 180 SP which has a flat base and I'm going to make up some more using lighter loads of IMR 4895, 38 and 39 grains in new Prvi brass, same bullet. I'm also going to take Thunderbox's advise about adjusting the lower band screw tension to see if this makes any difference. What about the screw under the nosecap? That one seems to be spring loaded too.

Was a rifle test fired as part of an FTR?

I'm sure there is some simple answer to this problem. As you point out about your rifle, these guns have a reputation for quality and accuracy. I noticed an old posting from Smellie who also indicated he had a Lithgow that shot groups which were 1 inch horizontal wide and 14 inches high vertically! He took the gun apart and found the stock was cracked. He repaired the crack and bedded the rifle and it then shot under 1 inch. Unfortunately I'm not capable of that sort of thing!

[Frederick303]

Arnie,

If you live in eastern PA, and are close to Doylestown (Bucks county), there is a chap at Bucks Country Fish and Game club right outside of Doylestown who is fairly good at figuring out bedding problems with both the No 4 and No 1 rifles. He has a bunch of match rifles in both calibers, a barn full of parts and has corrected the bedding issues on more than a few of these rifles for folks there. He is also a member of the Forks of the Delaware and can be found at most of their shows wandering around looking for Enfield bits.

If you want his help, show up to one of there CMP matches @ Bucks (there is one this Saturday @ 9) and go see the rangemaster. He will likely be the only shooter on the line with some sort of match tuned No 4 If you want, send me a PM and I will send you his email. Best thing is to catch him at the shoots, he is much more likely to help out a shooter who is serious then he is to help out someone who just want free help. If you catch him at the match he sometimes has his tool box with him and can correct most minor problems on the line after the match, as least if it is a simple mater of getting the fits correct according to MOD procedures.

[Mk VII]

I'd take a guess that it's binding on the nosecap hole and that filing the hole larger at this point will fix it.

[Arnie]

Frederick, PM sent.

---------- Post added at 04:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:52 PM ----------

Hi, Mk VII,

You could be right because, as you can see from the picture, that nosecap is really tight at the muzzle. There is no extra space at all. At the moment I can't get the nosecap off because I'm afraid of destroying that horizontal screw you see in the picture. What type of file would I use and how much metal should be taken off?

[muffett.2008]

What type of file would I use and how much metal should be taken off?[/QUOTE]

None, once you get the firearm disassembled, check this forums archives for correct bedding procedures.
Once setup properly there will be no need to damage any component.

[Son]

Arnie, the nosecap is the same as 6 million others, as is the barrel. Can you take the top handguard off and see if the barrel is sitting down on the foreend chanell or held up by the barrel centreing stud and spring inside the nosecap. To do this, remove the outer band that clamps the handguard onto the foreend. Then gently lift the handguard clear at the back and wiggle it a little as you pull it back. Take care not to grip the two thin bits that go either side of the rear sight, they are fragile. The front metal cap should pull out from under the nosecap.

Next, looking at the muzzle, push down hard on the barrel just behind the front sight and see if you can get it to come away from the top of the nosecap hole. If it can be moved down, then a possible fix for your bedding would be to put a little gasket paper in the handguardl about an inch long from the very front of the handguard. Be carefull to only use thick enough layers to push the barrel away from the nosecap when the handguard is fitted.

Warm up as before and try a group...

[tbonesmith]

How bad are we talking? Does it shoot like 5 inch groups or like 15 inch? There are so many things that could cause terrible accuracy in a No1 and it's pretty tough to diagnose when you havn't got it out of the wood. Looks to me like that nose cap screw you're talking about is staked in place, so it's probably an original factory or armourer setup. I'd go with Frederick303 and send it off to someone who's done some before rather than going down the "file" path. My bet is it's something major and simple.

[Arnie]

Thank everyone for your replies. Well I just got back from the range. Shot a pile of handloads off of three sandbags at 100 yards. Actually, despite my previous moaning and groaning it really didn't do badly. I shot 5 shot groups trying to hold at 6 o'clock on the 6 1/2 inch diameter black of an SR-1 target. Anyway the elevation was fine, the groups even with the black. The rifle shot distinctly to the right, the groups centering about 4 to 5 inches right of center. The two best groups were about 5 to 6 inches measuring the distance between the farthest holes. I tried to post pictures.

Anyway, I'm certainly not going to take a file to anything. Its also pretty clear I don't have the knowledge or expertise to accurize this rifle myself. I'll either try to contact the fellow mentioned in Frederick303's post or just leave it alone.

Son, I will remove the handguards tomorrow as you suggest and see if I can move the barrel. Will let you know.

Thanks again everyone.

[tbonesmith]

If you pulled that one at 2 oclock on the second group, that rifle is fine. Drift the foresight over a tad and they're all 9's and 10's.

[Arnie]

Those were the two best groups but several others were close and all were distinctly right like that. Is there a trick to drifting the front sight?