A disaster under the wood?

[Thelionheart777]

Well thank you everyone for the advice! I got it as a present to myself for getting into law school last year. Pretty bummed that it's as messed up as it is. Shame that my all matching rifle looks so beautiful on the outside but a mess on the inside. I also noticed when I took the main screw out the forestock can be see-sawed up and down, such that the stock will touch the barrel when pushed that way, but won't get a good angle on the butt socket, and then I can push it the other way (how it is with the main screw screwed in) and it will be correct on the receiver but not on the barrel. Shame that I'll have to get rid of the stock and lose the matching numbers on the rifle.

To give a better look at the stock here it is looking at it from the magwell. Certainly doesn't look like it has a lot of contact with the stock. I do still have 400 rounds of men 303. I didn't have any problems while shooting the first 100 rounds, would it be safe in the meantime to shoot it a little bit?



I'm leaning towards getting a new forestock for it, but since I don't have a job right now I'll see what my tax return will be and use that.When getting a new forestock is there really any way to correctly color match it, or do I just cross my fingers and pray that it looks alright? It is a no.4 mk 1 Fazakerley manufactured februray of 1949, if I find one, such as Brian suggested, from that date it is likely that the wood source will be very similar?

Thanks again for everyone's help!

Information

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[englishman_ca]

I enjoy restoring older Enfields, mainly undoing what Bubba gone done!

If I find a stock that has been glass bedded to 'improve' things, I dont even bother, it gets shoved into the scrap walnut bucket.

I am sure that the current stock is salvageable given enough effort by somebody who knows what they are doing.
Stocking up a Lee Enfield takes a bit of practice to get it right. I encourage you to try, but it is not a project for the novice.

It is sad that the numbers matching wood will be lost from the assembly. But if this rifle went across an armourer's bench, he would be changing out the stock, no question. This rifle is worth repairing, so do it once, do it right the first time with replacement parts.

If you shoot it as is, the accuracy might be poor. The stock might start to split and break up under recoil.
How well does it shoot right now?

[Thelionheart777]

Wow, again, thanks so much for the response!

To Englishman_ca

I have only really shot the rifle once with a friend at a range, and it was actually the first time I have ever shot a rifle. In the process I finally accepted the fact that my right eye was not good vision wise. I could barely make my targets out at 75ish yards (100 yards was even too far!) I went to the eye doctor and got some glasses so that I can shoot. My group of about 25ish rounds all seemed to fit in the 12" target though. I would like to take the rifle out again soon though, maybe during my break as right now I have a brief and job interviews to do. Very stressful! I hope to come back in a few weeks and report back!

to Mr. Clark
I am certainly willing to at least attempt to fix it, however I'll see if I can find good resources that I can understand. If I don't think I can do it I'll be buying a new stock.

To Cinders
Wow, that looks like a nice repair job! It certainly seems like you get what you pay for! A masterful job!

to Bindi2
That certainly makes it sound easy, but I'm worried that I would mess it up way more than it currently is. Do you know of any tutorials or articles on that method?

To browningautorifle
If I do get a new stock, do you know how they hand stamped the stock?

to Daan Kemp
Thanks for the info! Mine was in the very last runs of mk1s before they transitioned over to mk2s. The trigger is hung from the guard and it does have mk1 on the side of the receiver.

to Brian Dick
Thank you for the information again! I may be contacting you soon to ask about stock prices!

Again, thank you everyone for the advice!

[browningautorifle]

If I do get a new stock, do you know how they hand stamped the stock?

A hand stamp set...just don't get over zealous or smack too hard. Test on another piece until you have it right.

[pisco]

you have nothing to loose with the forend if you repair it right it will only be you that knows and the numbers will stay

[mrclark303]

I would concur with the crowd, send it to Brian to fit a NOS replacement.

It can be coloured to match your rifle and Brian will fit it correctly!

It's not worth the effort, unless you have the skills and time on your hands to repair it.

[CINDERS]

This may be another option as I had a Master stockmaker do to my T long story short got it from a mate who did not miss me on price took it to the range and it had about a 15MOA group at 100M.
Tha action rocked like yours at the front the whole shebang was like a sea sick boat, pulled the furniture off and the draws were mushed beyond belief non salvageable.

What to do!!! If it was one of my other No.4's no issue new bottom wood but this is a T and it was imperative to keep the lower furniture, Ken came up with this fix using aircraft grade aluminium which he had done for another clients 303 and used aircraft grade epoxy screwed the block in, epoxy glued and precisely machined the block in situ to the required dimensions then re-bedded the front end to mil specs Lbs uplift you cannot tell from the outside and the rifle is seldom out of the safe only for RLO & light oiling. It groups really well now and probably had 60 rounds through it in 6 years since the rebuild.
Ken Davis has 40 years as a stock maker I did post a while ago on a stock he made from scatch out of I think pear wood for his might be a Lee speed or LE MKI not sure but it is a beautiful looking effort even to getting the screw slottted heads to line up horizontaly on the rear peep when tightened.

[mrclark303]

This may be another option as I has a Master stockmaker do to my T long story short got it from a mate who did not miss me on price took it to the range and it had about a 15MOA group at 100M.
Tha action rocked like yours at the front the whole shebang was like a sea sick boat, pulled the furniture off and the draws were mushed beyond belief non salvageable.

What to do!!! If it was one of my other No.4's no issue new bottom wood but this is a T and it was imperative to keep the lower furniture, Ken came up with this fix using aircraft grade aluminium which he had done for another clients 303 and used aircraft grade epoxy screwed the block in, epoxy glued and precisely machined the block in situ to the required dimensions then re-bedded the front end to mil specs Lbs uplift you cannot tell from the outside and the rifle is seldom out of the safe only for RLO & light oiling. It groups really well now and probably had 60 rounds through it in 6 years since the rebuild.
Ken Davis has 40 years as a stock maker I did post a while ago on a stock he made from scatch out of I think pear wood for his might be a Lee speed or LE MKI not sure but it is a beautiful looking effort even to getting the screw slottted heads to line up horizontaly on the rear peep when tightened.

That's a real engineering approach Ron!
The sort of thing my father would have done.

Looks very strong indeed, bloody good job.

[Bindi2]

Because you have the original furniture I would put epoxy in lots of it mixed with saw dust then use a dremel to reshape

[mrclark303]

I would agree that there are solutions to repairing it.

But, as it's a Beech stocked Faz 49 dated rifle and most of the available NOS replacement woodwork is also Faz, Beech and 49 dated (at least here in the UK), I would replace the offending item.

It's what would have been done in service after all and who's to say this isn't a replacement that's already on there.

I've seen more than one No4 over the years that someone had replaced the forend on, couldn't master the bedding (or thought accuracy led in that direction) and fiberglassed the lot in dispare!

I helped a friend carefully cut such an offender off his new rifle a while back in my workshop, when all attempts to remove it in the traditional fashion failed!