L42A1 with unusual fore end?

[RobD]

Thanks, Brian, I shall be in touch.

[RobD]

Brain Dick has a spare L42A1 fore-end which he is sending me and EFD are sending me a beech cheekpiece.
Three minor Q's:
- Am I right in thinking that the correct screws for the cheekpiece are ordinary steel countersunk wood screws, 8-gauge, the front one inch-and-a-quarter, the rear one inch-and-a-half?
- Would the cheekpiece have been stained or left in beech? The buttstock is walnut.
- Where can I get hold of the dark green 1 inch webbing to replace the transit chest handles, which have worn away?

[Simon P]

Why not cut up an old Enfield Rifle sling

[Simon P]

Trigger Guard Screw / Swivel:

Does it have the correct seating plate (16) to spread the load by the trigger guard screw or is it fitted with the collar (25)?

[RobD]

Simon, it has a seating plate. And a big thick piece of metal it is. Does that mean something? What did the Envoys, Enforcers and L39s have?

[Peter Laidler]

The PLATE, seating was a means of saving L42 fore-ends that had been previously crushed under the screw. By milling the area out and inserting the plate, it effectively spread the load imparted by the trigger guard and screw over a greater area. It was one of those ideas that was good in both practice and theory so in the interests of standardisation it was adopted across the board in all subsequent fore-ends. It follows that not all L42's will have the seating plate. But you can't have a seating plate AND collar. One or the other..........

I'm not sure that it was adopted across the board for the L39

The seating plate was not a new idea. Fultons p[atented the idea before the war as I understand it and although the other rifle specialists wanted to use the idea, they couldn't. Enfield/the Government didn't worry about such trivialities as property rights and patents and told Webley and Sterling as much. So they just copied the idea anyway. But they were concerned when the patents and property rights belonged to them and told Lithgow as much when they wished to convert their own L4 guns................. But you get my drift!

[Roger Payne]

Brain Dick has a spare L42A1 fore-end which he is sending me and EFD are sending me a beech cheekpiece.
Three minor Q's:
- Am I right in thinking that the correct screws for the cheekpiece are ordinary steel countersunk wood screws, 8-gauge, the front one inch-and-a-quarter, the rear one inch-and-a-half?
- Would the cheekpiece have been stained or left in beech? The buttstock is walnut.
- Where can I get hold of the dark green 1 inch webbing to replace the transit chest handles, which have worn away?

Yes Rob. The screws are No8's in steel, countersunk; 1.25" in front & 1.5" at rear. Most beech cheekpieces have darkened over the years with linseed, dirt & age, but there's always a colour discrepancy to some degree as you'll never get beech to look like walnut.....but that's just the way they were.
ATB.

[Simon P]

Rob

If you want to compare your rifle with other L42s:

You could come to the Field Firing Match on 19th February hosted by the Herts & Essex Shooting Association near Braintree in Essex.

There will be two L42A1s in the exhibition on the No4 series of rifles. One will be in the transit case the other will be set up with the night sight.

There will also be a number of rare trials rifles on display such as the pre-production No8, infantry & match rifles. Alongside this will be an exhibition of Section 7 pistols & revolvers.