No1 mkIII stock fitting.

[Double A]

I agree, get that book. It is easy to follow and also provides useful idea's on
accuracy etc. In fact I have rebuilt 3 Lee Enfields using this book and with expert
advice and articles from Peter Laidler have got accuracy I didn't think was possible
with these old rifles until now.

[mrclark303]

When you consider the pressure in getting these rifles out of the factory and off to the troops during the war, some must have been pretty poorly bedded and inaccurate.

[CINDERS]

I think that the bedding issues would have shown up when they were calibrating the front sights as if the thing would not group it would be placed back into the appropriate system to be checked over and the issues resolved. Hopefully the weapon could not be tracked to the individual who bedded it or they may have received a right royal rocket.

[mr.e moose]

If you ever watch the short film "Wood goes to War" you will see that every stock had to pass a series of inspections in regards to inletting before being accepted. After that it went on to being assembled into a rifle by people that did it day in and day out, and their work was also inspected. Finally the rifle was shot in a Enfield rest to take all human errors out of the equation before being issued.

[browningautorifle]

I don't really think rifles were turned out that wouldn't shoot to spec. They'd be tested and set aside if there was a problem.

[Ridolpho]

On page 53 of the 1929 "Textbook of Small Arms" it states that: "All rifles are fired at 100 ft for accuracy and to test the setting of the sights.........if necessary the foresight blade is adjusted laterally..............four out of five shots must come within a rectangle 1 inch broad and 1 1/2 inches high. Failing this the rifle is rejected. Ten per-cent of the rifles are then tested at 600 yards.........". This evolved from Boer War days when, apparently, MLE's were issued without being properly zeroed.

Ridolpho

[mrclark303]

Very interesting, I wonder how many No4's were rejected during the war and returned for rework.

[Peter Laidler]

Brens - and presumably No4's and other types too - that failed were returned to a rectification or 'hospital bay'. Here, if the problem could be corrected away from the production line hustle and bustle itit was put right and sent off into the world - albeit with an 'A' number suffix. Brens were a different matter due to the high cost. The usual reason for rectification was where a body had slipped slightly during a machining operation and as such the fault didn't come to light much later but at great cost. Some Brens do carry a letter A suffix but generally because the number wasn't put on until towards the end of the whole process (for licensing/royalties reasons) the best way to identify these is on the Mk1 to Mk1A intermediates where a, say second stage intermediate ends up with a later, say, 6th stage intermediate gun series number.

[martins8589]

Here is a "Wood goes to War clip"

Wood Goes to War (clip) | Scotland on Screen

[martins8589]

And a link to a 30 min video.

Full record for 'WOOD GOES TO WAR' (1509) - Moving Image Archive catalogue