Bedding/Accurize Sporter SMLE?

[Nailcreek]

While I understand that the SMLE tends to shoot better with up pressure at the muzzle, I am curious as to what works for a sporter?

I've a sporter SMLE that I'm restocking with older Fajen wood, putting proper draws in as well as installing a new ebony on the fore-end tip. The Fajen butt stock has the comb taken down and the checkpiece carved a bit more period correct.

The rifle's had a ramp front sight installed, and the standard rear was removed when I purchased it. My plan is to install an express sight, effectively making it into a poor man's reasonable copy of a Lee Speed.

Has anyone have experience with bedding the receiver and knox form - and will that make a difference? Suggestions?

Thanks!

Information

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[Vincent]

I like the idea of a poor man's Lee Speed copy. But I know next to nothing about bedding. I did read clear epoxy mixed with saw dust or wheat bran works well. Some folks us JB Weld. I don't know about that. It might work ok, but JB Weld just screams, "Bubba!" to me.

I will give the clear epoxy and wheat bran a try after I finish my poor man's De Lisle carbine look-alike. There's no shortage of cheap sporters here.

[Nailcreek]

From Beaton Firearms in Australia - Facebook does have it's uses!

"They both like a little up pressure, but it's more important to regulate on the No.4. When they have full wood and bands you need to play around with this.

Regardless, your rifle is sporterised. Bed the rifle just around the front of the action, where the front action screw is. Don't bed the barrel initially - only do that if you can't get it to shoot. Check to make sure the recoil face in the back of the forestock contacts the action correctly and there is no movement. Make sure not to change the relationship between the floor plate and action or you will have feeding issues. Make sure the butt stock is tight and the screw square BEFORE working in the Foreend.

After this, if you can't get it to shoot, bed the first 1/2" of the Knox."

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Once you "sporterise" the fore-end, all bets are off.

I have a Lithgow converted SMLE sporter in .25-.303 that is a little ripper, (but ONLY with the ancient 87gn, Australian made "Super" brand, soft points). Fiddle with the ammo and all bets are off. Rebarreling to a different cartridge is serious fiddling.

What's more, once you shorten the fore-end, you lose all of the bearing points that are a part of the overall design for extracting the best performance from Mk7 ammo.

You also greatly reduce the overall "stability" of the action in the fore-end, or what's left of it.

Shortening the collar and increasing tension on the front triggerguard screw will only serve to destroy the woodwork.

HOWEVER, there IS a solution!!

Look to the mighty L42 family for guidance, at least in matters of bedding.

If you don't already have a copy, rush out and buy "An Armourer's Perspective: .303 No4 (T) Sniper rifle", by a certain Peter Laidler.

On page 111, there is a description of a solution to your problem of "bedding" the front of the action.

To whit:

"Under the front of the trigger guard, a portion of the wood has been milled out to inlet a "Plate, seating". This plate, to Enfield drawing CR 1473, is .104 in thick and cut from EN28 steel. And the former collar can be deleted. In turn, this allows the front trigger guard screw to be screwed up as tight as possible while spreading the load over a greater area of the fore-end to avoid crushing the wood."

As yours is a SMLE, at least the rear of the fore-end will be marginally more substantial than a No4 Mk2.

The Fore-end is NOT just retained by the pressure of the front screw alone, but by the entire triggerguard pressing upwards on the timber. Note that the triggerguard is inclined slightly upwards towards the front. This effectively means that the fore end is retained by a "wedge" that prevents the wood "drifting" forward as the action recoils.

If the bearing, front and rear, is NOT correct, consistency of shooting is a lot less likely.

If you "cheat" by merely shortening the collar, you can just about guarantee that the increased load on the fore end will quickly result in a split starting in the wood, right about where you really don't need it.

This method of bedding can also help “revive” fully stocked rifles that are getting a bit tired.

[Patrick Chadwick]

In turn, this allows the front trigger guard screw to be screwed up as tight as possible while spreading the load over a greater area of the fore-end to avoid crushing the wood.

"Avoid crushing the wood" is the key to tightening stocks in general, not just for Enfields.
The wood must be compressed to provide some springiness to keep the tension, otherwise the screws will soon shake loose, but it must remain in the elastic range, i.e. not crushed to create a permanent deformation.

This implies three considerations:
1) Regardless of how mature the wood may have been and how beautifully the rifle may have been set up many decades ago, the wood will have dried somewhat (i.e. shrunk) since and set, so that the original tension is no longer maintained. So if you want a good shooter, the fact that, like my M1917, the screws were staked 95 years ago should not be regarded as an impediment to releasing and resetting the screws for correct tension.

2) In the vast majority of cases, the rifle will be dismantled for cleaning at the very least. Feeding the stock with linseed oil will restore some elasticity to the wood, but means that, like hub nuts on an automobile, it is necessary to check and retension after "running-in".

3) Soaking the wood at any stage (i.e. more than surface wetting in the course of cleaning) is quite simply a bad move if you want to have an accurate shooter, without having to wait years for the wood to stabilize again. You can usually refurbish the most ghastly looking rifles without using water at all.

[us019255]

Disclaimer: I do not have anywhere the knowledge of the other posters.

If after you have bedded the action like the previous posters suggest, and you find that the accuracy is not to your desires and before you set up to use epoxy to put fore stock pressure, simply shim under the barrel with cardboard. This will not last but will allow you to see if fore stock pressure will help. It easily removed if it doesn't work. An added benefit is that it gives you an excuse to go to the range and shoot.