L1A1 Problem

[Terrylee]

As a collector of British military rifles, some years back I acquired an L1A1 dated 1960 in extremely good condition. Sometime during its military life it appears to have been refurbished and has the later Maranyl nylon furniture.

Being somewhat of a purist with shooting the rifle as a low priority, I recently went to some trouble in sourcing original wooden furniture which I now wish to fit. However, in removing the butt I have run into a problem. Having previously owned a Belgian FAL, I thought I was familiar with the procedure and also possess a starting tool and that device for removing then reinserting the screw plug and return spring.

However, upon attempting to undo the screw plug I find it absolutely fast and I am unable to budge it in the slightest. I am somewhat nervous about applying excessive force and find myself wondering if there is something about the L1A1 setup which is unknown to me. I have exploded drawings of the L1A1 and can see no cause for the problem. Is anybody able to enlighten me and suggest a solution?

Information

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[skiprat]

with the screw removed you should be able to insert a form of hook tool and pull the plug straight out. Sometimes burrs set up on the butt round the hole for the plug. (while the plug is still fitted) I usually used a sharp knife or chisel to remove these burrs leaving a slight chamfer, and the plug again should pull out.

[Terrylee]

Thanks for your reply Skiprat, but its the next stage of the process that has got me stumped. I have removed the plastic plug with no problem. It is the metal screw plug underneath that holds down the return spring which is giving me trouble.

[skiprat]

with the correct tool (long rod with screw driver at the top) it "should" just unscrew......(try starting with a normal large flat screwdriver, just to get it started then when its moving return to the proper tool) there is nothing else to stop it .. If the return screw is seized in the return spring tube (I've had it happen a couple of times) the result is you will, with some effort, unscrew the whole return spring tube from the trigger Mech. housing.
at this point the butt will come off as required, now all you have to do is strip the recoil spring nut from the tube using a bench vice..

[nzl1a1collector]

If you want your rifle to look like it did when it came out of the factory you will need to have it looking like this unfired 1961 Enfield made L1A1.

[Peter Laidler]

Skippy is dead right. The return spring screw does occasionally stick fast to the return spring tube so get a but brutal and just unscrew it. It WILL unscrew, even if it unscrews the return spring tube from the trigger mech housing. When you replace it, make sure that the start of the thread is chamfered and replaced with a good dollop of graphite grease.

Nice to see that L1A1 Kevin the Kiwi. Does it still have the original long gas cylinder, one piece firing pin and sharp edged cocking handle slide that would put two sharp cuts down the left side of your hand when you let the cocking handle go

[Terrylee]

Thanks, Skippy and Peter. I'll give the brutal approach a try!

[skiprat]

BRUTAL!!!! " technical application of appropriate force" is the correct term!!!

[Peter Laidler]

Skippy and Tankie............... A querie.......... I was thinking about the jammed in return spring nut. I seem to remember that if it did jam up tight, say rusted in (the salty water from the swamps up in Queensland used to get down the tube and rust the nut to the tube as I remember.....) If you use the 'appropriate amount of technical force' and the return spring unscrews from the TMH (the trigger mech. housing to you heathens and pagan savages still out there in the colonies and antipodes), then for some reason, the bloody tube is then jammed up in the butt. It'll rotate OK but isn't there a collar that wont allow it to be pulled back and out.

I have this nagging feeling in the back of my head somewhere.........

[skiprat]

as it happens I am sat with a butt less L38 (X8 E1 (BR)) the return spring tube is stepped slightly (it is the same diameter at each end, thinner in the middle) but I do not see any collar and cannot remember one on the L1A1.
With the plastic butts there was a habit of the inner filling reacting with rifle oil (or old age) and swelling/coming away from the outer ABS shell.
When this happened, even just to remove the butt from the rifle required more "application of technical force" and the small lip on the return spring tube removed a small amount of the butt filling.