My First No. 4 Restoration

[Travis K]

First of all, hello! First time poster here. Looking for some guidance and/or constructive criticism, it's my first time wrenching on a Lee Enfield so I have lots to learn. If you see something out of place or questionable, please let me know!

It started as a standard issue No. 4 sporter, the reason I bought it was the barrel was uncut. The plan was to basically follow along Roger Wadham's book, 2012 Complete Book on Lee Enfield Accurizing.

I wanted to use this as a "test" rifle, I have 2 new Lothar Walther barrels coming in for two stripped Longbranch actions I have lying around. I want to build these two up properly, so I wanted to get some practice working with a No. 4.

In it's current condition, as of tonight. I just finished the wood (3 different kinds apparently?! ), after a few rounds of epoxy bedding. Apologies for the mess on the bench, I have been working there for quite a while today.


I have so far:
- Fitted the buttstock to the best of my knowledge, the wood edge is proud of the metal by a few millimeters. It also needs a stiff whack with a mallet to seat it in place.
- Forestock is tight against the wrist face with equal bearing
- I've epoxy bedded the receiver and knox form along the horizontal faces and the draws. I also bedded the shoulder of the receiver around the main screw, I went a bit rogue there but I want to see how it performs
- I installed a 1.25" diameter wide washer as a pressure plate under the trigger guard/main screw, and bedded it



What I'm stuck on for now:
- I have almost no up-pressure on the barrel at the muzzle, I am planning on using cork to change this. I understand 2-7 lbs is the norm? My barrel is, right now, free floated from the knox form to the step in the forestock above the cap.
- My front handguard and the cap on the forestock are very close or touching the front sight base, which I know is not desirable at all
- Anything to do with the bolt. I haven't headspaced it yet (I have the Okie gauges around here somewhere). I don't know if the bearing on the recoil lugs is equal or not. It could also use with a good clean and polishing.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[CINDERS]

I think you will find that cork will gradually compress over time and you will use your up pressure, I have 2 No.4 workhorses and one is traditionally bedded with the up pressure the other is hard bedded with no barrel movement they both shoot well and I have not noticed any changes in the POI in the hard bedded one during rapid fire events. The knowing ones will chime in shortly but I would beware of it touching the top woods as you alluded to it may be they suggest fitting in a block of oak or similar hard wood and routing and rasping until the desired profile and up lift is achieved just my thoughts. I also have Wadhams book pretty good source of info I reckon, others may disagree with some of it.

I would search the threads on this web site for fitting a bolt but beware it is rather an involved process and unless you are really competent get a suitably experienced gunsmith to do it.

[Peter Laidler]

Muzzle bearing pressure. I would cut out a 1.25" long x 1/2" wide section at the muzzle and insert a wood patch. Radius the top to suit the old cut-out muzzle bearing and rad of the barrel then slowly start to lower it until the barrel bearing comes down to the weight required. But don't go any further if the barrel isn't central in the muzzle end of the fore-end as you have already passed the point of no return regarding any further correction of that particular problem.

I think you were a bit hasty with that, er........., fugly* washer at the front trigger guard screw. You could simply have used a reinforcing plate as per the L42 rifle and be done with it.

Handguard touching the block band foresight. Simple. Move the BBFsight forwards a tad to get clearance or just dolly/reshape the metal end cap to achieve the same

* FUGLY. A particularly Australian technical phrase used to describe your friends latest girlfriend

[Travis K]

Thanks to you both!

CINDERS - I will look further into the fitting of the bolt. If I feel out of my depth, I have a gunsmith (@ Ellwood Epps) an hour away and I'm fairly certain they know their way around a Lee Enfield.

Peter - It is quite fugly, no doubt. I think more on account of the mismatched wood than the pressure plate though! I am okay with function over form, though, and seeing how much this rifle has changed has made it mean something special to me regardless of its looks. My intention, however, is to make a wood plug to cover the washer, and make that area by the main screw less conspicuous.

When you say ventral at the muzzle, I understand that to mean contacting the wood of the fore-end under the muzzle? My barrel is currently doing that, without modification, but the up pressure is quite low (maybe around 1 lb). So I am to effectively raise that section up higher to increase the up pressure? Sounds better than my cork plan!

Regarding the band block foresight, how would moving it forward work with the pin which holds it in place?

[Peter Laidler]

Ah, yes. Ventral now changed to CENTRAL! Take the pin out! If the BBFsight is a nice drive-on tight fit on the lugs it won't be going anywhere. We used to tin the lugs to achieve this. Some of the less cautious butchers would swage the edges!

Get the muzzle bearing up to the CORRECT weight. Once the muzzle lifts clear of the fore-end as the bullet is thundering down the barrel, the barrel is what we call 'out of control'. OH yes it is for those who still think/know differently! There is a simple student experiment to prove it too.

You ain't going to get a successful wood plug to cover that fugly washer but I agree, aesthetics are secondary function in weapon design