no1 mk3 beech woodwork.

[henry r]

i picked up a used beech? no1 fore-end with no date or manufactures stamp on it. the only markings i can see are a serial number ?C 7510? just behind the nosecap cutout and a broad arrow on the captive nut/plate thingy in the barrel channel. the stock is fitted with Lithgow style metal plates on the draws. yes the Skennerton parts list book is on my "to get" list so i know the proper names to use.

at the moment i don't have an action to go into it, i just picked it up as i know that one day i will. all the build threads on this forum have inspired me.

Q1. is this beech?

Q2. if i don't end up finding a random action that i just have to have, any idea on what manufacturer / era action would be correct for this fore-end?

if i'm building up a bitsa i want matching coloured timber. the seller thinks he may have the beech front top wood but not the top rear piece or butt.

Q3. if i can't find a no1 beech butt, can a no4. butt be modified to not only work but look correct.
Q3a. what is needed and what are the differences?

Q4. is there enough timber in a no4 rear handguard to fashion a correctly profiled no1 top rear timber.

Q5. does the stock look to have been steamed or sanded?

photo's from the seller.

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Information

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[Peter Laidler]

BSA continued making No1 rifle fore-ends/woodwork until the mid 50's, usually of beech. No4 butts can be adjusted to fit No1 rifles and it's an approved action. Some will need to be reprofiled at the butt socket end. If you really wanted to be pedantic and con your mates, you could slim the No4 butt down but to achieve what?

I'm not sure about those (useless in my opinion.....) copper blocks in the drawers but there you go. You could take them out and patch it up properly with wood without detriment.

Before you buy, just make sure it ain't warped! Not a usual trait of nice old English beech but you never know.

[henry r]

a bit late now, though i did ask the seller before bidding.

of course i didn't think to check till you posted the suggestion. from laying two (eyeballed parallel) straight edges across it, it appears to have a twist of 1-2 degrees. (insert swear words here).

is there an EMER spec on the max twist allowed?
would it be ok to lower the high side with a plane or would the twist throw off the positioning of the center band support, the spring setup and the nosecap to a point that it would ruin the harmonics and throw shots everywhere?

edit. could this issue be avoided by using a H barreled action and no center band?

thanks

[Peter Laidler]

No twist or warping is allowed. You could try clamping it and putting the same degree of twist the other way. But they say that wood is like the tiger that doesn't change its spots.

I wonder if that woodwork maestro TBone has any comments about twisted foreends.

[browningautorifle]

I was under the impression that once it had twisted, it can't be permanently sorted out. Maybe for a time but eventually it returns to the corkscrew it has become...

[Ridolpho]

I recently bought a neat '41 No. 4 built on a trials body that, unfortunately, was in a very badly warped forend (and I mean bad). Was tempted to try bending with steam but then stumbled on some you-tube videos of stock bending with hot linseed oil. The method was to wrap the area to be bent with cotton soaked in RLO and hit it with the flame from a blow-torch. The oil boils and soaks into the wood rendering it hot enough to bend. I was highly skeptical but darned if it didn't work. Big plus, relative to steaming, is that the surface of the wood seems unaffected- no raising of the grain requiring sanding. A minor warp as in the forend in this thread might be easily fixable with this method.

Ridolpho

[Richard Hare]

Henry,
Yes, photos show a beech stock.

Ridolpho,

A year or so ago I used the hot oil on a No 4 top wood, and it has stayed straight.
I think that English gunmakers still use hot oil when adjusting cast or drop on a shotgun stock.

R.

[Ridolpho]

I should add the one I tried the oil bending on was beech and in excellent condition other than the warp in the upper portion. Draws were excellent. I just pulled the rifle out of the safe and it's remained straight for close to two months now. Based on my limited experience with this it's crucial to have some sort of jig set up to hold the forend properly and that allows you to bend it past the desired angle to accommodate the inevitable tendency to bend back after the clamps are removed.

Ridolpho

[Richard Hare]

I agree Ridolpho, the wood has to be bent past straight in the opposite direction. This is a bit hit and miss, but can see no way of figuring it in a technical manner!

I sold a LB No 4 Mk2 because of a warped fore-end. Nowadays I would have a bash at straightening!

R.

[Ridolpho]

I agree Ridolpho, the wood has to be bent past straight in the opposite direction. This is a bit hit and miss, but can see no way of figuring it in a technical manner!

I sold a LB No 4 Mk2 because of a warped fore-end. Nowadays I would have a bash at straightening!

R.

Richard: yes, nothing to lose, lots to gain if it happens to be an original, matching forend. On top of which, the smell of sizzling linseed oil is fantastic! Might even be able to straighten a few forends over the barbecue while cooking some steaks. In all seriousness, though, this does appear to be a kosher technique- the high end applications appear to use an electric pump to recirculate the hot oil.

Ridolpho