Restore a fire damaged Lee Enfield

Holleyman

Holleyman

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Athabasca, AB
Who would be a good resource to get in contact with to restore a fire damaged Lee Enfield? A friend who lost his house in Abasand area of Fort McMurray during the wildfire found his dad's Lee Enfield in the ash, barrel's bent and there is nothing for wood left. This rifle was passed down to my friend after his dad died so it has a lot of sentimental value. I don't think the metal can be trusted to ever fire again but I would like to restore it to it's previous glory and have it as a display for him. I don't have the details about what it is but I am going to try to get a hold of it under the premise of straightening the barrel.
Any contacts would be great.
 
A local gunsmith might be able to help you out. Other than that check ee as well as sponsor sites for parts and do the work yourself. If it's warped and heat damaged you should probably consider getting it deactivated or rendered inoperable just to make sure no accidents happen in the future if someone tries to shoot it.
 
Was it in sporter trim or military (wood stock all the way to the muzzle)? Feel free to contact me via PM, maybe I can help.

Lou
 
Thanks Lou! I will try to get a pic of the rifle before and get my hands on the remains as well. I'll drop you a note when I get those with more details and possible pics.
 
If the wood is gone the fire was hot enough to anneal/soften the steel to a point where the rifle is unsafe to shoot. It can be cosmetically restored for display, but its a good idea to deactivate it so someone else doesn't try to shoot it.
 
I can't offer any sources but I would just like to say that I think what you are doing for your friend is a great idea. I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor.

Cheers.
 
My father in-law lost his father in a fire. The only thing we recovered was his model 1917 sporter. It was so burnt that I had to turn the barrel in a lathe because the outside was melted. Reblued it, disabled it and put it in a similar stock and gave it to him for Christmas. The tears in his eyes were priceless, he said it was the best gift he'd ever received. I say go for it.
 
At the very least you can drill a hole and put a pin through the receiver and chamber and then weld it up in an inconspicuous location.
Consider the possibility that in 20-50 years the story of how it became a wall-hanger may be lost, and as milsurps continue to become scarce, some future owner down the line may attempt to restore the action with a replacement barrel and other parts and pass it off to an unsuspecting person who will attempt to fire it. Perhaps even one of your own family members.
 
Turn it into a wall hanger............PLEASE.

A man I knew (actually I never met him but know his family well) had a gun go through a house fire.

A "gunsmith" claimed to have "restored" it; what he did was never said but likely put new wood on it and maybe a reblueing. It was test fired and seemed okay so he used it a few years but eventually it blew up. The heat had softened the locking lug and it gave out after several firings.

He lost his right eye.

Don't risk it.
 
Remembering said:
My father in-law lost his father in a fire . The only thing we recovered was his model 1917 sporter. It was so burnt that I had to turn the barrel in a lathe because the outside was melted. Reblued it, disabled it and put it in a similar stock and gave it to him for Christmas. The tears in his eyes were priceless, he said it was the best gift he'd ever received. I say go for it.
Click to expand...

Poor guy, I guess the rifle was not his biggest problem.
 
surfclod said:
Turn it into a wall hanger............PLEASE.

A man I knew (actually I never met him but know his family well) had a gun go through a house fire.

A "gunsmith" claimed to have "restored" it; what he did was never said but likely put new wood on it and maybe a reblueing. It was test fired and seemed okay so he used it a few years but eventually it blew up. The heat had softened the locking lug and it gave out after several firings.

He lost his right eye.

Don't risk it.
Click to expand...

READ THE OP, he knows this and wants to make it a WALL HANGER.....why does no one ever read the OP?
 
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