Anyone accurized their No4?
- Thread starter Teapot
- Start date
maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Well, there are whole books written on the topic. There are two or three things an ordinary owner can do.
First is to see if the barrel presses DOWN against the wood of the foreend tip. There should be a few pounds resistence when you flex the exposed barrel up from the stock in the larger hole. It should go back to the same spot. Properly bedded on the back end, the barrel is NOT freefloated.
The other thing would be to see that the trigger guard (on a MkI or MkI*) is straight and flat with the kingscrew collar pinched between the receiver and trigger guard. The Mk2 or conversion eliminates this quirky requirement.
As an operator, never remove the magazine. Each time you function the release, you are realigning the trigger spring pressure.
Nor should you expose an accurate rifle to bright hot sun or rain. Neither is friendly to the walnut wood, causing different expansion rates which effect the balance of the bedding.
First is to see if the barrel presses DOWN against the wood of the foreend tip. There should be a few pounds resistence when you flex the exposed barrel up from the stock in the larger hole. It should go back to the same spot. Properly bedded on the back end, the barrel is NOT freefloated.
The other thing would be to see that the trigger guard (on a MkI or MkI*) is straight and flat with the kingscrew collar pinched between the receiver and trigger guard. The Mk2 or conversion eliminates this quirky requirement.
As an operator, never remove the magazine. Each time you function the release, you are realigning the trigger spring pressure.
Nor should you expose an accurate rifle to bright hot sun or rain. Neither is friendly to the walnut wood, causing different expansion rates which effect the balance of the bedding.
If you download the DND manuals (maintenance and operators), there's a section in the Maintenance on preparing the rifle to be a target rifle. It involves centre bedding, drilling and inserting hardwood rods in the forend, and blood spells by the dark of the moon. 
I have a No.4 which has been centre-bedded, and I'm looking forward to trying it out with the flat base Hornady Interlock 174gr. RN. Given the lousy results I had with the boat-tailed Sierra MK's, switching bullets is likely to be the best thing I can do to improve accuracy.
I have a No.4 which has been centre-bedded, and I'm looking forward to trying it out with the flat base Hornady Interlock 174gr. RN. Given the lousy results I had with the boat-tailed Sierra MK's, switching bullets is likely to be the best thing I can do to improve accuracy.
It's mostly about getting the forend bedding right. After that look at weight of trigger pull and eliminate creep from the trigger. The striker must be tight in the cocking piece and dead straight as well. Re-working the stock bedding to get it right will show an accuracy improvement in any rifle, incl the No4.
@stevebc: After you have tried the Hornady Interlock, give a try to the Sierra 180 Pro-Hunter flatbase, seated to the OAL of a Ball round. Run it at about 2250 ft/sec and see what happens.
Another point: try a group some time using the URH CORNER of your front sight. A real test for your eyes and for the rifle at the same time. You just could get a huge surprise.
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Another point: try a group some time using the URH CORNER of your front sight. A real test for your eyes and for the rifle at the same time. You just could get a huge surprise.
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URH= upper right hand corner smellie???
I have a mid-50s production No.4 Mk.2 that was just as it came off the production line and I think it shoots very well for a standard infantry rifle, certainly good enough to hunt with, so I put a scope on it (no gunsmithing, Cad-Technik mount) and I take it hunting. I am sure there are people who could get better results with it than I ever have.
But I had an early '40s Long Branch No.4 Mk.1* that the previous owner told me had bedding and trigger work for DCRA competition and a PH5 sight. With that rifle I could easily outshoot my No.4Mk2 with its scope.
But I had an early '40s Long Branch No.4 Mk.1* that the previous owner told me had bedding and trigger work for DCRA competition and a PH5 sight. With that rifle I could easily outshoot my No.4Mk2 with its scope.
Upper right. Right.
Nice thing about a Number 4 is that you can loosen off the clamp on the front sight and move it sideways just a bit. If the rifle is shooting dead-on with the standard "tin hat" hold, then move it HALF its width. Then shoot with the URH corner. You now are aiming with nearly an infinitesimal point rather than with a wide blade. Wonders can manifest themselves if you do everything else right.
Same thing with the Garand. A Garand rear-sight adjusts in 1-minute increments. The front-sight blade is 4 minutes wide. So you put the REAR sight 2 clicks out and use the URH corner of the front sight. Same idea, same result. Sandbag it and you could get 1/2-inch dead-cold groups; that's what mine is running.
Hope this helps.
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Nice thing about a Number 4 is that you can loosen off the clamp on the front sight and move it sideways just a bit. If the rifle is shooting dead-on with the standard "tin hat" hold, then move it HALF its width. Then shoot with the URH corner. You now are aiming with nearly an infinitesimal point rather than with a wide blade. Wonders can manifest themselves if you do everything else right.
Same thing with the Garand. A Garand rear-sight adjusts in 1-minute increments. The front-sight blade is 4 minutes wide. So you put the REAR sight 2 clicks out and use the URH corner of the front sight. Same idea, same result. Sandbag it and you could get 1/2-inch dead-cold groups; that's what mine is running.
Hope this helps.
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ghostntheshell
CGN frequent flyer
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I have to try that.
You can do a few other things to shade your bets with issue sights. First, clean up the aperture and front blade so that they are nice and crispy. Then use the old soldier's trick to eliminate sight glare by "smoking" the aperture and blade with a wooden kitchen match. You can also customize your aiming point by stapling a 5x5 inch piece of dull black paper on the target. This will subtend the width of the blade @ 100 yds and provides a nice square edge to sit on top of the blade. Allow just a CH of white to show between the top of the blade and the bottom of the square and let your eye center the blade in the aperture. Also, pick a time of day to visit the range when the sun is over your shoulder, or best right behind you, so that the target is fully illuminated and there is minimal shadow. This won't guarentee .5 inch groups, but it sure helps.
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Here I was thinking tightening or loosening screws would do the trick.
The rifle is an FTR 1942 ROF Fazakerely Mk1/2. Barrel is new with a No1 bolt head which is very flat and highly polished.
The barrel can be pressed so that it will meet the stock and it will go back to true. I have had the stock off once just to ensure nothing is rusting.
The rifle was purchased by me from a veterans association that used it for drill and parades before the Liberals deemed veterans with rifles to be too dangerous. If I could only have one rifle then this would be the one. The only thing I have done to it was to put linseed oil on it. I have not shot it much since I got it but did take it hunting years ago. Just a really good looking rifle.
The rifle is an FTR 1942 ROF Fazakerely Mk1/2. Barrel is new with a No1 bolt head which is very flat and highly polished.
The barrel can be pressed so that it will meet the stock and it will go back to true. I have had the stock off once just to ensure nothing is rusting.
The rifle was purchased by me from a veterans association that used it for drill and parades before the Liberals deemed veterans with rifles to be too dangerous. If I could only have one rifle then this would be the one. The only thing I have done to it was to put linseed oil on it. I have not shot it much since I got it but did take it hunting years ago. Just a really good looking rifle.
Good question.
I hope to find out this spring, when I load test the Hornady's. I've only tried this setup with the Sierra's, and was really disappointed, so I'm pinning some hopes on this.The sights were originally on my late father's .308 Target Rifle. I had my local machine shop modify a spare front sight to allow the one you see to slide on like a sleeve. I got the side plate for the rear Central sight here on CGN.
Rifle is a '56 Fazakerly No.4 Mk.2
Is the slide on front sight truly secure? Could that be causing the disappointing results?
Faz rifles; from Liverpool just like The Beetles.
I have just found some accurizing procedures for the Lee Enfield for competition. I haven't the confidence to do it. A pity because even though I am a southpaw I like this rifle. It has so much history behind it.
When you get the bullets you need, a report on it would be interesting. What is the maximum range at your club? The original 303 bullets stabilized at longer range. I suppose all bullets differ in this.
Faz rifles; from Liverpool just like The Beetles.
I have just found some accurizing procedures for the Lee Enfield for competition. I haven't the confidence to do it. A pity because even though I am a southpaw I like this rifle. It has so much history behind it.
When you get the bullets you need, a report on it would be interesting. What is the maximum range at your club? The original 303 bullets stabilized at longer range. I suppose all bullets differ in this.
I have a similar No4MkII, but fortunately it wasn't shot (at all by the looks of it) so SMK's work fine in it. My other one has some guys name stamped on it, I'm assuming it was built by this Alf Parker guy, so it's already been messed with - that or he was OCD about losing guns . A fellow in Australia has just published a book strictly on the accurizing of the Lee Enfield, I'm looking at ordering it in the near future, it would be interesting information to have, for the long term.
. A fellow in Australia has just published a book strictly on the accurizing of the Lee Enfield, I'm looking at ordering it in the near future, it would be interesting information to have, for the long term.
