Could it be, can a turd be polished? (Lee Enfield sporter project)

louthepou

louthepou

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Hi folks,

Well, here's a project that started last year.

"I have a nice Jungle carbine, sporterized, in good shape"

Sure, I thought, how bad can it be.

Well, turned out it was bad. Very bad. Oh for crying out loud kind of bad.

Sadly I didn't take a "before" picture. Maybe that was a good thing, in case children are watching... Typical cut-down No4 forend and super-sanded-down butt stock. Nothing left from the original rear sight mounting "ears". Buggered muzzle, no front sight. There is a Marble's rear sight on the barrel, that may have been the only good thing going for it. Oh and a decent bore.

So, I took it home...

Thought about what to do with this one for a while. Decided to try something different; after all, nothing to loose...

So I started with dressing up the front. CGN's Airborneboi69 already installed a FN flash hider on a SKS for me (no worries, that one also super bubba'ed before I put my hands on it), and so he was perfectly qualified (and skilled, that he is too) to repeat the operation. Well done again, Arborneboi69.



Then, I wanted to mount a scope on this rifle, because, well, a sporter deer rifle can use a scope. So why not try to make one, but one that won't look too much like a big chunk of angle iron once I'm done. Yeah, but starting with a big chunk of angle iron is easy. So that's what I started with. Rusted junk from the garage. I did spend quite a bit of time with my angled grinder, bench grinder, belt sander and drill press to end up with this object.



I slipped a few times with the grinder so there are some "oopsies" on it, but hey, it's a first attempt at it. I am learning. I installed some generic Picattiny rail on it, and there you go, scope mount.




Finally, had to get some decent stock. Fortunately, recently I bought another modified Jungle carbine - a nice one this time, with intact metal. It's getting properly refurbed, and the nice stock that was on it now fits on the finished sporter.



It's only missing the button front sling swivel; can't find one in my parts inventory. Will try this one next weekend and we'll see how it works. Trigger is single stage and very light (can't be more than a pount and half), and total weight with scope mount and scope, with empty mag is 8 1/2 pounds. Will try to take pics in outside light tomorrow, it's too dark right now :)

Lou
 
Hey, Lou, fine job!

Now I can tell folks that I DO know somebody who is skilled enough to polish a turd!

You will have to let us know how she shoots.
 
Looking good Lou.It's one thing to cut up a military rifle and quite another to take some thing that has been cut up and make a decent looking sporter out of it.
 
Thanks guys. I forgot to mention that the charger bridge had been long gone as well. There wasn't a lot of metal left on that poor receiver.

I'll test it this weekend and report back.

The mount seems to sit a wee bit too low for using iron sights; but since there's no front sight... Although I thought about it. Chose to make the mount low-ish so that the scope isn't way out of reach.

Lou
 
I'm glad to see you do one of these Lou, I was beginning to think I was in need of mental help after my last one. Now it's verified, there's other sicko's out there. Nice job Lou!
 
Dear Lou, Airborneboi69's skill is supposed to be a West Quebec secret, if the word gets out that he is one of Canada's future premiere Gunsmiths we'll never be able to take advantage of him!

All kidding aside, I've met Mike and his passion and love of guns even surpasses my own. An even better indication of his overall decency is that my wife was impressed by him, and she is a harsh judge of character.

Dave
 
It's a good thing that rifle found you, louthepou. With the charger bridge and rear sight mount area milled off I wouldn't have imagined anything worthwhile could have been done with it and wouldn't have bothered trying.
 
I've got to do basically the same thing coming up. I wonder if a dado cut down the length of the mount would allow the retention of iron sights.
 
Looks really good. I really like the FN flash hider. I have a bubba'd No.4 with an 18-1/2" barrel I would like to do that to. But I have heard, and this could be completely wrong, that some of the FN flash hiders will split open. One of the site sponsors sells them dirt cheap.
 
I fixed up a seriously mangled JC a few years back.

Besides typical sporter wood, D&T and no flash hider/front sight assembly at all, it actually arrived with rust and pitting all through the bore and on the last foot of the outside of the barrel. The seller on the EE described it as "dark" :jerkit:

After a sandblasting of all metal parts, refinishing with Armacoat, doing a refinish on the wood and mounting a cheap scope on it, the stilly thing is actually one of the most accurate LE's I've owned, and makes for a very handy truck gun.

Ya just never know...
 
Beautiful work! I'd done much the same with the scope mount for my No. 4 "Sussex" sporter. I may yet drill some holes into it just to slightly skeletonize like you did.
 
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