De-Bubba'ing my 42 Long Branch

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This rifle is like many others. It was bought for $25 sometime in the 70's by my dad who has since passed away. The rifle functions fine but is pretty butt-ugly as it's a spoterized, mismatched blonde with sanding marks and a heavy varnish.

However, since it was left to me by my father, getting rid of it is not an option. And since it isn't chopped or D&T'd I thought I'd give a kick at restoring it.

I have sourced a few parts and am off to a good start but I am missing the sling loop and a few barrel band screws.

If anyone has a link to a website/video about disassembly/assembly of a No.4 Mark I or some tips please share.

42LongBranch.jpg


Thanks.
 
Look up something possibly on youtube there's also another Forum that has REALLY good references, but I'm afraid I'd get an infraction if I posted the website here.
 
Off to a bad start.

Well, I've come to a standstill on a few fronts. :mad:

1. The upper butt plate screw is jammed to the point I started to damage the screw head so I stopped. I will either need to modify or make a screwdriver that fits tight and is the full width of the screw head. Does anyone have any tips on this? Penetrating oil or something?

2. The rear stock band doesn't seem to be able to fit on over the front sight. Do I need to removed the sight blade to get the band onto the barrel?

3. The buttstock doesn't fit into the receiver as is, I'm going to have to do some light filing to get it to work I think.
 
If you buggered the screw head, you shouldn't be allowed near any more hand tools! It is a coarse threaded screw with a straight slot head. How more simple does it get?

(Argh! tone off)

Yes the rear barrel band won't go on over the front sight. Take the front sight ears off and you should have enough clearance (I forget exactly how big the ring actually is).

If the butt is new, you may need to take a few strokes with a wood file to relieve the high spots. If it is too loose, a few thickness of cardboard will work the opposite way.
 
Yeah well mine had a lot of white corrosion on the screw head and was quite stubborn. I removed the butt stock, chucked it into a padded vise and got the butt plate off.

New problem. The butt plate that I have is now about 1/8" smaller than the butt stock I have. The holes for the butt plate screws seem way to small for the screws I have. Is there a different butt stock for the No1 and No4? I bought a No.4 stock set.
 
Yeah well mine had a lot of white corrosion on the screw head and was quite stubborn. I removed the butt stock, chucked it into a padded vise and got the butt plate off.

New problem. The butt plate that I have is now about 1/8" smaller than the butt stock I have. The holes for the butt plate screws seem way to small for the screws I have. Is there a different butt stock for the No1 and No4? I bought a No.4 stock set.

On a new buttstock, the stock is a bit wider than the plate, yeah, about 1/8 inch all around.
Are you sure the screws are the right ones? There was an armourer tool to thread the holes to the right size and thread...hopefully that has been done. If the holes are obviously too tiny, you might need to open them up enough so the screws will still bite well but will thread in.
 
Thanks for the help guys.

In this pic it shows the two buttstocks. On the left, the part that goes into the receiver is a different shape. Is this really a No.4 Mark 1 buttstock?

On the right shows the buttplate and the approx. 1/8"wood around it. Then bottom right shows the two buttstocks, bottom blonde one is my bubba, top brown one shows the smaller holes. I'm pretty sure they are the original screws as they are really coarse thread and just look like something off an Enfield. :)

So should I just drill out the screw holes a bit and then file down the buttstock to blend toward the buttplate? How far towards the grip should I start the blend?

No4buttstock.jpg
 
Enclosed are 3 pics of the new LB C/|\ marked buttstock I installed on my 41 Long Branch. (original stock was heavily sanded, no markings left)

Note that the wood is wider than the plate.

Now, did armourers spend the time to file the wood on new buttstocks down flush? I have no idea, but I wasn't doing it to mine. Interested to hear other opinions on that.

As for the screw holes being too small, I believe I've run across that before, and I drilled the holes out a bit so the screws would fit, but threads would still bite.

I've seen several different styles of socket on different buttstocks. Is your new buttstock marked LB for Long Branch? If it is, then it's for a No 4, if not, then it's Brit or other and who knows? For a 42 LB, I'd want a LB butt.


41LB29Large.jpg


41LBFTR013Large.jpg


41LBFTR014Large.jpg
 
I've restored a #4 MK1* (Longbranch) and a 1917 #1 MK3* from Bubba status. The biggest problem I had with both of them was getting the rear stock band to fit-I had to remove a lot of wood from the handguards and forearm to get that screw threaded properly.
You should be using a screwdriver specifcally designed for disassembling firearms. The "blade" screwdriver is extremely thin and fine; a normal household screwdriver will likely mar the screw heads all to hell....
Also, you mentioned the rear stock band-that flimsy piece of metal that fits against the rear handguard? I just made a small cut in the bottom of mine and slid it over the front sights. It works fine-the stock holds it in place, and I didn't have to mess around with the front sights at all.
 
Oh yeah, the rear stock band. Remove the sight guard (1 screw) and the front sight. (on LB you need a tool that will fit that positive screw head)

Once the sight blade is off the ring goes right over.
 
Thanks collector. I ended up drifting my front sight out and putting the read stock band on, then replacing the sight. I did once have a beginners set of gunsmith screwdrivers, forster I think. They are far better than your standard tapered screwdriver for sure.

Things are looking better. Real soon I will need to make or find the screws etc for the middle and front stock bands.
 
Oh yeah, the rear stock band. Remove the sight guard (1 screw) and the front sight. (on LB you need a tool that will fit that positive screw head)

Once the sight blade is off the ring goes right over.

Ha ha! I modified a philips head screwdriver bit with my dremel cut off wheel to make a tool for the front site but it shattered when I went to use it. I actually easily drifted the sight out with a piece of brass stock I had. That positive screw head is a bastard! Not only is it positive, it is sloped/ramped. I think the designers really didn't want soldiers mucking with it in the field!
 
Thanks lou, I'll slow it down a notch.

Current status;

- the fore stock is on but I need screws for the front and mid stock bands before I can mount the hand guards
- the butt stock needs some filing to fit into the rear of the receiver
- the butt plate screw holes need to be drilled a little larger to accept the butt plate screws

lou, should I work the rear of the butt stock with a file to match or mate up with the butt plate, leave it as it is in the previous picture or order a brass butt plate?
 
Thanks lou, I'll slow it down a notch.

Current status;

- the fore stock is on but I need screws for the front and mid stock bands before I can mount the hand guards
- the butt stock needs some filing to fit into the rear of the receiver
- the butt plate screw holes need to be drilled a little larger to accept the butt plate screws

lou, should I work the rear of the butt stock with a file to match or mate up with the butt plate, leave it as it is in the previous picture or order a brass butt plate?

Canada never used brass butt plates, you want that black one in the pic or a zamak one like in my pics.
 
Re. reducing the size of the butt stock: personally I would live with it as is, unless it's really too large. If there's a bit of extra wood I don't think it's too bad. Thinning the butt stock and not mess it up is doable but if you can avoid that task, I think it's a better option. My 2 cents, anyways,

Lou
 
I can't think of a nicer gesture or a tribute to the man by retoring his rifle and keeping it in the family. Well Done - Well Met.
 
Thanks for the kind words Riflechair, it just seems like the right thing to do. It would be a lot easier to just buy a complete No.4, (to be completely honest I prefer the looks of a No.1 so I'll have to get a complete one of those someday also).

As for the three screws I'm missing, I'm pretty sure they are BA thread, (h ttp://cgi.ebay.ca/ENFIELD-No-4-No-5-TAP-DIE-SET-303-BRITISH-SMLE-/140444918133? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20b32b6175#ht_500wt_1154), so anything I can get locally won't be correct.


I have been thinking about ordering some from Evan's Custom Screw but they would be about $18 a piece. Does anyone know if this price can be beat or if there is anyone on the forum that makes/has No.4 screws for sale?
 
Ahhh, better yet!!!

:D

h ttp://freespace.virgin.net/j.franklin/toys/thread-table.htm

I hope that site doesn't disappear before I get back to work and can print that list out!
 
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