Lee enfield armourers tools, anyone got pictures?

[Webley No.5]

Hi,
I’m going to build an action wrench for a Lee enfield (look for both no1 and no4), just wondering if anyone has one they could take pictures (blueprints even better) of or know where I could find pictures. When I google all I find is “universal” action wrenches that I’ve heard don’t work for enfield and I don’t want to build a receiver twister.
Thanks

 

[jmichelin84]

I was interested as well I had to build a screwdriver for my butt sock everyone I had was too short and or the tips would just wrench off

 

[sulisa]

I was interested as well I had to build a screwdriver for my butt sock everyone I had was too short and or the tips would just wrench off

I used socket wrenches and extensions for the buttstock, but has to grind an old broken screwdriver into a tool to loosen the front sight screw. All these are "kludge-able jobs", but I've heard that barrel is a b*tch without the right tool. Looking forward to seeing what the thread comes up with!

 

[woodchopper]

I've built a few and I am working on my receiver wrench.

I'll see about pictures later but so far I have made a tool to remove the firing pin, a screw driver modified to adjust the front sight, and head space gauges.

 

[jmichelin84]

I've built a few and I am working on my receiver wrench.

I'll see about pictures later but so far I have made a tool to remove the firing pin, a screw driver modified to adjust the front sight, and head space gauges.

I would love to see what you come up with and I'm thinking about building my own screwdriver properly forging it out of rebar, and adding my own scales on for the handle making it like a 1920s flat head screwdriver

 

[Snider shooter]

My screw drivers I bought at Canadian Tire. Bought a large one that fits well. Also bought two large screw drivers at yard sales. I have also used the older type tire irons. I like keeping extra around as I miss place them occasionally.
I haven’t got around to making a action wrench yet so pictures of designs would be nice.

 

[bearhunter]

I was interested as well I had to build a screwdriver for my butt sock everyone I had was too short and or the tips would just wrench off

I just use a screw driver attachment for my 3/8 drive socket wrench, with an appropriate length extension.

The screwdriver bit fits the slots perfectly and the extra bulk at the joints keeps everything aligned while tightening and lossening the stock bolt.

The screwdriver bit attachment costs under $10 and is available online or at just about any Canadian Tire or Princess Auto store, etc.

 

[tiriaq]

I recall seeing a photo of the armoury system for Lee Enfield barrel work. The barrel was held vertically in a heavy bench mount while a wrench was applied to the receiver. I assume the barrel vise locked onto the Nock's Form. This was an industrial grade rig.

Brownells makes a receiver wrench system that employs a variety of heads to engage different receivers. Years ago I made a receiver wrench which would engage different receiver rings using bushings over the top of the receiver ring, and a plate across the bottom. More recently I acquired a Brownells unit with some heads at an auction, and have since machined adapters to fit Lee Enfield and M-1 receivers among others. Next on the list is a plate to fit the top of a Ross 1910 receiver ring. If you look at Brownells online catalogue, you can see good photos of the basic unit and the adapters for a wide variety of different firearms.

My barrel vise is two lengths of 1 1/2" square stock clamped together with 7/8" bolts, bored to accept 1 1/2" diameter split bushings. Bushings are bored to fit various barrel sizes.

 

[woodchopper]

forgot to mention that for the butt socket screw I just have the biggest screwdriver Canadian Tire sells

and the barrel vise is going to be my next project once I get the receiver wrench built.

Interesting observation about the factory using a vertical orientation.

 

[purple]

The Brownells action wrench with changeable heads is a good idea if you are going to play with different rifles.

 

[jamesharrison]

Before I inherited a couple of correctly-sized screwdrivers for the butt-bolt, I just used an old tire iron; the kind with the socket on 1 arm & a big screwdriver tip on the other end (which was used back in the day for steel hub-caps).

Here's a picture of an original SMLE barrel wrench.



I use a Brownell's action wrench with the Enfield bushing/spacer.

BUT, the best thing I've found is to start spraying the barrel/receiver joint 3 days before you want to remove the barrel, both inside & out. Do that at least 3 or 4 times a day every day, until you are ready to remove the barrel. I use Walter Bolt-out or Wurth Rost Off Plus.

Next is to use a fair bit of rosin inside your barrel vise.

Get yourself a big hammer. I made mine from an old 3 lb. sledge on a club-hammer handle. Do NOT just lean all of your weight on the action wrench, especially if you use a cheater bar. That will twist your receiver. Impact is what will break it free.

 

[bearhunter]

You can't use an "internal" action wrench on Lee Enfield receivers, because they don't have forward locking lug recesses.

I made up a wrench from scrap metal.

It has a 30 inch handle welded to a 1 inch x 1 1/2 inch top piece, that has a cut out milled at the center, which is just slightly larger than the receiver radius, so that appropriate size shims can be used when clamping down.

The bottom bar is the same size but instead of a half round cut out, a corresponding notch has to be cut, to clear the king screw lug.

You want to get as much of the bottom flat of the receiver contacted as possible.

There isn't much there to grab onto and in some cases, where the barrels have really been torqued in tight to index properly, it's touch and go to get the barrel/receiver separated.

The metal is also quite soft on the receiver ring and will deform quite easily, if it isn't held properly.

I should add, I use a half inch bolt of appropriate length on each end of my "T" wrench, using washers as spacers. This helps in keeping the wrench square to the receiver.

You will also need a good barrel vice, with properly shaped barrel blocks or maybe you pour your blocks for each job??

I've had barrels torqued in so tight that the barrel actually twisted on one and I had to cut a relief groove to get it apart.

That's when a properly fitted wrench is a must.

 

[tiriaq]

Photos:




Not shown is a plate I made to fit the against the bottom of the LE receiver, with a hole to accept the screw lug, as well as the M-1 adapter.

 

[bearhunter]

Your wrench is almost identical to mine, except that I have the lever on the opposite side

 

[GAIRLOCHIAN]

When I get a super tight one I drill a 2mm hole on bottom of barrel at the junction of reciever and barrel on a slight angle.Can be plugged later.

 

[Potashminer]

Is not military armourer tool - is the Brownell's receiver wrench "system" - top is same top as for a small ring Mauser, then that plate to fit around the "king screw spigot", then use longer than "normal" cap screws to pull it together against that base part with the handle.

For my barrel vice - idea much like shown by Tiriaq - mine has 1.5" bore, so I turn inserts from 1.5" diameter aluminum rod. For a recent No. 4, I cut one to the taper angle - just ignored that flat knox form - the barrel vice insert held to unscrew the old barrel and to get the replacement on. I do not own the "gauging" front sight block for front sight to turn that flat area on barrel to perfect alignment with rear sight - this barrel was shortened and had no front sight, so I just torqued it until it "looked correct" and it "passed" the various GO and NOGO headspace distances.

 

[tiriaq]

I made and sold a few of the barrel vises. 1 1/2" square blocks, bored for 1 1/2" diameter aluminum sleeves. Gave up making them; what with the cost of the materials, the time it took to make the sets, and the cost of delivery, I thought they were overpriced. I bought the steel stock from metalsupermarkets.com. The aluminum round stock for the sleeves and the rectangular inserts in the photo in Post #13 came from aircraftspruce.com.
I cut off the lengths of steel and aluminum stock with an elderly power hacksaw. Takes a while to cut 1 1/2" steel barstock. Do the drilling and boring on my Standard Modern 1340 lathe.

In my experience, removing No. 4 barrels can be a challenge. They are in tight. SMLEs not so much. If a No. 4 barrel is a scrapper, I cut a relief groove to relax the torque. It is my understanding that a No. 4 barrel should screw in hand tight to 14 degrees off top dead center and then require 120 ft. lbs. of torque to pull it to index.