Sometimes projects can take a considerable amount of time to complete. I was reading some of my old threads and thought that an update on my RIC build might be in order. If you do a search, you will find my postings back in 2007/2008 when I started on these two.
I post this pic of two Royal Irish Constabulary carbines. Both have 1900 dated receivers, both marked LEC Mk.1*
The top one is a restoration, it is a parts gun but for the most part is all original and correct. It still needs a little work and the barrel needs refinishing. You will notice that the barrel has some scratches. That is because I have spray painted it black. I do this to prevent the bare white metal from rusting until I am ready to slow rust blue. I do this a lot with my restos and is only temporary until I have more than one project to do. Then I will refinish a batch of them. I recommend this if you are in two minds whether or not to leave a faded finish or to refinish it. I find that refinishing metal on an old arm just does not look right. However, rebluing is permanent, painting is not and can be reversed in minutes with a lick of paint stripper or acetone. I have a couple of bush guns that are painted and they take a beating, but they are not rusty despite being with me in the rain and snow.
Anyhoo, I digress. Let me get back on track and tell you about the project progress. The bottom one is my current project gun which is now in the home stretch to being complete. Today I am working on the handguard which I started a number of years ago. It was an Ishapore made front handguard for an SMLE. It was unissued with the fingers complete. Back then they were cheap and easy to find. Now I regret cutting it up, but c’est la vie. The colour of the handguard is in its natural state, I am playing with alcohol dye trying to match the rest of the wood set to its dark red hue. Close enough for now. I still have to blank off the sight cover mounting screws. The outside profile of the handguard needs reducing a little bit, currently it is too fat, but fits well. When I get it sanded down, I will fit the clips with rivets and mount it to the rifle.
I used the stripped receiver as the starting point for the build. The barrel was a freebee and came from a generous chap who posted here on CGN and showed us a sad looking barreled receiver which Bubba had got at with a pipe wrench.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/709611-Severely-butchered-old-Lee-Enfield
Sadly the receiver was a Sht.22 Mk.IV* and had the charger bridge removed. It now sits waiting for me to replace the bridge and fit a .22 barrel, which I have ready for it. A replacement bridge is on its way to me as I type. The barrel was what caught my interest and appeared to be an RIC unit modified at the factory from a Lee Metford cavalry carbine unit. The bore has some severe pitting, but for shiits and giggles I tried a light round through it and it keyholed at 25 yards. The plan is to fit a .22 liner and build a .22 rimfire RIC carbine.
The woodwork came out of England that I found on Epay as yet another sportered front wood. Seemed that nobody wanted it, I was the only bidder, but I knew what it once was and thought that it had potential. The seller also had the butt and he had the trigger guard with magazine still attached that he had not yet listed, so we struck a deal that included the rear sight assembly, the butt bolt, butt plate and I got everything shipped in one package. I think he was parting out a dewat. The bolt came from another collector and the dust cover is a take off from a sportered rifle. The magazine cut off was in my junk draw, is was rusted. The nosecap is actually a rifle unit and fit right over the sight ramp no prob (RIC units have the front relief opened up).
The woodwork took a bit of work to bring back. The butt had been sanded so much that the disc sat proud. I shaved the back of the disc and made it sit in its inlet correctly. I steamed out the dings and re-sanded to clean up the blurred edges and corners. Looks fine now. The fore arm was cut just behind the barrel band and rounded off, something common to sportered cavalry carbines. Last week I was making fore- wood on my duplicator for yet another RIC carbine and the last job I did was to inlet the trigger guard. I screwed up and something got out of alignment and took sixty seconds to blow three hours work. I was pissed with myself to say the least buggering a $50 piece of black walnut. However, the rest of the forearm was good so I cut off the front and grafted it onto the sportered forearm. If you look closely, you can see a joint line. Which is fine on an RIC, as the woodwork was spliced and patched during conversion at the factory.
So once I get the woodwork finished, I will do the .22 sleeving, then refinish the metalwork. That might be a little while but will post when I get it done.
I post this pic of two Royal Irish Constabulary carbines. Both have 1900 dated receivers, both marked LEC Mk.1*
The top one is a restoration, it is a parts gun but for the most part is all original and correct. It still needs a little work and the barrel needs refinishing. You will notice that the barrel has some scratches. That is because I have spray painted it black. I do this to prevent the bare white metal from rusting until I am ready to slow rust blue. I do this a lot with my restos and is only temporary until I have more than one project to do. Then I will refinish a batch of them. I recommend this if you are in two minds whether or not to leave a faded finish or to refinish it. I find that refinishing metal on an old arm just does not look right. However, rebluing is permanent, painting is not and can be reversed in minutes with a lick of paint stripper or acetone. I have a couple of bush guns that are painted and they take a beating, but they are not rusty despite being with me in the rain and snow.
Anyhoo, I digress. Let me get back on track and tell you about the project progress. The bottom one is my current project gun which is now in the home stretch to being complete. Today I am working on the handguard which I started a number of years ago. It was an Ishapore made front handguard for an SMLE. It was unissued with the fingers complete. Back then they were cheap and easy to find. Now I regret cutting it up, but c’est la vie. The colour of the handguard is in its natural state, I am playing with alcohol dye trying to match the rest of the wood set to its dark red hue. Close enough for now. I still have to blank off the sight cover mounting screws. The outside profile of the handguard needs reducing a little bit, currently it is too fat, but fits well. When I get it sanded down, I will fit the clips with rivets and mount it to the rifle.
I used the stripped receiver as the starting point for the build. The barrel was a freebee and came from a generous chap who posted here on CGN and showed us a sad looking barreled receiver which Bubba had got at with a pipe wrench.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/709611-Severely-butchered-old-Lee-Enfield
Sadly the receiver was a Sht.22 Mk.IV* and had the charger bridge removed. It now sits waiting for me to replace the bridge and fit a .22 barrel, which I have ready for it. A replacement bridge is on its way to me as I type. The barrel was what caught my interest and appeared to be an RIC unit modified at the factory from a Lee Metford cavalry carbine unit. The bore has some severe pitting, but for shiits and giggles I tried a light round through it and it keyholed at 25 yards. The plan is to fit a .22 liner and build a .22 rimfire RIC carbine.
The woodwork came out of England that I found on Epay as yet another sportered front wood. Seemed that nobody wanted it, I was the only bidder, but I knew what it once was and thought that it had potential. The seller also had the butt and he had the trigger guard with magazine still attached that he had not yet listed, so we struck a deal that included the rear sight assembly, the butt bolt, butt plate and I got everything shipped in one package. I think he was parting out a dewat. The bolt came from another collector and the dust cover is a take off from a sportered rifle. The magazine cut off was in my junk draw, is was rusted. The nosecap is actually a rifle unit and fit right over the sight ramp no prob (RIC units have the front relief opened up).
The woodwork took a bit of work to bring back. The butt had been sanded so much that the disc sat proud. I shaved the back of the disc and made it sit in its inlet correctly. I steamed out the dings and re-sanded to clean up the blurred edges and corners. Looks fine now. The fore arm was cut just behind the barrel band and rounded off, something common to sportered cavalry carbines. Last week I was making fore- wood on my duplicator for yet another RIC carbine and the last job I did was to inlet the trigger guard. I screwed up and something got out of alignment and took sixty seconds to blow three hours work. I was pissed with myself to say the least buggering a $50 piece of black walnut. However, the rest of the forearm was good so I cut off the front and grafted it onto the sportered forearm. If you look closely, you can see a joint line. Which is fine on an RIC, as the woodwork was spliced and patched during conversion at the factory.
So once I get the woodwork finished, I will do the .22 sleeving, then refinish the metalwork. That might be a little while but will post when I get it done.
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