My No.1+4 Project

[mkrainc]

It started out as a project I've always wanted to do. A No.4 barrel on a No.1 action. This was for no other reason except for "it was there." The No.1's barrel was badly pitted, so it was a perfect donor for this project.

The fore stock was sporterized, so I modified an extension for the bottom wood and fabricated the top wood. The middle band, (home built) hides the seem. I used golden walnut.

The benefit to doing this is that because the No.1 and No.4 barrels are indexed different, so the chamber end of the barrels mating surfaces have to be machined. The chamber has to be finish reamed. This is an advatage because the chamber is cut to SAMMI specs.

 

[englishman_ca]

Good job! Nicely done, you have in effect built a heavy barrel Sht.LE. If you built it up as a typical range rifle, you would get some good shooting from it. Not sure if stocking up the way it is now, with a spliced front end, would help or hinder accuracy.

The No.4 barrel duplicated the dimensions of the long Lee barrel. Same diameters and taper, just shorter. A long Lee stock will fit the action and the barrel channel is cut for a barrel that is the same size as the barrel on no.4.

What you probably discovered, is that the No.1 rifle barrel breaches up with an end face of the barrel into a socket in the receiver ring, where as the No.4 barrel breaches up with the barrel shoulder against the front of the receiver ring. Setting the barrel back not only allows one to re-index the extractor slot, but it also to modify in the lathe and convert the barrel over to the no.1 style. I like the idea of a SAMMI chamber, makes for longer lasting brass when reloading.

If you found a long Lee range rifle stock with the Rigby nose cap with bayonet bar, you could mount a P1888 bayonet OR a WWII Lee Enfield spike bayonet!

 

[mkrainc]

Thanks for the kudos. The end purpose for this one is for hunting. I haven't tested it out yet, but what I want out of it is an accurate cold bore shot. I have other rifles for shooting groups, if that is what I'm in the mood for on any other particular day.

The bayonet lugs are still on that barrel and it looks good with a spike bayonet on it.

My plan is to build a scope mount for it. I know there are mounts available for the No.1 action, but I have a lot of free time on my hands. Projects like this keep me occupied.

 

[englishman_ca]

'Form follows function' is my mantra as a designer. I like what you have built for yourself.

One cold shot is exactly what one needs for deer hunting around here too. You would probably find that your rifle would string a series of shots as the barrel warmed up. A great deal of the magic in stocking up a Lee Enfield is to compensate for the changing harmonics of the warming barrel. You have taken this right out of the equation.

The spike bayonet works great as a 'rifle stand' for sticking into the ground and keeping the rifle safe, muzzle pointed down when dressing that deer. Keeps the rifle handy and out of the mud.

I have just gone through the exercise of putting a scope on a No.1. There are lots of commercial offerings. The non gunsmith ones are crap to be honest, there is a real need to drill and tap. Not for the feint of heart.
After looking at modern and vintage top mounts, side mounts, I settled on the tried and test Weaver TO-1, modified to accept steel rings bolted onto the rail. Rock solid and mounted nice and low to the receiver.

 

[mkrainc]

Nice.

I've tried the "no gunsmith" mounts in the past. Wound up drilling and tapping them anyway. Like you, I don't care for them much.

I have a Parker Hale mount on my No.1 Delux that I would like to copy. Too bad those are not that easy to come by.

Another advantage to this project was being able to get the exact "head space" I wanted. With the original barrel, there was waaay too much head space.