No. 4 Rifle Drawings

And to think that Princess Tony wanted to sell off the contents of the pattern Room EXCEPT for all thoise nasty semi-auto's and machine guns which would be turned into gas cookers, washing machines and sewer covers.
UNTIL the STINK got so bad he had to send them to the National Armoury!!!!
 
I want to visit England to see the knives and swords in the british museum and to walk around London in my coonskin hat with the head still on and fight peta jerks.
 
TimC said:
I'll try and find out where the drawings are kept and if they are available to view/copy etc. They sent me a set for free when I asked!
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The drawings are kept in the library section for the Pattern Room and as of the last couple of years they have limited access to the drawings and the Pattern Room itself.
It is not as open as it once was and most requests from the general public will result in a form letter stating --The collection is not open to the general public, however bonfide researchers will be able to request access to the Centre. It took me over a year and a reference from a well known researcher to get access.

Once you have an invitation there is a world of information available including an opportunity to have hands on research of some of the firearms in the collection.
From what I have been told by people who work in the library they are still cataloguing documents that have been sitting in crates for many years so "new" stuff is being discovered all the time.
 
As a member of the HBSA we generally get reasonable access to this sort of stuff. The collection was split but the paper archives which are almost if not of more importance to researchers should have been kept together. Herbs assistant used to deal with the enquiries and send photocopies unless you particularly wanted to view a lot of sheets. My copy of the rear sight drawings (blueprints) came back within a week for free. Mind that was when they were at Nottingham and Herb was still alive!
 
coonskin Caps

Contrary to the movies and television, Davy Crockett did NOT wear buckskins and a coonskin cap. He had that outfit made for a political campaign. Otherwise he dressed like any other gentleman of the period.;)
 
Dimitri said:
Well if I can in the future I want get a license and shop to make both "reproduction" Lee-Enfield rifles that are to military spec (well almost, will probably use stronger steels to make the bolts and actions since meteorology has advanced since they were first designed). And Sporter versions with sporter stocks, a new bolt face and magazine, in 3 different sizes, one "Standard" for up to 303British length, one "Long" for rounds up to 3.5" long (for like the 30-06Spring, 8mm Mauser, 300Win Mag etc) and one "Magnum" for rounds up to 4" (300 RUM, 338-378 Weatherby, 338 Lapua Mag etc). :p

By the way, the larger "Mag" actions will be built beefier, to withstand the punishment of the stronger rounds, and I'd probably proof test the design with rounds 15,000PSI higher if I can (meaning if I can find a ammunition supplier willing to supply me with rounds reaching almost 80,000PSI considering the 300RUM hits pressures of 63,000PSI) first, till the rifle fails, and judge how strong it is by how long it took for it to fail. :eek: Garand had the right idea when it comes to testing firearms! :D

Dimitri
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Unfortunately, the idea of magnum (and "super magnum") cartridges in the Lee action is not realistic.

It flexes enough in .303 & .308 already, and upsizing it would only result in an "dinosaur" larger & more clumsy than a Winchester 1873 to 1876 comparison.....

There was a reason that the pre-war British gun makers used mauser standard & magnum actions to build their bolt action elephant & dangerous game guns.
 
Lee Enfield,

Well the magnum beefier reciever is not the priority, the priority at this time is to make brand new Lee-Enfields that are "proper", and as I told Stencollector (well I believe it was him my memory sucks), to make semi-automatic recievers and trigger units for the Bren. :p

Still I hear all this talk about flex in rear lock actions and yet the Remington 788's seem to be pretty accurate. :confused:

Dimitri
 
Calum, my copy of the "Bolt Action Rifles", revised edition, was printed in 1984. The original edition was printed in 1971.
 
Unsub said:
I want to visit England to see the knives and swords in the british museum and to walk around London in my coonskin hat with the head still on and fight peta jerks.
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Make sure that you have a friend with a camers to take pic's!
 
Dimitri said:
Lee Enfield,

Well the magnum beefier reciever is not the priority, the priority at this time is to make brand new Lee-Enfields that are "proper", and as I told Stencollector (well I believe it was him my memory sucks), to make semi-automatic recievers and trigger units for the Bren. :p

Still I hear all this talk about flex in rear lock actions and yet the Remington 788's seem to be pretty accurate. :confused:

Dimitri
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While an admirable goal, it couldn't be done competatively while so many surplus No4 rifles are still available at such (comparatively) low price's.

A semiauto Bren on the other hand may be a much more viable project, though I would suggest looking at casting (or fabricating) the receivers rather than machining them.

http://www .charm.net/~kmarsh/788.html
http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_788

The Remington 788 is more an example for my position rather than yours. If you look at a 788 you notice that there is a small loading port, while the main body of the receiver is (like the 700 action) based on a piece of solid round barstock.

Compare that with an enfield action, where you notice that the only top support is a riveted, screwed or welded bar supporting the charger guide.

In fact, I've been told by some old timers that removing the rear sight on a No4 increases the amount of flex in the action.

I've noted myself that installing a though screw for a P/H 5 type rear sight or S&K "no gunsmith" scope mount can squeeze the vertical sides of the action enough to grip the bolt without really trying....
 
Lee-Enfield,

You probably know more then me then the Enfield (not easy to know more then me about the Enfield :p).

Things like you mentioned the upper part of the reciever, are things I'd seriously look at, and fix, the magnum action will be Lee-Enfield based, not garrenteering that it will look like a No. 4 reciever.

The Bren would be cast then finished machined. Might include a new bolt and trigger unit to make sure it passes the RCMP's testing of a new semi-auto in the package if I did get around to making them.

As for the price of the Lee-Enfields, I'm sure as I work on it more and more, the NEW Lee-Enfields would be sold, even if its only smaller numbers. In current prices my goal is to make them cost roughly the same as the current Australian Internation Arms versions or cheaper. Giving the Canadian/American and any other market I can export to the choice between the new AIA rifles in 308Win or the reproduction true to Military specification 303British Rifles I'd be making. I think it can be done. :p

Dimitri
 
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