No4 Mk1* Enfield Re-bedding
As promised, here is the report on the re-bedding project for my Longbranch 1942 No4 Mk1*.
Background: This is a beautiful No4 Mk1* Lee Enfield, made by Longbranch in 1942. As the rifle aged and, as is normal, the stock shrunk. As a result, the action was able to shift slightly from side to side. The groupings down range opened up considerably. A temporary re-bedding job was done with tin foil which, at the time, helped to close up the groupings and reduce movement in the stock. However, the groupings slowly began to open up again.
I decided that I would replace the tin foil with something a little more conventional. I narrowed the options down to cork or gasket paper. I decided on the gasket paper as it was thinner, easier to work with, and would not crumble over time.
I began by disassembling the rifle and set the stock in the rest.
I then took the gasket paper, placed it into the rifle and traced a quick outline.
I cut out the outlines, and labelled them Left/Right and Front/Back. The tracings were done slightly larger to allow me to trim for a precise fit later.
Placing the outlines into the stock I used a very small dab of glue, paired with a little bit of tape, to hold them in place for reassembly.
Reassembly was a series of finite adjustments to the outlines to achieve the best fit. It took an extra bit of pressure (carefully!) from a c-clamp to fully seat the action.
The rifle was fully assembled and the fix is barely noticeable.
The job looks great, and the movement between action and stock has been eliminated completely. The true test will be the next day at the range. I will put together a range report and put it up as soon as possible.
It is worth mentioning at this point that there are other methods of bedding including gluing thin strips of wood onto the draws area where the sear lugs make contact with the stock. I chose to hold off on such an approach at this time to see if my less invasive solution would be sufficient.
Thanks to Lou for the consults and advice.
Websites referenced for the project:
- http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=399536
- http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=867
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave any feedback!
As promised, here is the report on the re-bedding project for my Longbranch 1942 No4 Mk1*.
Background: This is a beautiful No4 Mk1* Lee Enfield, made by Longbranch in 1942. As the rifle aged and, as is normal, the stock shrunk. As a result, the action was able to shift slightly from side to side. The groupings down range opened up considerably. A temporary re-bedding job was done with tin foil which, at the time, helped to close up the groupings and reduce movement in the stock. However, the groupings slowly began to open up again.
I decided that I would replace the tin foil with something a little more conventional. I narrowed the options down to cork or gasket paper. I decided on the gasket paper as it was thinner, easier to work with, and would not crumble over time.
I began by disassembling the rifle and set the stock in the rest.
I then took the gasket paper, placed it into the rifle and traced a quick outline.
I cut out the outlines, and labelled them Left/Right and Front/Back. The tracings were done slightly larger to allow me to trim for a precise fit later.
Placing the outlines into the stock I used a very small dab of glue, paired with a little bit of tape, to hold them in place for reassembly.
Reassembly was a series of finite adjustments to the outlines to achieve the best fit. It took an extra bit of pressure (carefully!) from a c-clamp to fully seat the action.
The rifle was fully assembled and the fix is barely noticeable.
The job looks great, and the movement between action and stock has been eliminated completely. The true test will be the next day at the range. I will put together a range report and put it up as soon as possible.
It is worth mentioning at this point that there are other methods of bedding including gluing thin strips of wood onto the draws area where the sear lugs make contact with the stock. I chose to hold off on such an approach at this time to see if my less invasive solution would be sufficient.
Thanks to Lou for the consults and advice.
Websites referenced for the project:
- http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=399536
- http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=867
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave any feedback!
