Re-Finished My Enfield

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hey @CerealBlast, good for you for transforming your private property TOOL into something that you like more. Now you can see the wood grain, and it is probably smoother and cleaner too.

For the purists - I love to remind them that in the 70's, they sold these guns propped up in garbage cans in every hardware store (at least in Edmonton). Most folks sniffed at them and bought a fancier Winchester or Remington in .308 or 30-06. After all, their Dads or Granddads probably had a Lee Enfield sitting in the closet at home already.

And in case you really think a Lee Enfield is incredibly rare, my tiny, rural, local gun club has a Lee Enfield shoot every year that is well attended. Lee Enfields may be the single most common rifle around these parts too. However, the gun club did change that to a "Historic Service Rifle" shoot not because of attendance, but because the Mauser and 91/30 and K31 owners felt slighted.

Peace.

G
 
Geraldo said:
For the purists - I love to remind them that in the 70's, they sold these guns propped up in garbage cans in every hardware store (at least in Edmonton). Most folks sniffed at them and bought a fancier Winchester or Remington in .308 or 30-06. After all, their Dads or Granddads probably had a Lee Enfield sitting in the closet at home already
Click to expand...

The Lee Enfield itself isn't rare but an untouched original is getting harder and harder to find as the days go on. Evidently a lot of guys have no idea how much an untouched No 1 is worth now a days.
 
So, Cereal, by now you likely realize that many folks hanging around the milsurp section like milsurps because they are a part of our share heritage, our history; and the more original they stay, the more direct our link to the past.

You posted your pictures and text, probably because you do value others' opinion; I hope that's true even when the opinions are contrary to yours.

Leaving aside for a moment the "it's mine, I can do what I want with it" statement (which is true), what you did there is taking a really nice, collectable SMLE, and did almost everything that is ill advised, according to milsurp collecting standards. You shouldn't have expected much praises.

I mean, if you have, hypothetically saying, an elephant, and you decide to cut its ears off because it'll be more aerodynamic and to your liking, sure, suits your taste. But showing up at an elephant sanctuary to ask "hey guys, what do you think?" wouldn't bring lots of positive feedback, not surprisingly.

So don't be surprised if many folks react negatively to your project - and keep in mind that in many years, you too may look back at your gun and think, "well, maybe that wasn't the best idea I ever had".
 
OP look at what you have done

SG24XL.jpg
 
Garand collectors are a whole different breed. As issued or original mean nothing to those guys. They'd rather have a rifle that's been put back to how it would have been when it left the factory. Not mine, it shows all of its history. And yes I wouldn't pay the price of an original as issued one for a "corrected" one.
 
It definitely looks sanded :( Probably would have been a better candidate for a strip, steam, and refinish with BLO. What finish did you use? It looks almost like a satin spray on finish.

My only Lee Enfield is a no 4 mk1* Longbranch, all matching numbers, but had the safety switched for a brit one during FTR, and received a brand new stock. Some numb nuts decided to tru oil it at some point. I've been debating stripping and BLO refinish for a while now.
 
mwjones said:
It definitely looks sanded :( Probably would have been a better candidate for a strip, steam, and refinish with BLO. What finish did you use? It looks almost like a satin spray on finish.

My only Lee Enfield is a no 4 mk1* Longbranch, all matching numbers, but had the safety switched for a brit one during FTR, and received a brand new stock. Some numb nuts decided to tru oil it at some point. I've been debating stripping and BLO refinish for a while now.
Click to expand...

Your Lee-Enfield is a totally different story to the OP's. If someone else has already altered it's finish then definitely go ahead and restore it to its rightful finish. Which in this case should actually be raw linseed oil. BLO looks more original faster because it builds up on the surface faster however.
 
Geraldo said:
Hey @CerealBlast, good for you for transforming your private property TOOL into something that you like more. Now you can see the wood grain, and it is probably smoother and cleaner too.Smoother? You cant be serious.

For the purists - I love to remind them that in the 70's, they sold these guns propped up in garbage cans in every hardware store (at least in Edmonton). Most folks sniffed at them and bought a fancier Winchester or Remington in .308 or 30-06. After all, their Dads or Granddads probably had a Lee Enfield sitting in the closet at home already. Its not the 70's anymore.

And in case you really think a Lee Enfield is incredibly rare, my tiny, rural, local gun club has a Lee Enfield shoot every year that is well attended. Lee Enfields may be the single most common rifle around these parts too. However, the gun club did change that to a "Historic Service Rifle" shoot not because of attendance, but because the Mauser and 91/30 and K31 owners felt slighted. Enfields are common as dirt. Unscrewed with enfields, not so much.

Peace.

G
Click to expand...


Since the op posted it here, you want opinions. It looks way worse than it did.
 
You can't win for losing in this game. I love rebuilding milsurps. I have the purist collectors turn thier noses up at rebuilds and say they are uncollectable because they are not original. But as a milsurp, for yours I would have at least given it an oil finish rather than the clear coat. It just looks more military that way.
 
OK. You took a vintage SMLE target rifle, and made it all shiney. Good for you.
The rifle was undoubtedly used for competition at the provincial, national or even international level. If you had put the same effort into backtracking the rifle, it might have been possible to see the scores achieved by the competitor - all competition records are available.
Just out of curiosity, was there evidence of the bedding having been reworked for shooting performance? Flat muzzle?
Incidentally, the remaining rear sight base is from an earlier pattern target sight than the more common PH5A sight. The rifle was probably used in competition in the 20s or 30s.
 
Last edited:
I usually don't get into the middle of these debates because I have strong feelings about altering an original milsup and I would prefer not to get into a flame war. I understand that, technically, if you spend your money to buy something it is yours to do with as you please. Personally, I don't feel like I ever completely own any of the pieces in my collection. I consider myself more of a caretaker of history for the future owners when I'm gone. That has certainly been the case for the previous owners of the pieces I have now.

To be blunt, if you want a shiny rifle go buy a Browning. They even come with gold triggers if you like the bling. Please don't bugger up original old guns. Your children and grandchildren will (hopefully) thank you.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom