RIC Carbine - LEC Mk.I* barrel profile

[englishman_ca]

Restoration project in progress. LEC Mk.I* This is how the project started out with just a receiver.

What are the chances of finding a spare carbine barrel? Slim or none?

Probably most practicle way would be to spin a rifle barrel in a lathe and reduce it to carbine profile. The front sight would have to be hand fabricated and added.

Would anybody have a dimensioned drawing of a carbine barrel that they could share info with me?

Also what is the story with this RIC magazine.

Is it captive?

There is a different wire loop on front of mag that sits ABOVE trigger guard inside the action, the front wood in the mag well is relieved to take it.

What is the idea behind this? No room for an external loop? How is the mag removed for cleaning?

 

[green]

IIRC the carbine bl is very similar in profile to the SMLE bl.

 

[woodchopper]

that mag is interesting.

6 round IIRC

but the loop confuses me as well.

 

[englishman_ca]

Yes, the mag is six rounds. It was taken from a RIC carbine (which is yet another project). The carbine appears to be complete and original so I would assume that the mag is original to the carbine also.

I have not encountered a loop on a mag like this before. Once installed above the trigger guard, the loop makes the mag captive and cannot be removed from the action without removing the trigger guard.

Obviously fa actory installed feature so I will leave it the way it is.

 

[Greenfields]

Do you have the full wood and nose cap? If so where did you find it? I have a Boer war LEC Mk1 thatn is need of all of above.

Cheers
Brian

 

[englishman_ca]

Full wood

Yes, I have the full wood with Rigby nosecap. It came from a chap in California. He will be sending me the barreled receiver to go with it once I get my US FFL holder sorted out.

So this wood belongs on another project, but I am going to use it as a pattern to try and make my own woodset on a wood duplicator that I am building.

They are out there, you just have to keep looking hard and long.

Most of the stuff that I find actualy finds me, from networking with other collectors on other gun boards that focus on Lee Enfields. Post your projects with pics to put your name out there and see if anybody can help out. I am amazed with the collector community, many times collectors have given me small parts to complete my projects gratis, stuff shows up in my mailbox, it's like Christmas as a kid! I in turn often give old junk, um, I mean, rare antique parts away to other collectors. Sorry, but no spare woodset to give away, at least not today!

The internet is quite amazing, I have pen pals around the globe! What is rare here is often common over there, and vica versa. So I encourage you to keep looking and keep posting, build up your contacts.

A lot of older LE stuff ended up in OZ and NZ and is quite common. They in turn are starved for Long Branch parts, and I enjoy horsetrading!

 

[Nyles]

Here's a picture of the mag (complete with attacking link) from my original RIC carbine, which would of course been identical to the arrangement on an unmodified LEC. Not the optimal arrangement, but I guess they were afraid of the average Private / Constable losing their mag (which is only partially stupid, when I did basic we DID have a few troops lose some weapon parts).

I guess to clean the thing you just took out the spring / floorplate and left the mag body attached. Kinda like keeping a C7s heatshield spotless while being told not to remove it from the handguard .