Unsporterizing a Lee Enfield No. 4 MKI - Where do I start?

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jman263

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I know this is probably been asked before, but I can't seem to find the info I need through searches.

I bought a sporter No. 4 MKI from a friend for a good deal and I'd like to "restore" it back to it's wooden glory! Once I picked it up and looked into doing it, I realized I'll need to acquire more than just the wood for it. If anyone can give me a list of the parts I would need to bring it back to original spec.

I know most people just say to get a stock one, but I thought it would be a fun project.

As an aside, would I have any trouble importing the hardware for the US? Gov't sites state orders under $1000.00 are unregulated in the US, but peoples experiences are a better gauge in my own experience.
 
Just look at a picture of a full wood one and buy the pieces you are missing. Finding the wood will be harder than you think. I recommend posting a picture so we can let you know if you can even get it to its former glory. I can tell you have done next to no research
 
If it still has the full barrel, including the bayonet lugs, and no alterations to the receiver (holes drilled for scope mounts, etc.) you're good to go. A cut barrel is a show stopper though. Stocks are a hard to find and expensive. Metal parts are a crap shoot as well, you'll need boh barrel bands, screws, and sling swivels as a minimum. Just have patience and check all the surplus part websites here in Canada, the US and even in the UK. Also check Ebay. Good luck with your project. Here's a parts diagram from Numrich in the US. You can order from them as well, they do ship to Canada.https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/smle/no-4-mki/parts-list-no-4
 
OP - you will need to research before spending money!!! Several types of rear sights - used by some makers, not by others, produced at certain years, and so on. A sure sign of a "put together from a sporter" is wrong parts, hand guard to forearm not fitted, forearm not seated / bedded to action, improper stock fit at muzzle, and so on. All well documented what it should be like.

Crushed or damaged draws a sure sign someone did not know what they were doing when dis-assembling or re-assembling. If you do not know what that means, time to do some reading!!!
 
I would strongly advise asking yourself is it worth it first. Unless this rifle is rare/unusual or has some sentimental value it will cost more to restore than it is worth.

You also need to understand if you have a UK, US or Canadian rifle in order to get the correct parts to restore it properly. Recommend you start by posting some pictures here and get some input from board members on exactly what you have, if it is worth restoring and what you need.
 
Here you go, start reading:

http://photos.imageevent.com/badgerdog/generalstorage/piclinks/INSTRUCTIONS_FOR_ARMOURER1.pdf

http://www.euroarms.net/efd/manuali/No4Mk1Inst.pdf

http://www.euroarms.net/efd/manuali/No4Mk1Arm.pdf

The easiest way to find wood these days is to get a reproduction set - obviously this is "frowned" on by proper collectors, but the rifle is never going to be a collector piece so you may as well take the proverbial path of least resistance to get started. You will be able to find NOS/used butts and hand guards for sale, but forends are largely unobtanium; hence going the reproduction route - also, reproduction wood should all be similar wood types/shades so that saves you a step in getting matching wood or staining/dyeing.

Metal parts can still be found, but international shipping is a crapshoot these days; in addition to the exchange rate. Find as much as you can in Canada, but be prepared to pay upwards of $500 to get all the necessary supplies. If you just want it to look the part, you'll be more or less there. If you intend on having a "proper" looking rifle, you're going to spend years collecting parts.
 
I recommend posting a picture so we can let you know if you can even get it to its former glory. I can tell you have done next to no research
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Here Are some photos I took. I hope I'm getting all the angles i need to:
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I would strongly advise asking yourself is it worth it first. Unless this rifle is rare/unusual or has some sentimental value it will cost more to restore than it is worth.
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I am aware that it's probably going to cost me more than a put together one. I paid $200 for this thing and from what I've gathered from looking online, I would at best "break even" restoring it. I though it would simply be a nice project and take one more ugly sporter off the market.

The easiest way to find wood these days is to get a reproduction set - obviously this is "frowned" on by proper collectors, but the rifle is never going to be a collector piece so you may as well take the proverbial path of least resistance to get started.
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I was planning on going that route. The guy I bought it from is a gunsmith and he pointed me in the direction of a Canadian company that makes reproduction wood. They don't have the stock on their site, but they said they'd be releasing it in the next few months. Also thank you for the links to more info!
 
I see a knob cocking piece. Those were common on early No.4s. You might have a rifle that has been assembled from parts - parts that could be worth more than the supporting rifle. Contact CGN member bilboa (sp?) a start a conversation. He has a running Wanted To Buy ad in the Milsurp page of the Exchange.
 
Thats not too bad of rifle to start with. Wood stock with metal fittings, butt plate, barrel bands, hand guard ring. Check to see if the trigger is mounted on the trigger guard or the butt collar as this will determine if you need a no4 mk1 forestock or a no4 mk2 forestock.
 
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maple_leaf_eh said:
I see a knob cocking piece. Those were common on early No.4s. You might have a rifle that has been assembled from parts - parts that could be worth more than the supporting rifle. Contact CGN member bilboa (sp?) a start a conversation. He has a running Wanted To Buy ad in the Milsurp page of the Exchange.
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Yes I think the old style round cocking piece is probably worth $250+ depending on manufacturer. Look for square S for Savage or LB Longbranch marks. It's not original to your rifle so you could probably trade it for a forestock.
 
A OL###x bolt means a Canadian Long Branch bolt from the first few thousand. It is not a trivial discovery. The receiver is a British Maltby, note the stylized M on the butt socket. The plastic stock cost someone a hundred or more dollars back in the 80s.

Yes, with these details, I can see it is assembled from parts, but as I mentioned before, the value of the parts is probably worth more than the rifle supporting them.
 
I have used EBAY.UK and ordered in parts from England. You would be surprised the amount of long branch stuff they have
 
Yes I see that the bolt is Long Branch from the second set of pictures provided, but as I said earlier it is clearly a rather worn (and now mismatched) British No 4 Mk.1 and not worth restoring
 
I would second parting this rifle out. Like stated the round cocking piece and very early long branch bolt are both on the rare spectrum and desirable. Other parts like magazines, which are often unnumbered can fetch $50-$100, the stock may be valuable to someone looking for a sporter stock etc. Parting this rifle out would likely fetch you enough to buy a better candidate for restoration plus a lot of the required parts. That or it would fetch maybe half to three quarters of a an original example
 
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