Welding on a barrel extension

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Jon.

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Good day, I was just handed some rifles I offered to clean up and do some minor fixes on, for a new gun owner. He inherited some of his families old firearms, one being a sporterized enfield. He asked me about restoring it to the full wood, which I'm happily capable of, except for the small matter of some jackass who cut off the barrel tip, just behind the bayonet lugs.

It's not money is no object project, and I have no doubt he can find some skilled welders around to help him for very little cost.

If I could get a piece of barrel of similar dimension, would it be feasible to get a piece and get it stuck on somehow? Obviously it would be drilled out to be larger than the bore diameter so it would have nothing to do with that, just for the look.
What kind of welding or soldering or whatever would work best?

I know an easier thing would be get a full wood gun, which is what I suggested, but I also told him I'd explore this idea.
 
Are the bayonet lugs still there? If so, a little cylinder could be welded on. Wouldn't consider anything other than TIG. Back in the day, I had a M1 carbine barrel stretched. The 'smith did a beautiful job.
If the lugs are gone, the muzzle from a scrap No. 4 barrel can be spliced on. I have used a socket joint and silver solder, the joint being hidden.
 
As tiriaq describes - will take some lathe work - turn a "socket" (reduced diameter) on existing front end. Take a piece from donor - ream out a female "socket" to fit snugly. Ideally the splice is under the front sight carrier - won't be seen afterwards. Bore out the add-on piece, so no rifling left, and then some - do not want that part to touch the bullet - really, really hard to find exactly matched rifling - and then to install it perfectly lined up with bayonet mounts correct - do not even try - just bore the "extension" out - is called "back boring", I think - was done to rejuvenate muzzles that were "washed out" by sloppy work with pull through cleaners or with solid metal cleaning rods allowed to rub against the rifling at the muzzle. More than a "beginner" level of "restoration", but it works!!!
 
gaff said:
might be easier to find a barrel that's not messed with.
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Not sure what OP has to work on, but if it is a No. 4 Lee Enfield, is not a "slam dunk" to remove an original barrel without twisting the receiver - need a good and correct receiver wrench for that, and a decent barrel vise - it helps to do a relief cut on old barrel just a mm or so ahead of receiver ring - that will relieve a lot of the "torque". I have never pulled a barrel on a No. 1 Lee Enfield, but imagine a similar challenge. I am starting to accumulate a "collection" of "good deals" - almost all turned out to have twisted or bent receivers because barrel removal was done or attempted without correct tooling... I did find an Internet write-up to completely strip a No. 4 Lee Enfield bolt, then made a snug fit plug for the firing pin hole at rear of the bolt - drill that "plug" on centre with a centre drill - then use a dead centre in lathe at chuck end to hold that end, so bolt acts like a receiver mandrel - and a live centre into a ratty muzzle at the tail stock end. It worked, at least "good enough".
 
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Socket weld for alignment and a competent welder should have no problem with that. Pre/post heat and tig would be my approach. Don’t expect it done for a case of beer though. If it came into my shop, it would be a minimum of $200-$300 not including the parts. Finishing would be difficult as well if you wanted to have it look like it was never messed with (other than counter bored obviously)
 
billbmcleod said:
And I thought barrel extensions were history. But maybe that was only for barrel length like on the M1 Carbine.

Bill
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That used to be done to bring semi-auto's to non-restricted length, but since the mid 90's barrel extensions no longer count towards legal barrel length.
In this case, I think it is being done simply to restore the Enfield for cosmetic purposes.
 
Not to be a fly in the ointment but finding a donor barrel with lugs, getting in machined to spec, then a welder to weld that on. $100, $100 and $100 might be a no go for me on a sporterized enfield rifle. Then getting it done in full wood.
 
tigrr said:
Not to be a fly in the ointment but finding a donor barrel with lugs, getting in machined to spec, then a welder to weld that on. $100, $100 and $100 might be a no go for me on a sporterized enfield rifle. Then getting it done in full wood.
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Kind of the "story" for a lot of "sporter" restore jobs. Add in a couple more $100 for the books to tell you how to do it correctly, how to identify and match up correct parts, then a few more for an action wrench and a barrel vice, and then to buy or make the full wood, and then to find out that most of the hardware that goes onto that wood needs to be found. It certainly can be "eye opening", for sure!!! The fussier that you get, the harder it becomes - some parts from a P14 fit and work perfectly on a No. 1 Lee Enfield, but are marked incorrectly. Some parts from a No. 1 will fit and work on a No. 4, but are "wrong", and so on... Stratton's book shows 9 different No. 4 action bodies used at one time or the other; also shows 9 different rear sights that were used on No. 4's - so which one of those 81 possible combinations is going to be chosen and why?? All will "fit" - almost all will "work".
 
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tigrr said:
Not to be a fly in the ointment but finding a donor barrel with lugs, getting in machined to spec, then a welder to weld that on. $100, $100 and $100 might be a no go for me on a sporterized enfield rifle. Then getting it done in full wood.
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Times two, the whole won't be worth the sum of the parts. The cutting off of the bayonet lugs seem to be so common, I have to wonder if it was done on a commercial basis ? I have one I picked up for a project.

Grizz
 
To be fair for this, the owner isn't looking for a show piece, and isn't looking to drop 1200$ on another specimen. And he would know many people in the welding business so it wouldn't cost much more than some cases of beer or a bottle or two, and there would be no rush so I'm sure between us we could make it look half decent.

I appreciate all the ideas and suggestions. Some of them sound promising. Thank you very much all.
 
well if you don't care if it has bayonet lugs then the extension is easy, if you want the bayonet lugs then you have a challenge.

the Cno7 .22 and DCRA conversions did not have bayonet lugs so not really a big deal, your project will never be a 'complete, correct' rifle anyways.
 
tiriaq said:
If the lugs are gone, the muzzle from a scrap No. 4 barrel can be spliced on. I have used a socket joint and silver solder, the joint being hidden.
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This right here sounds to me like the best idea, for the least amount of money.

You could, quite reasonably, either thread the pieces, or even use soft solder, or both, and end up with a good looking extension tip, for pretty near no money, provided you can do the work, and find a suitable donor. Silver solder, if the barrel is ever going into a hot blue tank!

Those worrying about extensions not being allowed, are thinking of the extensions which made a restricted or prohib barrel into a non-restricted length. Those types of extensions pretty much need to be done with a reline to get the continuous rifling the whole length.
 
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