Hi folks,
Been chatting with a couple of members over the past few months about that subject matter. Figured I may as well share my 2 cents here so others can potentially find it useful.
With many "desporterized" Lee Enfields being sold, and now prices going up somewhat, I think it's important to ask questions specific to the proper setup of the No4 rifle to reduce the chances of being disapointed with what you buy. So, aside from the "normal" questions (how's the bore, bluing, shooting good (group size), etc), here are a few questions you may want to ask a seller when considering buying a desporterized Lee Enfield No4.
1. Are the recoil lugs properly resting against the forend draws?
This is probably one of the most important aspects of forend bedding (also applies to the No1Mk3*), and a bit tricky to adjust. The two sides should be tight, and applying the same pressure.
The pressure on the draws should push the forend rearward so that the back face of the forend it in solid contact with the back of the receiver. I check this with my trusted feeler gauge: here, my .002 gauge doesn't slide between the receiver and the forend.
2. How is the bedding of the receiver and barrel?
In a nutshell, the barre of a No4 should be free floated except under the knox and at the muzzle. In pictures, it's easier to explain. First, there should be contact between the forend and the receiver bottom face, and under the barrel at the knox: I scribbled on the forend to show roughly where there must be contact:
Again, my trusted feeler gauge is helping here:
Going forward, free floating until we reach the muzzle:
Then, at the muzzle (last two inches), the forend should be touching, and even pushing upward, on the barrel.
A good test to do is to grab the rifle with one hand and try to push the muzzle up with your thumb, see if the muzzle will "snap" back on the forend when you release it:
Here's a drawing showing all of the above in one picture:
Here's another one where we often see issues: is there a spacer in the front trigger guard screw? Maybe a small detail, but an important one.
Something else I often see is a crack at the back of the forend; the "Damn Crack". This is very common, the back fo the forend being split vertically, between the recoil draws. You want to make sure it's not cracked.
Another one: how's the trigger pull? It should be a two-stage affair, and it's often tricky to achieve when swapping parts on a Lee Enfield.
There are a bunch of other details which are worth paying attention to, but for now, that'll have to do (I have to take the dogs out and split some firewood for the day). Hope this helps.
Lou
Been chatting with a couple of members over the past few months about that subject matter. Figured I may as well share my 2 cents here so others can potentially find it useful.
With many "desporterized" Lee Enfields being sold, and now prices going up somewhat, I think it's important to ask questions specific to the proper setup of the No4 rifle to reduce the chances of being disapointed with what you buy. So, aside from the "normal" questions (how's the bore, bluing, shooting good (group size), etc), here are a few questions you may want to ask a seller when considering buying a desporterized Lee Enfield No4.
1. Are the recoil lugs properly resting against the forend draws?
This is probably one of the most important aspects of forend bedding (also applies to the No1Mk3*), and a bit tricky to adjust. The two sides should be tight, and applying the same pressure.
The pressure on the draws should push the forend rearward so that the back face of the forend it in solid contact with the back of the receiver. I check this with my trusted feeler gauge: here, my .002 gauge doesn't slide between the receiver and the forend.
2. How is the bedding of the receiver and barrel?
In a nutshell, the barre of a No4 should be free floated except under the knox and at the muzzle. In pictures, it's easier to explain. First, there should be contact between the forend and the receiver bottom face, and under the barrel at the knox: I scribbled on the forend to show roughly where there must be contact:
Again, my trusted feeler gauge is helping here:
Going forward, free floating until we reach the muzzle:
Then, at the muzzle (last two inches), the forend should be touching, and even pushing upward, on the barrel.
A good test to do is to grab the rifle with one hand and try to push the muzzle up with your thumb, see if the muzzle will "snap" back on the forend when you release it:
Here's a drawing showing all of the above in one picture:
Here's another one where we often see issues: is there a spacer in the front trigger guard screw? Maybe a small detail, but an important one.
Something else I often see is a crack at the back of the forend; the "Damn Crack". This is very common, the back fo the forend being split vertically, between the recoil draws. You want to make sure it's not cracked.
Another one: how's the trigger pull? It should be a two-stage affair, and it's often tricky to achieve when swapping parts on a Lee Enfield.
There are a bunch of other details which are worth paying attention to, but for now, that'll have to do (I have to take the dogs out and split some firewood for the day). Hope this helps.
Lou
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