Help me with Enfield stock repair

[buellsfurn]

I thought about making a new thread but I'll try this first:


My repair has already broken and I realized why, the "recoil bridge" is rotten and the action is hitting against the spot I repaired when the rifle recoils.

my plan is to get some hard wood scraps and fashion some replacement blocks, has anyone done this before?

I have heard that if you don't fit them right, you can cause your stock to crack in other areas. I haven't found any very good advice or a guide on how to do this during my searches so I would appreciate any advice from the stock GURUS.

I am also going to have to drill those toothpicks back out and totally redo that repair I did previously because it's hardly holding on right now.

About 20 rounds of HXP surplus did the damage, that's all I've shot it since I repaired it.

Thanks for any help!

I guess I should have scrolled down before making a crack fill suggestion use your basic same procedures but start with getting a flat surface razor knife something like that the flatter the better you'll have a better glue bond id use regular tight bond wood glue it will wick into the wood some get your replacement piece some what shaped dremil tool or sand paper id glue the piece of wood used on first when its dried then drill and glue dowels in making sure you get glue down in the hole your choice finish sand and color

 

[toolness1]

looks good get yourself a dark mahogany furniture repair wax stick warm it up some with a lighter it will drip rub it across the crack filling it no worries with the extra get a rag and buff it off if you feel artistic get a old butter knife put a little bend in it heat tip and lightly rub it across the wax smoothing it let it cool for a minute use the rag over it repeat if needed

Good idea, thanks! I have to redo it but I'll do that when I finish

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[toolness1]

I got busy with other projects and haven't touched this in several months. So, now I'm back for more advice because I really miss shooting this rifle.

So, here's the current situation:


This repair broke the first time I took it out. I believe my draws are so worn out, the action is slamming against this part I had to repair.

If you check out this pic, you can see the draws look like they were replaced before (or did they always have different blocks of wood with dowels thru them?).

The wood is so old and soft, it's compressed over time and allowing the (receiver bridge?) to slam against my repaired area.

What do you guys suggest I do with the draws? Do you think I can remove those blocks (one had already fallen out and I tried gluing it back) and make myself some new ones?

I have looked everywhere but can't find any of the brass plates that you can install in this area, but I believe I need to fix the wood first or I won't have anything solid to even mount the brass plates to if I went that route.

I would like to keep the original stock if I can, this is my only Enfield. I am worried I'll get frustrated and just stick it in a ATI sporter stock or something.

I suck at woodwork, so I am not looking forward to fixing the draws AND redoing my other repair that broke.


I need some advice from the wood stock gurus!

Thanks for any help!

 

[toolness1]

I guess I should have scrolled down before making a crack fill suggestion use your basic same procedures but start with getting a flat surface razor knife something like that the flatter the better you'll have a better glue bond id use regular tight bond wood glue it will wick into the wood some get your replacement piece some what shaped dremil tool or sand paper id glue the piece of wood used on first when its dried then drill and glue dowels in making sure you get glue down in the hole your choice finish sand and color

Do you think I should replace the whole area like in this picture, or just the blocks that are already there in my stock? I think the wood is so soft in that area, putting reinforcement dowels vertically like the existing ones isn't enough, I have seen people put them through from the side, do you think I should do that?

 

[toolness1]

Should I try making two individual blocks, or fit and glue one piece like this guy did, then cut it out once that is solid?

I'm really not looking forward to this. I have no problem fitting and filing on metal, but I'm worthless with stock work! You can see how ugly my other repair is...And I didn't have to worry about fitting that at all.

I have read that if I don't fit the draw correctly, it will hurt accuracy and can make the stock break in other areas....

 

[iH8DemLibz]

Wish I could help.

But I know nothing about Enfield rifles/stocks/stress points.

I like the copper plate idea. If that's a repair you're comfortable with, most good hobby shops sell sheets/strips of brass.

Good luck with it.

 

[toolness1]

Wish I could help.

But I know nothing about Enfield rifles/stocks/stress points.

I like the copper plate idea. If that's a repair you're comfortable with, most good hobby shops sell sheets/strips of brass.

Good luck with it.

Thanks.

I have some brass number tag discs I was looking at and thinking about cutting into shape, not sure if they are thick enough though. But I think I am going to have to address the wood issue first.

Forends are not so easy to find, and definitely not cheap. Only place I can find that has them is Liberty tree, and they are 100 bucks.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

A pair of tin snips, a file, and a drill and you're set.

 

[MilsurpDan]

I'm having the exact same problem with my No 1 Mk. III stock. It's cracked in almost the same place but luckily it hasn't completely split off yet. I think I might have to just place stronger wood pieces like in the pictures you posted. How well does the toothpick/dowel fix hold the side of the stock together? I might have to do the same thing to my stock to hold it together.

The problem that caused mine was that a piece of wood behind the front triggerguard/set screw broke loose and the receiver was slamming against the rear of the stock and cracked it. I wish the British put crossbolts in their stocks like the Germans did.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Thats is a complicated stock and arrangement and Enfields are not my thing but here goes. In the first post,second picture there is another crack in that stock. Right in front of the metallic buttress on the right side. Maybe if you can check it out it may help you with the repair. I will not speculate to much but I have read(seem to recall) that the stock should not touch the front face of the socket in that area. I guess if the wood fiber is not totally degraded you could remove insert material into specific areas to reinforce the entire area or devcon bed as needed for strength and then add or build off that to adjust POI as necessary. I have also read that transverse dowels have been used further to the front of the receiver area to help stabilize bedding as well. There are comprehensive repair and bedding instructions on another popular sight that are very well written and describe all the op-positional forces that are going on with that weapon type but they are complicated because they are written by Canadians Aussies and Englishmen. The problem there is that any sort of repair that involves epoxy or glass are "hokey" to the writers. I would be more concerned with stabilizing that stock and preserving it so it remains useful than satisfying somebody else s taste. I think replacements are difficult to come by so I would go slow and find out as much as I can before I removed to much material to quickly inside of that mortise. People love those rifles and will do anything to keep them going so there is a lot of good advice out there just like whats on here from what I seen so far. Washing out all that old grease from the wood will help with getting things to stick.

 

[toolness1]

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it to everyone who replied.

Doco, I hadn't even noticed that other crack, thanks for pointing that out.

I am really not sure what to do.

Do you guys have any suggestions for a professional I could check into? I am thinking about getting a couple quotes to have it done and weigh that against the prospect of attempting to salvage it myself.

 

[toolness1]

I'm having the exact same problem with my No 1 Mk. III stock. It's cracked in almost the same place but luckily it hasn't completely split off yet. I think I might have to just place stronger wood pieces like in the pictures you posted. How well does the toothpick/dowel fix hold the side of the stock together? I might have to do the same thing to my stock to hold it together.

The problem that caused mine was that a piece of wood behind the front triggerguard/set screw broke loose and the receiver was slamming against the rear of the stock and cracked it. I wish the British put crossbolts in their stocks like the Germans did.

That fix was pretty solid. The glue at the seam cracked, but the toothpicks held. The piece didn't fall off. Since that area seems to be taking the brunt of the recoil on mine, I would say the glue and toothpicks are pretty strong, and I didn't even have mine anchored down very far into the main area of the stock because I didn't have a longer drill bit.

 

[Texas]

That fix was pretty solid. The glue at the seam cracked, but the toothpicks held. The piece didn't fall off. Since that area seems to be taking the brunt of the recoil on mine, I would say the glue and toothpicks are pretty strong, and I didn't even have mine anchored down very far into the main area of the stock because I didn't have a longer drill bit.

I love that you did it yourself. After WWII most guns were repaired in house. Congrats on taking it on yourself. I wish I had more guts sometimes when it comes to taking on tasks like that.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Captain Peter Laidler and others have too numerous to list discussion repair/how-to on milsurps .com. Some good stock repair guys on there too. You will be able to discern the best course of action from what is written there.

 

[toolness1]

I love that you did it yourself. After WWII most guns were repaired in house. Congrats on taking it on yourself. I wish I had more guts sometimes when it comes to taking on tasks like that.

Thanks. For only being into guns since the end of 2012, I've learned a lot and have tackled a lot of projects with gunsmithing. But, wood work is where I am really inexperienced.

The best way to learn is just to dive in, that's how I did it. I would read up on the subject as much as possible, find YouTube videos of whatever project I was tackling (if available), and then go for it. You may ruin a few parts along the way, but it is worth it.

One thing that helped me a lot with fully taking down a gun that I wasn't familiar with is taking pictures as I remove each part so I can remember how it goes back together. (assuming there isn't a step-by-step video or guide available)

 

[toolness1]

Captain Peter Laidler and others have too numerous to list discussion repair/how-to on milsurps .com. Some good stock repair guys on there too. You will be able to discern the best course of action from what is written there.

Thanks, I found some that will be helpful.

 

[toolness1]

Well, I found a thread on surplusrifleforum of the exact repair I am needing, so that is helpful. This guy used acraglass and even used fiberglass cloth in some areas.

I also found a referral for a guy on that forum that does this kind of work, so I sent him a PM. If I can't get him to do it, I guess I'll try to duplicate this:

http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=137&t=43951

 

[mawkie]

Peter Laidler and the guys on Milsurps.com have the best library of SMLE info on the net. Hate saying this but if you want a shooter you might be better served scouring the net and local shows to find a replacement forestock. Indian furniture bits are the easiest to find. Hard part is getting one that didn't come off of a DP'd rifle. Those have heavy DP stamps and that semi circle of wood removed from the left side when they drilled the barrel chamber. I checked my Enfield horde for a No1 forestock but came away with nothing. Have plenty of No4 wood but that won't help in this instance.

 

[toolness1]

Peter Laidler and the guys on Milsurps.com have the best library of SMLE info on the net. Hate saying this but if you want a shooter you might be better served scouring the net and local shows to find a replacement forestock. Indian furniture bits are the easiest to find. Hard part is getting one that didn't come off of a DP'd rifle. Those have heavy DP stamps and that semi circle of wood removed from the left side when they drilled the barrel chamber. I checked my Enfield horde for a No1 forestock but came away with nothing. Have plenty of No4 wood but that won't help in this instance.

Thanks for checking!

I have a message out to a guy on surplusrifleforum that might be able to do it for me. If he can't, I am going to tackle it myself.

If I ruin it, I'll find a replacement forend.

That's the plan so far....

 

[toolness1]

Got the tools and materials I needed to get started on this thing. Went to take it apart, and this is what I found.

That's it. This thing is trash. There's too much damage. I guess I'll hunt down a replacement, although I feel like just giving up and sticking it in a sporter stock at this point.

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