Yes, I will take lots of pics while I am doing it. Probably won't decide just how I will do it till I get it cleaned up and see how the stock looks.
Randy
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Yes, I will take lots of pics while I am doing it. Probably won't decide just how I will do it till I get it cleaned up and see how the stock looks.
Randy
I have done all of my stocks in tung oil, the real stuff, not Formsby's which has no tung oil in it. You can get it from Woodcraft, I get the pure and mix a little at a time with real paint thinner, not the water based white stuff. Tung oil fully polmerizes, it and Walnut oil are the only wood finish oils that do. The rest only partially harden.
I will sand to about 300 and start with a mix of 50% oil. I will sand this in, working up a good slurry, and rub it off with something like burlap across grain, filling the pours. Wait a day and do it again. Wait a day and sand with the grain down to the wood. Start rubbing on oil as described with true oil finish. If you see the oil spotting you have unfilled pores and need to fill again. Do this until the wood is as smooth and finished as you want. I have put on as many as ten coats and as few as six. As you work with the finish and wait between coats the thinner gasses off and you have a finish that gradually becomes mostly oil and only about 10-15% thinner. This builds up realtively quickly. If it becomes too shiny you can knock down the shine with some 400-800 paper. I don't use steel wool on a stock, you will inevitably leave some behind and it will rust.
Hello everybody,newbe here.Ialso have the p17 enfield full version made in eddystone.For an almost 100 year old rifle its still a tack driver!I havnt handloaded for it yet and at this time use federal power shock 180 grain softpoints.I would imagine hundreds of thousands of these robust rifles found their way into the hands of American hunters just like 8 out of ten hunters in Canada owned a .303 lee-enfield.http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h8...Picture084.jpg
I went out and shot the 1917 this weekend, even though I know I should have had the headspace checked first. No splits or case separation, but I just shot 6 rounds till I get it checked out. I have some pics of the shell casings, give me your opinion guys.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Xh...=w1258-h943-no
The case definitely swells about a 1/4" up from the base. Is this ok, or is my chamber worn out. It doesn't look right to me. I can put a set of calipers on it later and give you numbers.
Randy
A few thousandths of an inch of expansion in the hollow part of the case are normal, especially in military rifles. A perfect fit of case to chamber, such as target shooters and benchresters use (Oh, and factories which want to tell you how accurately their guns will shoot) becomes an impossible fit with a little dirt, and is liable to seize up when the barrel is really hot. Towards the shoulder area of the case a bigger gap is permissible. People commonly make the Improved version of cases by firing the normal factory rounds in the Improved chamber, and get pretty good accuracy. (An exception is the .25-35, in which the factory cartridge frequently splits at the shoulder, but even this isn't dangerous.
Chambers don't wear to speak of. One might enlarge through frequent rust and its removal, but it would be hard for that to happen without a deteriorated bore as well. Most likely your chamber is fine, but if it worries you a chamber cast, made preferably with Cerrosafe alloy which melts at less than the boiling point of water, is the way to go.
I own two both original. One an Eddystone the other a Remington. The Remington is my favorite gun. I shoot it all summer with 13grains of unique and a heavy cast bullet sized to .311.
Just a pleasure to own and with those light loads a day at the range is a good time.
My plan us to pass them on to my grandsons.
An easy way to get an idea where your headspace is at, is to pull a formed casing ( ie not fired virgin brass). Then apply "plasti gauge" to the base and chamber and then close the bolt. Done right it will give you a measurment. Plastigauge is used by mechanics to measure bearing clearances, i get mine at the local Cambodian tire. You can use layers of tape of a known thickness as well applied to the base of the shell. Scotch tape will work as long as it is thin. Once thick enough your bolt wont close.
.063 min for .303, modern max is .067.
Not sure what it is for 30'06.
Be safe
"An easy way to get an idea where your headspace is at, is to pull a formed casing ( ie not fired virgin brass). Then apply "plasti gauge" to the base and chamber and then close the bolt. Done right it will give you a measurment. Plastigauge is used by mechanics to measure bearing clearances, i get mine at the local Cambodian tire. You can use layers of tape of a known thickness as well applied to the base of the shell. Scotch tape will work as long as it is thin. Once thick enough your bolt wont close."
The only problem with this is the 1917 Enfield and Pattern 14 bolt both cam all the way to close. There is not a flat surface where the caming action stops. Like on a Mouser or Springfield. If you look at the back of the bolt locking lugs you'll see they are sloped. When I headspace an Enfield I chamber so the bolt handle stops just before bottoming out in the action. I'm talking about a 1/16th of an inch or less from closing all the way on a go gauge.
I have one that had the stock partially sporterized. I shoot 180 gr RCBS boolits with reduced loads and can get nice group with the 26" barrel.
Have fun
Leadmelter
MI
I have seen this you may have too remove the extractor to get proper headspace reading, and cleanliness is a must. My for mentioned headspace "gauging" ain't perfect but it may help.
Also I used the modern .303 British headspace not the original military specs
Be safe
Another headspace check is to put a collar over the case neck and measure OAL of both together with dial calipers, compare with factory ammo.
Expect your 1917 chamber to be "generous". That's OK. Just Partial Full Length resize and you'll have close fitting ammo. If you reload for other 06, segregate these loads.
Nice rifle, by thd way, shoot it and enjoy it.
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Thanks for all the great ideas and responses!
I just got home from having my left knee replaced, so its gonna be a bit before I get to working on anything.
Keep the idea and advice coming, I can use anything you got!!
Randy
A worthwhile accessory for the Enfield is the Parker-Hale 5B range sight.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ace/PH5B_A.jpg
Where might one be found?
Your gun only appears to have had the wood altered and bolt changed. The "ears" were not cut and the barrel was not shortened. If it were my gun, I would be looking for replacement wood and return it to its military glory. You would have to find some stock metal also. I just fired mine today to get ready for the Knob Creek military bolt gun match. I have both times won the 200 yard CMP as issued military matches with my P17. The last score was 274 3X shooting pulled M2 surplus bullets and 50 grains if surplus 4895. The original weight of the P17 takes the kick out of the 30-06 better than either Springfield but not as soft shooting as the M1.