Restoring an Enfield

[TheJoker]

Nicely done, Wolfhound. I have a few Lee-Enfield's myself. They are a sheer pleasure to shoot!

 

[Wolfhound]

Nicely done, Wolfhound. I have a few Lee-Enfield's myself. They are a sheer pleasure to shoot!

Thanks Joker. I totally agree. I have four Enfields and I enjoy shooting them as much or more than any other rifle I own.

 

[ru44mag]

I had one dated 1903 and one dated 1944. I sold them some years ago and truely regret it. Those rifles seemed to be made for me. I could shoot them really fast and still be very accurate. The cost of ammo was high, and attempts at reloading even at very low pressures ended up with severely split cases. The 1903 was my favorite.

 

[Wolfhound]

I wanted to give an update to this thread. I finally found time to basically finish the 1918 No 1 Mk III and start the 1916. I still need to install a brass unit disc on the 1916 and a couple of the screws are not genuine Enfield parts so I will be replacing them shortly.

The 1918 is pictured above the 1916. I think the 1918 has a slightly longer stock than the 1916. Other than that they are very similar.

 

[Farmritch]

Ive got a sporterized one that looks just like yours.

But they even removed the charger bridge, I was concerned the reciever strength has been compromised by removing it.

 

[Wolfhound]

Ive got a sporterized one that looks just like yours.

But they even removed the charger bridge, I was concerned the reciever strength has been compromised by removing it.

I am a big fan of the Enfields. I am not sure if removing the charger bridge harms the strength of the receiver but I am sure there are some on here that could answer that question. I do know that it would make restoring the rifle much more difficult if not impossible.

 

[rob63]

Ive got a sporterized one that looks just like yours.

But they even removed the charger bridge, I was concerned the reciever strength has been compromised by removing it.

I think it is unlikely anyone will be able to truly give you a definitive answer, it would take doing a stress analysis or finding some sort of record of something done previously and I doubt they ever bothered. That said, I know it would bother me just because the bolt locks into the rear of the receiver. Lee-Enfields aren't that hard to find and are expensive to shoot anyway, so I would get a different one or not shoot it.

The flip-side of the coin is that there was no charger bridge on the original Lee-Enfield design, and the charger bridge on the SMLE was riveted in place. It seems highly unlikely that they would have simply riveted it in place if it was actually intended to be a structural component. I would guess it does nothing more than hold the stripper clip in the right place and removing it doesn't really weaken the receiver. Here is what it looks like removed:

Here is the thread that this came from, you may want to read it. It's not the first time this has come up, and it may be possible to replace it:
Welcome to Culver's Shooting Page

There were companies that purposely removed the charger bridge when they sporterized it, and I have never heard of it causing issues.
Welcome to Culver's Shooting Page

How is that for a wishy-washy answer? It's almost certainly not a problem, but I wouldn't risk it anyway. However, you may be less risk-averse than I am, most people are.

 

[Wolfhound]

^ Excellent post. Good information for anyone who owns an Enfield rifle.

Thanks for putting that together Rob. I would rep you but it says I have to spread it around first.

 

[Old Bear]

Great job bringing those old war horses back to their glory! I am into Swedish Mausers myself and am currently neck deep in un-sporterizing a couple of carbines. I find it incredibly satisfying to restore these surplus rifles and marvel at the craftsmanship that went into building them 100 or more years ago.

 

[Wolfhound]

Great job bringing those old war horses back to their glory! I am into Swedish Mausers myself and am currently neck deep in un-sporterizing a couple of carbines. I find it incredibly satisfying to restore these surplus rifles and marvel at the craftsmanship that went into building them 100 or more years ago.

Thanks for the kind words Old Bear. Please share some pictures of the Swedish Mauser carbines when you have time. I would be very interested in before and after restoration pictures.