Turning to the forestock and the front handguard, bluing the metal presented a bit of a challenge, because I could not put the wood in a toaster oven, a standard oven, or use a torch to heat the metal to the required 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Turning to the poorly fitted buttstock repairs, I used files and sandpaper to blend them with the stock. Once the wood was as clean as I could get it, I used 0000 steel wool to smooth out the grain. Since the citrus cleaner is water based, and would raise the grain of the wood, I wound up using a steamer remove more cosmoline, followed up with denatured alcohol to absorb as much water as possible. Rags after using the citrus based cleaner: I always try to use the gentlest methods first, as I don't want to remove any wood, nor do I want to raise the grain if at all possible.īetween the grime, cosmoline, and gun oil/grease soaked into the stock, I ended up having to use an oil scrub (25% linseed oil/75% turpentine), followed up with straight turpentine, then denatured alcohol, and finally a citrus based wood cleaner. The first task was to remove as much dirt as possible. Additionally, the forestock still had a significant amount of cosmoline on the inner surfaces. There are crudely installed repairs on the heel and toe of the buttstock. The wood was in decent shape, but very dirty. You can also see the machining marks on the receiver.Īfter getting all of the finish(es) off, it was ready for a deep cleaning prior to refinishing. Receiver markings - You can clearly see they were electro-penciled on. As this is a war rifle, I was careful to leave the rough machining marks intact. I then followed up with 400 and 600 grit to remove any sanding marks. Most of the parkerizing and Suncorite came off after wiping the parts down with phosphoric acid followed up with a few strokes of 320 grit sandpaper for the stubborn spots. The next task was to remove the parkerizing and any traces of Suncorite from the barreled receiver, and any other parts to be refinished. There is some frosting in the grooves, but after cleaning, lands came out bright and shiny.Īll of the parts were soaked in mineral spirits/stripper to remove any paint, followed by a soak in Gunslick Foaming Bore Cleaner, which works really well at removing old dirt and grease. It is an original 5 land/groove barrel that is still in good shape. With the barrel in good shape, given the condition of the rifle and electro-penciled marking, this is more of a shooter than a collector's piece, and a good candidate for restoration.Īfter I received the rifle, I gave the barrel a good cleaning. The stock metal was pretty much 'in the white' The buttstock has two poorly fitted repairs, and is pretty grungy. perhaps the rifle was force matched to the magazine?
Lee enfield no4 mk1 serial numbers location serial number#
The only clear serial number on the rifle was on the bottom of the magazine. The serial number and model number information were not roll stamped on the receiver, but applied with an electro-pencil. Photograph taken before it was sent to me: At some point, one of it's owners 'refinished' it with black paint.
The importer, or someone else, stripped off a lot of the Suncorite, and applied a parkerized finish. Suncorite is very tough to remove, but is vulnerable to chipping. It was originally made in 1944 at Royal Ordinance Factory Fazakerley.Įnfields were originally finished with "Suncorite", a black enamel that was thinned with Carbon Tetrachloride, which was banned years ago due to its toxicity.
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