Enfield re-barrel?

1894P · May 23, 2009, 01:52 PM

First post!

I've got a 1943 SMLE (Enfield) No4 MkI, English (Birmingham) manf. The barrel is in pretty bad shape, and I'd like to have it rebarreled and reblued or Parkerized.

Numrich has decent milsurp barrels for a good price, but the few gunsmiths I've spoken with say they won't install them for liability reasons.

If I go with Gander Mtn or a barrel manufacturer (like ER Shaw) I'll lose the bayonet lugs in the process, and I'm not willing to do that to this historic rifle.

Suggestions? Are there any gunsmiths out there who aren't afraid of the milsurp barrels?

I plan to refinish the wood myself, so by the time this project is done I hope to have a historically-accurate and minute-of-deer-accurate battle rifle.

DnPRK · May 23, 2009, 04:23 PM

Welcome to the site!

The issue for most gunsmiths is they don't do enough Enfields to justify the cost of special tooling to hold the awkwardly shaped SMLE receiver ring and barrel near the receiver.
SMLE wrench $130+shipping
The block to hold the barrel in a barrel vise would have to be custom cut on a lathe and bandsawed in half - more time and $s.

Since the Numrich barrel is a takeoff, a 'smith would have to use a lathe to move the barrel shoulder one thread to account for your stretched action. Then the barrel would have to be rechambered for a "0" bolt head.
GO and NO GO headspace gages at $28 each
303 finish reamer at $100

So, you can see that the cost of special tooling for the SMLE adds up quickly. Add a couple or four hours of 'smith labor and you have easily exceeded the cost of your rifle.

The end result would be 2 very unhappy people:

You, because you'll think the 'smith is a crook for having to charge $ hundreds $ to simply break even.
The 'smith, for the hassle of obtaining the tooling and spending several shop hours for only $30 profit and ending up with an ungrateful customer to boot!

My recommendation is to Google for surplus rifle forums where you might find a gunsmith who specializes in SMLEs.

FALPhil · May 23, 2009, 09:05 PM

I rebarreled one. I bought one full of cosmoline. When I got it cleaned up, there was a bulge in the barrel about 5 inches from the muzzle, like someone tried to fire a rifle grenade with a real round instead of a blank.

It was very hard to rebarrel. I found a cherry 4-groove No.4 barrel at Northridge for $40. I used resin to cast a "wrench" around the chamber area and used a strap wrench to twist the barrel off, just about wrecking my elbow in the process. I reversed the process to get the new barrel on. I had the devil of a time getting it indexed correctly. I ended up taking a little metal off the barrel shoulder.

The headspace was long for a #1 bolt head. Fortunately, I found a #2 locally that gave me just the right dimension.

The rebarreled rifle turned out to be a tack driver. It will hold under 2 inches with iron sights all day long with the cheapest factory ammo I can find.

Clemson · May 23, 2009, 10:16 PM

Check with these guys..........

http://www.bdlltd.com/

Clemson

1894P · May 24, 2009, 02:37 PM

Thanks for all the answers!

Clemson, that link should be very helpful. I'll contact BDL and see what they have to say. It's nice that they're within driving distance, too.

CowTowner · May 26, 2009, 09:05 AM

You might want to look here as well:
http://www.specialinterestarms.com/index.php

Benonymous · June 2, 2009, 07:41 PM

When large numbers of surplus SMLE's were being sporterised in Australia post WW2, the local gunsmiths got around the barrel wrench problem by putting the barrel in a vise and bending it 90deg in the middle. The action was then clamped in a vise and the barrel was used as a lever to unscrew itself. If it was really stubborn, a piece of pipe could be put on the bent end of the barrel to give it a little extra encouragement

May 23, 2009, 10:16 PM	#4
Clemson Senior Member Join Date: March 9, 2001 Location: Greenwood, SC Posts: 875	Check with these guys.......... http://www.bdlltd.com/ Clemson __________________ NRA Endowment Member, NRA Certified Instructor CWP Holder US Army veteran Gunsmith www.boltandbarrel.com

May 24, 2009, 02:37 PM	#5
1894P Junior Member Join Date: May 23, 2009 Location: Simpsonville, SC Posts: 2	Thanks! Thanks for all the answers! Clemson, that link should be very helpful. I'll contact BDL and see what they have to say. It's nice that they're within driving distance, too.

May 26, 2009, 09:05 AM	#6
CowTowner Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2007 Location: Cowtown of course! Posts: 1,747	You might want to look here as well: http://www.specialinterestarms.com/index.php __________________ NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Home Firearms Safety, Pistol and Rifle Instructor *“Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life......”* President John F. Kennedy

June 2, 2009, 07:41 PM	#7
Benonymous Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2005 Location: NSW Australia Posts: 254	When large numbers of surplus SMLE's were being sporterised in Australia post WW2, the local gunsmiths got around the barrel wrench problem by putting the barrel in a vise and bending it 90deg in the middle. The action was then clamped in a vise and the barrel was used as a lever to unscrew itself. If it was really stubborn, a piece of pipe could be put on the bent end of the barrel to give it a little extra encouragement __________________ "A firearm in the hands of a citizen is a danger to government. A firearm in the hands of a criminal is of benefit to government" Anon.

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May 23, 2009, 01:52 PM	#1
1894P Junior Member Join Date: May 23, 2009 Location: Simpsonville, SC Posts: 2	Enfield re-barrel? First post! I've got a 1943 SMLE (Enfield) No4 MkI, English (Birmingham) manf. The barrel is in pretty bad shape, and I'd like to have it rebarreled and reblued or Parkerized. Numrich has decent milsurp barrels for a good price, but the few gunsmiths I've spoken with say they won't install them for liability reasons. If I go with Gander Mtn or a barrel manufacturer (like ER Shaw) I'll lose the bayonet lugs in the process, and I'm not willing to do that to this historic rifle. Suggestions? Are there any gunsmiths out there who aren't afraid of the milsurp barrels? I plan to refinish the wood myself, so by the time this project is done I hope to have a historically-accurate and minute-of-deer-accurate battle rifle.

May 23, 2009, 04:23 PM	#2
DnPRK Senior Member Join Date: August 24, 2001 Location: LC, Ca Posts: 1,917	Welcome to the site! The issue for most gunsmiths is they don't do enough Enfields to justify the cost of special tooling to hold the awkwardly shaped SMLE receiver ring and barrel near the receiver. SMLE wrench $130+shipping The block to hold the barrel in a barrel vise would have to be custom cut on a lathe and bandsawed in half - more time and $s. Since the Numrich barrel is a takeoff, a 'smith would have to use a lathe to move the barrel shoulder one thread to account for your stretched action. Then the barrel would have to be rechambered for a "0" bolt head. GO and NO GO headspace gages at $28 each 303 finish reamer at $100 So, you can see that the cost of special tooling for the SMLE adds up quickly. Add a couple or four hours of 'smith labor and you have easily exceeded the cost of your rifle. The end result would be 2 very unhappy people: You, because you'll think the 'smith is a crook for having to charge $ hundreds $ to simply break even. The 'smith, for the hassle of obtaining the tooling and spending several shop hours for only $30 profit and ending up with an ungrateful customer to boot! My recommendation is to Google for surplus rifle forums where you might find a gunsmith who specializes in SMLEs.

May 23, 2009, 09:05 PM	#3
FALPhil Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2007 Location: Racoon City Posts: 934	I rebarreled one. I bought one full of cosmoline. When I got it cleaned up, there was a bulge in the barrel about 5 inches from the muzzle, like someone tried to fire a rifle grenade with a real round instead of a blank. It was very hard to rebarrel. I found a cherry 4-groove No.4 barrel at Northridge for $40. I used resin to cast a "wrench" around the chamber area and used a strap wrench to twist the barrel off, just about wrecking my elbow in the process. I reversed the process to get the new barrel on. I had the devil of a time getting it indexed correctly. I ended up taking a little metal off the barrel shoulder. The headspace was long for a #1 bolt head. Fortunately, I found a #2 locally that gave me just the right dimension. The rebarreled rifle turned out to be a tack driver. It will hold under 2 inches with iron sights all day long with the cheapest factory ammo I can find.