Showing posts with label Lee Enfield Mk. III. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lee Enfield Mk. III. Show all posts

Monday, October 1, 2012

Pius XII and the Lee Enfield



Pius XII said this:

“We belong to the Church militant; and she is militant because on earth the powers of darkness are ever restless to encompass her destruction. Not only in the far-off centuries of the early church, but down through the ages and in this our day, the enemies of God and Christian civilization make bold attack on  the Creator’s supreme dominion and sacrosanct human rights.”

I like that. Here's a picture of a Lee Enfield.


I like that too.

LSP

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

From Here To Qeternity


descent of the damned

Acting in solidarity with those unfortunate enough to have money deposited in Spanish banks, I decided   to cash out my spare change box, while the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters it held still had some kind of value.

LSP savings and loans
I'd use that money, I figured, to buy some epoxy and blue tape to bed the barreled receiver of my Lee Enfield Mk. III sporter. But quickly! Before tape and steel putty cost a bergan full of worthless magicke currencie.

With a sense of fiscal cliff urgency I drove to the local supermarket, box of change in hand, and loaded it into Coinstar, which turns your metal money into a redeemable IOU, for a fee.

how much does it cost?

I didn't care about the fee. I just wanted the money, fast, while it could still buy something. So I emptied the box into the machine. Clang, clunk, went the cash. $53.65 went the Coinstar, on its screen, and then it stopped working. "Sorry, I've seen your money, but I can't give it to you," stated the mechanical thief.

"Customer Service" was no use because the talent was busy talking to a policewoman about a picture on his CCTV (close circuit television) and I began to panic. Would I ever get my money? Will I get arrested for asking? I got the cash and avoided prison, in the end, and by some miracle Coinstar Currency still had fractional buying power.

oh. dear.

But don't worry. If we print enough money then everyone will become rich!

Just like in Rhodesia Zimbabwe.

LSP


Monday, July 2, 2012

Sporterizing the Lee Enfield Porch Project -- Forestock



Worked on the Mk. III forestock today; there was no shortage of wood to bring true to the metal. I used a rasp for that and it wasn't a difficult job, though you have to be careful. As with all these things, patience is definitely a virtue.

look at all that wood


After an hour or so (I was being careful), the stock fitted flush with the trigger guard and receiver ring and the wood around the barrel channel was shaped. 

clamp and rasp

Then it was time to sand. I started with 150 grit and worked up through 220, 240, 320, 400 and finally 600 grit. I used an old dry dish sponge as a block and kept the sawdust. Why? To mix with the finish when the time comes to fill the grain; I'm cunningly thinking that this might save some time and effort. We'll see.

getting there


I put the old warhorse together and was pleased with the result, it was good to see the rifle progressing. Next step is staining the forestock to match the butt (I'm tempted to keep the military original for now) and apply the finish. Then it'll be time to glass bed the barreled receiver, blue the metal and get a smith to attach iron sights, perhaps a 2/3 leaf express, and crown the barrel.

But that will have to wait till after The Episcopal Church's (TEC) General Convention in Indianapolis which, Enfield enthusiasts, is another story altogether.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Sporterizing the Lee Enfield - Porch Project Pt. I


I had a choice. Buy a plastic stocked sporting rifle for around $400-500 or buy a sporterized Lee Enfield for $150, fix it up and have some decent wood and steel with Empire History. Your pal and mine, the Suburban Bushwacker, told me that I was "required by law" to go Empire and so I did. Several weeks later I had two sporters, a No. 4 and a Mk. III, both in the price range and crying out for further enhancement. For me, that means using the Lee Speed as a template; at least for the III, which is a Speed action.

Lee Speed
What next? I started work on the III. The objective being to practice finishing/refinishing the furniture (gun stock) before buying a new stock -- and preparing the metal prior to bluing. Why? Because I can't afford hundreds of dollars to send the thing off to Turnbulls for the blue and a thousand dollars for the custom stock. No. I have to save those $$ for a 4x4 pickup. So, I figured I'd do it myself and here it goes, first things first, by way of the porch.

Here's the III.

Mk. III
It's a BSA from 1917, factory refurbed in '31 and '53. Bore's bright, serials match and it's covered with thick black baked on paint. The stock's a mix of Walnut (butt) and something else at the forend.

what a filthy gopping mess
Cheaper than a handy set of double soled Veldtshoen (by far) and obviously ready for porch re-sporterization.

Say your prayers,

LSP