Got three new restoration projects lined up.

The first is a WWI era No. 1, Mark III mfg between 1907-16 as it has the mag cutoff slot. A second is fixing up a sporterized MLE Enfield aka Long Lee Enfield that was converted to a CLLE Enfield and a third is a brand new project in restoring a 71/84 Mauser due to an auction today.

The Enfields, I have parts and a definite plan for one of them regarding conversion to single shot training rifle example in .22 (the MLE as the barrel is cut and parts to do a full restoration such as a stock are made of unobtanium--the .30 inch barrels are not readily available in the US (old or new) and the stock availability is even worse.

The other will be restored as a WWI era rifle example--depending on the receiver condition, it may or may not be remade using DP parts where it cannot be fired. Unfortunately they scrubbed the old Sht. L.E. off of the receiver wrist on this example.

The 71/84 Mauser, lacks the barrel tube, bolt, and stock but has significant pitting, finish loss, etc. but I got it cheap. I find the metal work a bit soothing and may have to use electrolysis to remove some of the rust. Depending on what I find when I get it, I might use it to practice on some refinishing techniques such as rust bluing through a PVC pipe steamer that I have always wanted to construct. This one definitely will not be for firing as it is in the original 11mm blackpowder chambering and the barrel condition probably wont be very good.

Will post on these with pictures as I progress from time to time. Not as talented as GunnyUSMC on stocks or Tincanbandit on rust bluing/metal work, but I'll put them up anyway.

LoneGoose said:

Sounds like you're gonna have your hands full. Please keep us posted on your progress. The lessons you learn will be lessons for us.

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Thanks for the comment, it was getting lonely out here . SMLE, No. 1, Mk. III Enfields aren't too bad to restore as most parts are available, even the mag cutoff for a price. The older Magazine Loading Enfield and what I have, the Charger, Loading, Lee-Enfield (CLLE) are much harder to source due to barrel and stocks being unique on length--one of these is going to be converted to a .22 trainer type depending on how the headspace and barrel internal quality is. The CLLE barrel is pretty worn so leaning that way but would have to use a SMLE bolt perhaps.

Haven't received the 71/84 yet but the parts are around partially due to Old Western Scrounger bringing them in from South America recently--some things look like a basket case on the internet and some are--but some clean up pretty good--scaly rust looks scary especially mixed with old hardened cosmolene but can hide pretty good interiors. That one may very well be a wall hanger, or not. Often the bore condition is also pretty good for a black powder rifle as they were not a service rifle for the Germans long, they were one of the last blackpowder issued rifles, and generally used in reserve status either in Germany, or elsewhere in South America. Plus, everyone understood with black powder rifles the need to clean the bore--smokeless era barrels from the 1890's are often pretty bad due to scouring by early smokeless powders and then later due to potassium perchlorate primers and lack of proper cleaning. WWI and WWII usage had something to do with it as well. So ironically, you can often get a better bore from an old blackpowder rifle in the 1870-1890's than a WWII era rifle shot and not cleaned with perchlorate primers.

easy said:

Show us the current 'before' pics so we can see the end results accurately.

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Sure thing. I'll try to post the MLE receiver which I have cleaned off and on. I have the before auction pix and will try to put the after--I am probably going to clean the bore some more via electrolysis setup though and might put a picture up on that. Still waiting on the No. 1 receiver which might be in my LGS tomorrow and the 71/84 barreled receiver with parts should be in by the end of this week. That one appears to be pretty rough and dirty.

Please excuse me for the fuzzy quality of some of the pix but I am working with an old point and shoot digital camera with autofocus problems in lower light. This is definitely not as good as old school SLR pix using film.

The 71/84 Mauser appears to be restorable after cleaning the dirt and some flaky rust using Kroil, brushes, and 0000 steel wool. Most minor parts such as screws match the barrel and serial number. Other than the bolt, this rifle stayed in one piece it appears. One screw loosened so far and markings have become more obvious. Cleaned the barrel with mineral spirits and found a good bore and chamber given the rifle was made in 1887--Spandau Arsenal, German markings present with no turkish or others noted so far. The corrosion on the barrel seems largely as a result of a corroded magazine tube which was made of steel for this rifle. Not sure how deep pitting runs on the outside of the barrel without full removal of scale sometime next week.

Last two pictures are of the chamber/bores using a cheap Amazon 5.5 mm head bore cam. These do ok for basic determination of things like obvious bulges, bad patches of fouling, overall rifling existence, etc. The led light is adjustable and mine uses a usb cable to connect to the computer for picture taking.

Checked the MLE bore--rough with fouling and pitting. This is a good bore to clean using electrolysis. The 71/84 bore still has dirt and some rust/pitting in the grooves primarily which I will try to remove by traditional cleaning methods first. But the 71/84 rifling is pretty good for the age of the rifle and seeing some shine just after applying only mineral spirits, hot boiling water, and kroil to the bore. Do not have a .43 caliber brush or jag so used a .410 shotgun brush (don't have a .410) along with patches soaked with Kroil after initial cleaning with mineral spirits Chamber appears to be fine along with a decent throat for the 71/84. The MLE chamber has some pitting it appears but not awful--this one may be converted (reversible in these) to fire .22 LR.

Some MLE's were converted to trainers, others were converted to the No. 1 std. This does not appear to be so in this case as SMLE parts will not fit indicating that the original sear and triggers were MLE/CLLE types. This also means have to use the MLE cocking, trigger, and bolt mounted safety.

Advanced a bit on the 71/84--removed more rust and scaling using Kroil penetrating oil and bronze wool. Freed up the cartridge lifter which had rusted in place, still have several frozen screws that I am applying Kroil to on a daily basis and trying to move them using hand pressure only. As per German custom, these action screws are marked and numbered to the rifle so I prefer slow and steady versus drilling them out or some such. Bore is cleaning up nicely and it has good rifling. Obtained other missing key parts for the receiver via Old Western Scrounger such as the magazine cutoff lever and most importantly is the mag tube cap. As I am going to have to make a magazine tube out of thin walled conduit of some sort probably, the cap and the opening in the receiver give the dimensions of what tubing I need to obtain. Will take pictures at the end of this week.

Receiver wrench and barrel vise for the Enfield projects obtained via Ebay. If doing Enfield projects, you have to have a barrel vise that accounts for the knox form--the good news is that it slips less than a round barrel on account of that but you may have to do barrel shoulder work and retime soldered sights to account for the barrel position. Some use barrel shims for timing as well.

LoonWulf said:

Woooo those looke like some interesting projects. Ive never done a restore on any of the old guns ive gotten my hands on, so im looking forward to how your projects go!

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Thanks for the kind words--right now, I am focusing on the poor Mauser 71/84. Got the internals freed up but need to break loose the action screws so I can detail strip. The screws are historical and number matched to the firearm and now made of unobtanium and they are rusted into place. Even an manual impact driver has not dislodged them yet. I am not exerting full force yet as I don't want the head of the screw to snap off. Every day, I clean the rust away and spray more penetrating oil in the gaps. The next step is to use heat or cold to loosen them. I will probably start with cold--canned air can drop the temps to single digits in a hurry which breaks the bonds. Heat would be used after that but I will have to clean all of the penetrating oil and remove the fragments of the stock around the receiver which is difficult without taking out the action screws. The Long Lee will probably be converted to a single shot .22 trainer as they were historically. The No. 1 gets full restoration including the mag cutoff.

boom boom said:

Thanks for the kind words--right now, I am focusing on the poor Mauser 71/84. Got the internals freed up but need to break loose the action screws so I can detail strip. The screws are historical and number matched to the firearm and now made of unobtanium and they are rusted into place. Even an manual impact driver has not dislodged them yet. I am not exerting full force yet as I don't want the head of the screw to snap off. Every day, I clean the rust away and spray more penetrating oil in the gaps. The next step is to use heat or cold to loosen them. I will probably start with cold--canned air can drop the temps to single digits in a hurry which breaks the bonds. Heat would be used after that but I will have to clean all of the penetrating oil and remove the fragments of the stock around the receiver which is difficult without taking out the action screws. The Long Lee will probably be converted to a single shot .22 trainer as they were historically. The No. 1 gets full restoration including the mag cutoff.

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Project updates.
1) Okay, will be posting pix tomorrow but worked on the 71/84 today. Every day for the last two weeks, I have been alternating penetrating oil and Kroil. Have used cold air, manual impact drivers (1/2 and 3/8) and heated around the screw ends with a soldering iron. Neither of the trigger screws are budging. It also appears that my rifle had bushings around the front and rear guard screws which do not appear in the Numrich schematic so I am checking that out. I may saw through the bushings if that is what they are. Removed the last of the old wood surrounding the receiver and a fair amount of pitting is apparent. Good news is that the trigger works quite well and the cartridge lifter mechanism also works and is free now. Hidden retaining screws and pins appear to be in good shape. Maybe have a sporter stock located but not sure yet and have researched into manufacturing a mag tube if necessary. Barrel continues to improve with repeated applications of kroil alternated with bore cleaner/patches/brushing. Also researching using a wallpaper tray to use electrolysis to remove the remaining rust--it is not a hard procedure and I have used it for cleaning bores before but not for a whole barrelled receiver. Want to make sure to use the correct electrolyte and voltage/amperage.

2) Barrel acquired and on the way with windage sights obtained for the No. 1, Mk. 3 along with associated parts. Receiver still needs the cutoff but is assembled and in good shape.

3) Numrich still has CCLE bolts so the Long Lee has a bolt and safety mounted on the bolt. Have to fix some burrs on the receiver lugs--the bolt will not go all of the way into the receiver due to a burr raised on the bottom of the locking recess which prevents the bolt from fully engaging the locking surfaces without force. None the burr affects the locking lugs but still difficult to address without resorting the dreaded Dremel tool. Still thinking about the conversion to .22 on that one as it is possible that the receiver is stretched and the barrel is quite rough and cut to SMLE length. If turned into a .22 by either sleeving or conversion kit, have a old sporter stock and back handguard for it.

Have three unplanned projects to add and will do so when appropriate--1916 Berthier, a Lebel, and a m38 Swede.

As promised,
Pictures of the 71/84 receiver with the pieces of broken stock removed. Fairly severe pitting at the back of the receiver tang under the wood line. Trigger surfaces are good and the trigger operation is pretty smooth considering no detailed stripping yet. Still soaking it with penetrating oil. The magazine cutoff spring has broken off in the upside down picture and that screw needs to come out. Some swaging from the manual impact screwdriver to be noted on the screw head. Trying to prevent having to drill it out as it is matched by number to the receiver.

Picture of the SMLE--still missing mag cutoff but the slot and screw mount has not been ground off and no bushing on the "king" screw.

LoonWulf said:

Mechanic friend of mine told me to dump some frozen up parts in brake fluid once, I never tried it but he swore it worked better than penetrating oil. Could also try tapping gently around the screw with a brass punch and hammer, to try shock it loose.
That enfield action looks pretty nice actually. I guess i missed it, but you said its possible its stretched in your earlier post....does that happen offten with those? I was gonna go look at one thats just the action when i check out a barrel this evening.

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It happens more with the ones sent outside of the Anglo sphere--e.g. India, Pakistan, etc. Subpar ammunition, long use on old weapons, increasing headspace, minimal inspection, can cause it. Those usually have the crown markings scrubbed from the right side of the receiver. It is relatively easy to check gross problems as the bolt will be loose in the locked position--the more subtle ones will be inspecting the rear of the lug recess for swaging and rough surfaces (the locking lug recess where the bolt locks is on the left side of the receiver wall at the back) which can be seen with a led flashlight and the bolt removed. One reason why I generally prefer to buy receivers for rebuilding is they cost less and you can tell if it is buggered before installation. Buy a whole rifle, I am generally buying it for parts with the possibility it will be good.

The SMLE one appears to be fine, the older Long Lee MK I receiver (not pictured) is the one that I am a bit worried about--right now the burr in front on the lug recess is keeping me from getting the bolt fully locked in engagement. It is slow tedious work as you remove the minimal material possible and then gently swage by tapping the burr down (it is more like a ridge based on someone sometime mistreating the bolt.

boom boom said:

It happens more with the ones sent outside of the Anglo sphere--e.g. India, Pakistan, etc. Subpar ammunition, long use on old weapons, increasing headspace, minimal inspection, can cause it. Those usually have the crown markings scrubbed from the right side of the receiver. It is relatively easy to check gross problems as the bolt will be loose in the locked position--the more subtle ones will be inspecting the rear of the lug recess for swaging and rough surfaces (the locking lug recess where the bolt locks is on the left side of the receiver wall at the back) which can be seen with a led flashlight and the bolt removed. One reason why I generally prefer to buy receivers for rebuilding is they cost less and you can tell if it is buggered before installation. Buy a whole rifle, I am generally buying it for parts with the possibility it will be good.

The SMLE one appears to be fine, the older Long Lee MK I receiver (not pictured) is the one that I am a bit worried about--right now the burr in front on the lug recess is keeping me from getting the bolt fully locked in engagement. It is slow tedious work as you remove the minimal material possible and then gently swage by tapping the burr down (it is more like a ridge based on someone sometime mistreating the bolt.

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The British used nickel steel earlier than most other militaries to make the receiver even for the SMLE WWI series. It is durable but can be stretched or bent if not careful. Stretching usually is from overpressure rounds or simply overuse from age which causes the receiver to take the brunt of it as a passive safety mechanism--bent ones are from improper handling.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Better for it to stretch than shatter, as the Americans discovered with the M1903. Hence their switch to nickel steels at the end of WW1.

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You are absolutely right--Slamfire has a lot of knowledgeable posts on the problems with carbon steel heat treating of receivers around that time. Done right, carbon steel heat treatment has a hard shell over a softer interior--if it is all hardened then it can shatter.

Fortunately, the U.S. gained practical experience with nickel steels while making military arms with the P14 for the British which led to the later U.S. 1917 rifle. These models do have steel with a higher nickel content that does the No. 1 rifle. Although I believe that Winchester had been using nickel steels since the 1890's for some of its sporting arms and Remington also made the switch before WWI but I am not sure about the date. Not a period sporting arms nor a machine gun guy so less knowledgeable about these.

The government arsenals at Springfield and Rock Island first went to double heat treatment as a wartime expedient and then switched to nickel steel receivers with Rock Island doing it first. ". . . about serial number 319,000, Rock Island switched over to nickel steel receivers and other parts. . . " from www.m1903.com.

Interesting article on Springfield here using leftover nickel steel Rock Island receivers with springfield barrels to complete rifles in the late twenties https://www.newmarketarms.com/rare-...ck-island-arsenal-1903-rifle-1928-p-1135.html If you come across one of these reasonable, snag it as they are very uncommon.

Some advancement on the 71/84 front--now have a stock with the front end cut off and a shortened mag tube with the follower. I will either splice a new front end on the rifle stock or replace it with a new repro stock. The follower for the Mauser 71/84 is a good find as those have disappeared and are critical to get the rifle back to functioning. The mag tube and spring was shortened to fit the stock but will do to check function and to provide dimensions and thread pattern for building one out of conduit/tubing if necessary. Already have the mag end cap. Now for rust removal via electrolysis maybe on Friday and keep trying to loosen trigger guard screws/cutoff spring screw by heat and cold. I will probably remove the cartridge lifter before doing that.

Still waiting on my new old stock No. 1 barrel and miscellaneous small parts to complete receiver. Then to find a good condition forestock--have the handguards and a good condition buttstock.

The Long Lee, I am still working on the bolt recess which I will try to take pix of soon. It locks but it is very hard to operate the bolt due to a swaged ridge at the bottom of the lug recess. Slowly lowering the ridge bit by bit.

Will try to post pictures this week but found and bought a nearly unused SMLE barrel with a pristine bore, chamber, and sight mounts for the No. 1, Mk. 3 project along with some miscellaneous parts. Will probably do an initial mount barrel next week and attempt to determine headspacing, whether the barrel clocks properly, and if I need to have an additional ejector cut made in the barrel. Last week, thoroughly cleaned and derusted an Berthier m. 16 in a sporter stock. This one looks like it could shoot. A m93 Lebel barreled receiver picked up in the same deal. Barrel appears well worn, the receiver is still in good shape with a lot of the original bluing left but the receiver is stripped.

The Lebel restoration will take a lot of time to seek out parts--complete bolts are made of unobtanium similar to the 71/84. Right now, this project will start with a wall hanger objective. The 71/84 stock and altered mag tube with follower should be in today which just leaves the bolt and barrel bands left to obtain. The only project that is not going that fast is the CCLE (aka Long Lee Enfield) due to the receiver lug recess that I will probably have to use a dremel to carefully remove the burr at the recess bottom so that the bolt may move freely. A No. 1 Buttstock will have to be altered as the buttstock recess on this receiver is slightly smaller and I will have to carefully alter a buttstock bolt as well.

Here are some of the pictures that I promised. The berthier will be a pretty quick project--sights need to be added plus a missing recoil screw--it is my (sarcasm on) m16 French assault weapon from WWI with that new fangled high capacity with quick reloading Mannlicher 5 Round clip (sarcasm off). At this time, I am not going to restock it but may acquire one if I chose to do so in the future. The barrel is turning out pretty nice but I have much more cleaning to do on it. This was covered in furry rust, the barrel was plugged with dirt, that I removed with little harm to the original bluing (instead of that awful black paint used on a lot of these after WWI) and the bore turns out to have decent rifling with defined lands and grooves.

The Lebel is a bare receiver with a rudely chopped barrel with something like a pipe cutter that swaged material into the bore, the receiver is actually quite nice with surviving bluing. I believe that with the marking differences, is that this was an original 1886 that was updated into the m93 but will consult with experts before claiming that. The bolt is a picture off of the internet but that is what I am seeking. It is unique in that it is shaped like an old time doorknob but the bolt action was dreamed up by a guy thinking about gate latches if I recall properly. The third set of images are the No. 1, Mk III with the cutoff slot still in existence. LoonWulf, you asked about how to tell if the lug recesses are ok--I tried to take a picture of these as the lug recesses are well defined, allow smooth action of the bolt, and are not gouged, swaged, worn through, or otherwise deformed. The Lee-Enfield has one rear lug recess on the left side of the receiver (safety side) and a shoulder on the right where the bolt's long lug rests. The external shoulder is pretty easy to check but you often need a light for the other side. And just like a Mauser, you want engagement on both lugs which can be checked with some sort of marking fluid. Sorry about the dark pictures but I am just learning how to effectively use digital cameras on firearms which is much different than the old film cameras.