.315 single piece stock

[sammyaulakh]

hi,
i came across a .315 which has a factory fitted single piece stock instead of the usual two piece.Wat amazed me more was that it had a three digit number,on enquiry the owner revealed that it was a sixties model and a direct import from U.K by the I.O.F before they actually started manufacturing them here. the action was much lighter than that is found on new rifles. Plz enlighten me on this 1.

regards
Sammy Aulakh

[TwoRivers]

There was a No. 4 Canadian Lightweight, made in limited numbers during WWII, which had the butt socket removed and the receiver (shoe) further lightened. One of the larger gunsmithing outfits in the US also offered a similar action conversion for a while during the sixties; when "sporterizing" was the thing to do with military rifles so plentifully available.
Whether the .315 you describe originated from one of those official adaptations, or was later done by a 'smith, is impossible to tell without seeing the rifle. In any case, an interesting and rare piece. If made in any quantity, it would, no doubt, have a (British) maker's name on the barrel. Cheers.

[Risala]

Could it be a http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat ... art=3&vc=1

[TwoRivers]

No, Sanjay, those are horses of a different color. They all have two-piece stocks. Sporters were built on every variation of the Lee-Enfield action, though I had never seen, nor heard of a Sporter built on the No. 4. Had only seen sporterized military ones of that variation. Cheers.

[Vikram]

Sammy,

Is it possible for you to post a few clear pictures of the rifle, especially with the markings and action visible? That will be greatly informative and useful for all of us.Thank you for that.

Best-
Vikram

[The Doc]

Is it possible for you to post a few clear pictures of the rifle, especially with the markings and action visible? That will be greatly informative and useful for all of us.

The dealers tell the most interesting stories, don't they ?

Where is this rifle located Sammy and what is the price quoted ?

best,

Rp.

[winnie_the_pooh]

Sammy,

RFI has been making the Enfield No1 Mk 3 in 303 for almost 90 years now.The .315 is the same rifle only in a different caliber.There would not be any need for RFI to import any .315 rifle when they could very well make it on their own.

The weight would automatically go down when you chop off the butt socket.

The .315 can be converted to a single stock by simply cutting off the butt socket and putting a screw through the trigger gaurd through to the rear of the receiver.At one time such conversions were done on the 303 enfields mainly for target shooting.Since the trigger of the enfield is pinned to the trigger gaurd,this can lead to problems there also.Also.unless a broader recoil lug is welded on,the stock can split especially in the tang area.The KF 244 grain ammo does generate sufficient recoil to be able to do that.

The two piece stock has it's own advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:-

1.If it breaks you just replace the buttstock or the forend and not the entire stock

2.You can use smaller pieces of wood for making the stock

3.The seperrate buttstock enabled the armies using the enfield to fit the rifle to the soldier(there were 3 butt lengths for the rifle)

4.The buttsocket also eliminated the need for a recoil lug and of bedding it to prevent the stock from splitting from the recoil.

Disadvantages:-

1.The fore-end needs to be bedded properly to ensure accuracy( the IOF .315's bedding is non existent)

2.The butt stock can get loose and this leads to vertical stringing.

The KF .315 ammo was and is corrosive.Many people neglect to clean their rifles after every use.So do check the barrel before you buy the rifle,if you are contemplating that.Tell the dealer to remove all the oil from the barrel as this can hide minor pitting, before you inspect it.Also check the face of the bolt and any other place that comes into contact with the powder when the rifle is fired.

Other things to check-

1.The bolt head should not over turn beyond 20 degree max.

2.The head space.(You can google for information on this).

3.The conditon of the bolt head rails.

4.Rust under the fore-end

winnie_the_pooh

[timmy]

Another advantage for the two piece stock from the military perspective in the pre-WW1 era was that it made the buttstock-to-rifle connection very strong, and this was of great advantage when using a bayonet. Most one-piece stocks are weak around the rear tang and because of the thin wood over the wide, staggered column magazine. The Lee Enfield 2 piece stock design avoided these weaknesses.

[winnie_the_pooh]

Also advatageous when you are bashing in the skull of your opponent,I would imagine.

-- Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:55 pm --

Sammy,

Would give you an idea of how to check for head space on the .315

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread. ... HEAD+SPACE

[Anand]

I have one of the single piece stock .315's which cam that way from the factory. I have since tried(rather unsuccessfully) to have another made for it (still trying) .
Mine is a 4 serial number Rifle but it starts wit a 0(06xx) so does it qualify as a 3 serial number one?
Regards,
Anand

[winnie_the_pooh]

Anand,

From what I understand ,and this is hearsay only,RFI did make a batch of 315's with a single piece stock.I have not seen one so far.If you can post photos,would be highly obliged.I would be really happy if you could post photos of the rifle,especially of the action, with the stock removed.

Are you tring to get a new 'stock' made for the rifle? Something wrong with the old one?

[sammyaulakh]

hi,
the rifle is a single owner weapon, purchased by the present owner's father brand new from the factory . there is no branding on the rifle except the asoka emblem.the person is in mood to part with it.
it was sumthing very different so i shared it with fellow members who could perhaps come up with an explanation regarding this unique rifle.As a matter of fact the gun has never had a problem and even the stock is original as it an IOF stamp which i found after removing the stock pad which is also of metal.
as for the pics i'll have to go and ask the owner if he'll let me click them.
regards

[Anand]

Hi Winnie,
The stock that came with the rifle did not fit me correctly so I tried having one made through a dealer here. The problem is that the guy who makes these stocks is in some far off place or so the dealer says(the dealer does not want to give me direct access to that guy )

Anyway I was told that apparently the design drawings for the .315 IOF rifle have not been standardised and so there are significant dimensional differences from rifle to rifle . So a stock will not be a drop in fit (nor even with minor fitting) but will have to be made for that individual rifle.

So I now am making do with a stock that was made for some other "single piece stock rifle" which has significant gaps in my rifle's fitting. This is only a temporary measure and I intend to fix this soon.I will post close up pictures of the dismantled rifle soon. I am indisposed right now with the "flu".
For now you may want to check out some of my pics in the members pic section.
Regards,
Anand

[Anand]

Heck its been what more than 3 & a 1/2 years since the last post in this section ?!? Any way I finally managed to have my "single piece stock IOF .315" re-stocked (is that term even appropriate?!? ). As those of you who also own one-piece stocked .315s would know that basically the mods done at the factory to convert 2 piece .303s/.315s into one piece models involved trimming the rear 'ring type lug" to which the rear stock piece would be attached. The trigger guard was modified so it would take a screw from a hole drilled in the bolt raceway. I had posted pictures of my dismantled .315 a while back in the "Rifles" section titled "Looking for pictures of your .315". You could compare those pictures with these to see the differences.
I had been meaning to cut off the extension further, at the back of the rifle which I will call the "Remainder of Lug" as I have no other term for it. I took a hack saw and several files to reduce the extension and removed any and all metal that I thought was unnecessary. I did end up finally taking it to the guy who does stocks and he further reduced what I had left of the lug. The end result is quite clean considering the original abomination and my reduction. The stock has not been bedded or finished yet. It is teak wood and is sized for my dimensions and fits me well. While it looks a little heavy, it is well balanced without a scope. I have not added a scope and am in the process of designing some mounts for it. I will add pictures of those once it is done.
I thought I would add a few pictures for the sake of clarity.








Regards,
Anand

[dr.jayakumar]

anand thanks for the post.i was surprised to see this rifle.
regards
dr.jk