SMLE No1Mk3 ejection problem

The rifle has a date of 1921 on it and it shoots great. My problem is I pull the bolt back after I fire a round and the case comes out of the chamber and then falls off the extractor and back on top of the next round in the magazine. I then remove the spent cartridge and load the next round with no problems, then repeat. If I eject a live round everything works fine.

I replaced the extractor and have tried to adjust the ejection screw on the side of the receiver with no improvement. I was reading that there are different boltheads, Could this be part of the problem? The bolthead that I have seems to have a lot of excess space between the bolt face and the claw of the extractor, but on the other hand I don't seem to be getting any bulges on the base of the cases that I am reloading so I think the headspace is close to right.

Any one with any ideas would be a great help.

Thanks for your time,

The case actually ejects by the friction of the base rubbing along the receiver wall (the ejector screw is there to kick out heavier live rounds). If your rifle is oily on the receiver wall, it may not have enough friction to flip the case out. Did you change the spring when you changed the extractor? The extractor should be fairly hard to move with your thumb, and the pressure from the spring is what forces the case against the receiver wall.

How briskly are you pulling the bolt back? The Enfield is a military rifle designed for fairly positive action; being slow or a bit delicate on the bolt opening can cause just about any rifle not to eject.

It's a defective extractor spring. There is a set operating weight for that spring but I forget what it is but a new one will cure it