Smle Problems

Hello all.

As you can see i,m new to this forum, and my new hobby, shooting.

Thus far i have a Lee Enfield No.4 MK.1 and an Smle. The No.4 After changing the front sight for a +15 blade shoots fine.
The problem is with the Smle and would welcome some advice. Two things occur when shooting a round.
The saftey catch works it's way on and i can see no way of tightening it to stop it.

Second, the rear sight starts to work it's way up the rear sight assembly. Both seem very secure, in fact with saftey catch the spring screw at the base is so tight i can not move it.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Cheers.

Replace the safety spring, dismantle and clean the sight slide assembly, ensure the spring has not collapsed and the notches on the side of the arm are undamaged, if so replace the arm.

Dumbbell spring on the safety's probably bent, or soft.
Slide assembly might have been unscrewed and not tightened up again with the proper tool. So it's shooting itself loose. Or the spring inside is broken/weak/replaced with whatever came to hand. Amazing the number of people who can't resist dismantling this part, and then losing the bits.

Safety might be perfectly ok - just assembled incorrectly.

There are several "start" positions to the thread in the two halves. Only one is correct and gives the correct crisp action, most give a safety that obviously won't fit or work - but one position is wrong but appears to be correct. This last "wrong" assembly is - in my experience - responsible for about 90% of "safety problems" where people consider changing the spring.

Briefly, the two halves have to screw up into an "11 o'clock" position relative to each other. If the two halves are at "quarter to twelve" or similar,then the safety is incorrectly assembled.

Here, the left safety is "wrong but works badly", the right safety is correct:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...72349296-1.jpg


Re: rear sight slide. You don't mention the condition of your rifle (maybe post some photos?), but its common for many rifles to have an accretion of oil and dirt built up in the worm gear track on the right side of the slide, as well as the adjusting wheel itself. Try scrubbing these parts with a wire brush - use some powerful solvent or paint stripper if there is a thick accretion (careful not to get this stuff on the woodwork).

Hello all.

Thanks for all your replies. I hadn't thought to post any pic's, i will give it a go. I take it that they would have to be reduced in size to post up on the site.

Now on the saftey catch side, that just seems to be the matter of the one screw removal to investigate the problem. But, on the rear sight i can't to be honest make out how that comes apart. advice again welcome before i make a start.

Thanks for your time.

Nice foundation of an Enfield collection there. I may have you on quanity but it appears you have me on quality. Well done.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY

Nice foundation of an Enfield collection there. I may have you on quanity but it appears you have me on quality. Well done.

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Not at all. Just dropped lucky getting started.

Thanks. What i have realized is i need to take some more close up pics realy and of the right parts!

Cheers.

The easiest and cheapest source of information on the individual rifles and strip/assemble, is the Skennerton series: Small Arms Identification, S.A.I.S No.1 for the SMLE.

Luck works. Had a bit of it myself on Enfields. I found one No 5 Mk 1 and one No 5 Mk 1 found me. If you have the chance to add a No 5 do so as they are great little rifles. You will find this site to be an invaluable resource with knowlegeable and helpful people. This applies in spades on the Enfield.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thunderbox

Safety might be perfectly ok - just assembled incorrectly.

There are several "start" positions to the thread in the two halves. Only one is correct and gives the correct crisp action, most give a safety that obviously won't fit or work - but one position is wrong but appears to be correct. This last "wrong" assembly is - in my experience - responsible for about 90% of "safety problems" where people consider changing the spring.

Briefly, the two halves have to screw up into an "11 o'clock" position relative to each other. If the two halves are at "quarter to twelve" or similar,then the safety is incorrectly assembled.

Here, the left safety is "wrong but works badly", the right safety is correct:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...72349296-1.jpg


Re: rear sight slide. You don't mention the condition of your rifle (maybe post some photos?), but its common for many rifles to have an accretion of oil and dirt built up in the worm gear track on the right side of the slide, as well as the adjusting wheel itself. Try scrubbing these parts with a wire brush - use some powerful solvent or paint stripper if there is a thick accretion (careful not to get this stuff on the woodwork).

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Hello Thunderbox.

In the case of the saftey catch, the screw at the base seems not to want to move, do i need it to be in a certain position to undo it? Sorry if it's a daft question but i'd rather ask first.
With the rear sight it's spotlessly clean. Do i need a special tool to tighten the rear sight. It moves with very little effort even though the knurled side is engaged.
Again this rear sight assembly seems tight.

Any advice more than welcome all.