Smle mk111 restoration question

Hello fellow forum members.

Has anyone successfuly managed to hand stamp a rifle number on a rifle bolt?.

I'm currently restoring an enfield of 1916 vintage and have obtained a very nicely fitting bolt which has never been stamped with a rifle number. Normally I wouldn't bother with applying a number to a part if it's fit for purpose however, the rifle is in exceptional condition as is the bolt and due to the bolt fitting and operating very nicely I'd like to mark the bolt with the rifle serial number. I do have the correct font and size stamps and have tested these on a old worn out bolt but the problem I have encountered is the stamp just bounced off the surface of the bolt without making an impression.

I hear you say.... hit the damn thing harder!! Well I've tried this with minimal gain and of course the harder you hit the stamp the more the stamp becomes unstable.

Does anyone know if numbers were originally applied to steel when it was hot? Im guessing not due to risk of heat distortion this way to the part.

Any advice much appreciated.

Best

Mac

Hi Sendit welcome to milsurps:thup: I guess your answer will be along shortly to the stampings but I am pretty certain there may be 2 more questions, A) Pics of the resto B) Was the bolt fitted up correctly this is not an implication your not capable of doing the job but from what I have learnt here is that they are pretty tricky to ensure the correct surfaces engage to take the recoil. Oh! and probably a 3rd question how far advanced is your Enfielditis......:madsmile:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

Hi Sendit welcome to milsurps:thup: I guess your answer will be along shortly to the stampings but I am pretty certain there may be 2 more questions, A) Pics of the resto B) Was the bolt fitted up correctly this is not an implication your not capable of doing the job but from what I have learnt here is that they are pretty tricky to ensure the correct surfaces engage to take the recoil. Oh! and probably a 3rd question how far advanced is your Enfielditis......:madsmile:

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Hi Cinders

Thanks for your reply.

Re fitting up, its a valid question. The answer is the bolt had aparently already been checked against the rifle and test fired, It was put aside for future use by late father and I came accross it in one of his gun boxes together with a paper swing tag wth the rifle number written on it and with notes indicating chosen selection for the rifle I am restoring. My father was Ex Serving as am I so he was good at keeping spares and usable parts catalogued with notes on suitability of use and perfomance. Guess he had severe Enfielditis too... Must be hereditory.

In regards to uploading pictures, I havent got round to doing this yet however, I will endevour to do so once i get the hang of how to do it.

I look forward to hearing from anyone else who can advise on my quest.

Best

Mac

I have hand stamped about a zillion No1, 5 and 4 rifle bolts and never encountered anything as hard as you say. The bolt is tough material and only hardened at two points. That part of the bolt is soft, that's why we number them there. We also used to engrave them too.

As a matter of interest, have you actually fitted the bolt as it should be fitted? That isn't '.....it fits.....' but is is fitted and set up correctly as per the way it was at the factory or in an Armourers shop?

Hello Peter

I guessed you may have stamped up one or two bolts in your past :). This was one of the reasons for my posting in the hope you could advise if you ever come across this?

The bolt I was test stamping was an old No1 Deactivated bolt I was given years ago for the purpose using the early cocking piece. This was in the days before you could buy small parts of the Bay. I don’t know if the bolt had been hardened by whatever process they use to render it useless however, it is certainly hard enough to resist a walloping from a 26oz Estwing hammer using period steel stamps which have been made by a reputable manufacturer.

The reason for this testing was to gauge how hard or how easy it would be to put the rifle number on a bolt in an acceptable manner without messing up/Bubbafying/screwing up the bolt that my father had clearly designated for the rifle. I am only restoring the wood aspect of the rifle which has been stored unassembled since the 70s.

In regards to your question about the bolt being set up correctly? Knowing my father, more than likely, but way back when everyone was still wearing flares. I can only go by what notes he made on the parts tag which simply state Test fired 6/8/76 (Satisfactory) and rifle number. I believe he would have taken it to Scotland where he used to take guns for restoration as well as meet up with guys from his RM days. Whenever he had a new/old rifle he would take it up to Scotland to get it overhauled by one of his contacts/friends and it would come back a few weeks later restored and producing nice tight groupings. The fact he never got round to stamping up the bolt himself probably coincides with when he started to encounter a decrease in his eyesight and decided to concentrate on other things.

Is there a chance the bolt was in a house fire?

I have seen guns that were in house fires. Some of the parts were very hard and brittle. I guess they would be fine in a dummy gun, but very dangerous in a real gun.

One question regarding your test stamping the bolt. What is the bolt handle resting on when you are trying to stamp it?
It is important; because if it's not solid, such as a small anvil or steel block, you may be flexing the handle instead of stamping it.
Second question, where did you get the stamps of the correct font size? I ask because I have fitted a new bolt body (stoning it for even lug contact etc) and would like to number it to match the rifle.