No4t Cocking pieces, which is best.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

The “safety” on a vintage Lee Enfield is functional but decidedly inelegant.

A couple of things spring to mind.

1. The firer has to change the position of the firing (“master”) hand to apply or release it.
2. It adds significant weight to the back of the striker and thus increases lock time.

There was an early attempt to employ a “lever” style mechanism on the side of the body, but it appears to have been ditched on the probably correct grounds of insufficient ruggedness.

I also suspect that the rifle was regarded as a very expensive pike (remember the change from the ’03 to the ’07 bayonet), that could, if necessary be used at distances on rare, ungentlemanly occasions.

Thus, rapid operation of a “safety catch” was not uppermost in the thoughts of certain people.

The safety “catch” system on the SMLE / No4 / 5 is a work of industrial art.

Just two small components manage to perform several tasks wth style and an unequaled ergonomic efficiency.

Unlike in previous Lee Enfield Rifles, (and also Mausers) the firer does not have to remove their “master” hand from the wrist of the butt to go from “stab and club” mode to “shoot” mode. Just roll the thumb forward and apply fire as required. Try that with a Mauser or Arisaka!

Likewise, to “apply” the safety mechanism, (PROPERLY), the trigger finger is removed from the trigger and used to drag the lever rearwards to “lock” position. Adherence to this simple drill probably prevented a LOT of “own goals” over the years.

Furthermore, rotating the lever (proper name “Lever, Locking”) rearwards withdraws the striker slightly so that, if you have “one up the spout” but the action forward it cannot discharge if dropped or “roughly handled”

The “other bit” the Safety Catch proper (the funny looking ring and stick thing) is driven in and out by the wonderful multi-start thread on the Locking Lever. This crafty bit of machining is the other important function of the system. As the “catch” is driven in by rotation of the lever to the rear, it engages the body of the bolt and prevents it from rotating. This, in turn, prevents “embarrassing incidents, like a cocked action flying open at an “inopportune” time, for instance whilst bayoneting and butt-stroking your way through the enemy trenches.

A “safety” that could be flicked to “hot” without changing your grip was a VERY good idea when you were bayonet fighting and suddenly needing something with a bit more “reach” than a SMLE with an ’07 on the front.

As “pikes” go, the combination of “ugly” butt and long bayonet was not bad……………..