Safety catches on SMLE's and No4's

[303Guy]

Most if not all my SMLE or No4's have dodgy safeties. Maybe one of them has the semblance of a hold on detent - not sure now. That would be my mint two-groove. The old bolt mounted safety is quite reliable but it too could get bumped off but not as easily as the body mounted ones. On the upside, the safeties don't get bumped on by accident. That's a nuisance. My 22 Remington does that.

This doesn't worry me as I never use a safety anyway. Only one of my rifles - an Anschutz - defaults to safe and takes a deliberate effort to take off the safety (I don't use that one either). I use empty chamber and bolt open and when a shot is passed up I flip the bolt handle up and so on.

The great thing about the Lee Enfield is it can be carried with a semi-chambered round with the bolt open and be completely safe. The downside is debris can get in and jamb the action open. But that is used only in the stalk to reduce chambering noise. The action is quiet enough in final cock and lock.

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[Thunderbox]

Most if not all my SMLE or No4's have dodgy safeties. .

I think you need to get your rifles looked at then - millions of other Enfields have rock-solid safeties.


Maybe yours are assembled incorrectly? I'm sure you know about the two start positions on the safety thread: one correct, one incorrect-but-gives-bad-safety-action?

(Left: incorrect. Right: correct)

[muffett.2008]

Other than that, whats the point you are trying to make?

[Bear43]

I have only ever had one Enfield that had a bad safety. It was on a 1944 Maltby No 4, and I fixed that right off. If you have that many safety issues, you need to tend to that.

[Simon P]

The only problem with safety's I have had is on the SMLE where the indent pins have worn, all I you need to do is push them out & replace them. These are the pins that hold the SMLE safety in either position.

[Peter Laidler]

We had a little memorandum that came around the workshops that covered local Cadet units regarding these little pins (weren't they PIN, detent, locking bolt?) during the late 70's/early 80's that they should be replaced as a matter of course with any No1 and 2 rifles that passed through and the fact that they were available, newly codified, from Ordnance in view of the quantities of these rifles in Cadet Forces..... blah, blah, blah as these things tend to do. It also stated that due to constraints upon Cadet unit funds and the like, rifles should not be condemned for locking bolt and safety catch faults until all these options have been exhausted.

I seem to recall that the South West area down Somerset, Devon and Cornwall and the public schools down there (Millfield and Sherborne were a couple I seem to remember.....) had loads of RM and Navy cadets with these old No1 and 2 rifles and it was the quantities still sloshing about the system that prompted the design for what was to be the L60 - the DP version of the No1 rifle which through some paperwork over calculation tuirned out to be the L59A2.

Sorry to go off at a tangent but the little pin thinggies just stirred my brain up

[Bear43]

Peter, I for one always enjoy your tangents. They are always interesting to read.

[gsimmons]

Even the one on bondage and whips?

[303Guy]

Other than that, whats the point you are trying to make?

Well, I'd like to hear the opinions of members. I'd say mine are all like the ones in the photo up above. I haven't examined them all but the two or three do look like that and the others feel like that. It's astounding that a device that is allegedly so important can be made in a way that is wears so rapidly. Oh, they are all installed correctly. Maybe the detent is simply too small like that first one.

Anyway, I'll look around to see if I can find replacements.

Do any of you folks use the safety? I keep and carry my guns open bolt and only semi-chamber a round on the stalk. I can see the value of using it in the final stages of the stalk with thumb on safety until ready to fire but I don't. I close the bolt to fire.

It seems to me the lever with its detent is too soft.

Peter, were they saying that a rifle could be condemned for its safety catch?

[breakeyp]

Am I being obtuse, but could not the original problem be that the safety moves too easily because the dumb bell safety spring has to be removed and bent to tighten it?