NO4MKII Bolt

[Alan de Enfield]

Guessing Mr Tickle is in the USA - nowhere else in the world seems to be worried about stripping a rifle down to its constituent parts. Is it like the American phobia for 'head spacing' - whatever you find is unlikely to make any difference.

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[Paul S.]

Guessing Mr Tickle is in the USA - nowhere else in the world seems to be worried about stripping a rifle down to its constituent parts. Is it like the American phobia for 'head spacing' - whatever you find is unlikely to make any difference.

That's the truth of it.
Living here has taught me that Yanks stereotypically seem to have an obsession with 'new', 'factory new', 'like new', 'restored' and pulling things apart down to the smallest, most insignificant bit, cleaning and polishing it and putting it all back together again.

The rest of us; it's pretty much pick it up, dust it off, look it over, wipe it out and off to the range we go.

[Seaspriter]

Living here has taught me that Yanks stereotypically seem to have an obsession with 'new', 'factory new', 'like new', 'restored' and pulling things apart down to the smallest, most insignificant bit, cleaning and polishing it and putting it all back together again.

As a Yank trained in the military, we were taught to know our weapons, whether they be a torpedo, pistol, or even a destroyer. Our training is to enable us to know how things work, be able to take it apart, and put it all back together again. Understanding how all the parts work is considered a high standard of excellence. We were trained to "care for our weapons." What might seem anal to others is actually a sign of respect; taking it apart, cleaning each component, understanding how everything functions, and ensuring its safety, accuracy, and longevity is integral to "knowing your weapon." Every weapon is different, and filled with unique idiosyncrasies (Enfields are particularly "unique"); this is especially important with historic weapons that might blow up.

I particularly enjoy hearing an inquisitive collector asking every detailed question they can think of, because some of us are always in the learning mode, no matter what our age. So --- keep the questions coming. Many thanks to all the forum members that have taken the time to answer the hundreds of ignorant questions that come cross this site every year.

[mr.tickle]

For now I will leave it be, as long it doesn't impede the function of the rifle. My main goal with stripping it down was making sure there wasn't any cosmoline hindering the firing pin and spring. I plan on getting her out to the range Saturday to see how see functions.

My other desire with taking it apart, is learning the gun and how it functions. For troubleshooting and just for general knowledge.

P.S. Yes, I am a Yank

[Ridolpho]

Guessing Mr Tickle is in the USA - nowhere else in the world seems to be worried about stripping a rifle down to its constituent parts. Is it like the American phobia for 'head spacing' - whatever you find is unlikely to make any difference.

Well, most of us are not recruits in the army, rather collectors responsible for taking care of our often valuable artifacts. If I see rusty fluid dripping out of the bolt I strip it and find out what's up. They were meant to come apart and it's probably not a good sign if they don't. Even here in bone-dry Alberta on the Great Plains I find the odd rifle with serious active rust. Judging from motorcycle parts I've imported from England, it must be a never ending battle for you guys. As to any tendency to strip things down to their constituent parts, yeah- guilty as charged. It's a big part of the hobby for me. For example, I just took delivery of a Johnson automatic- could you possibly own that and NOT strip it down?

Ridolpho