No.4 MkI can be fired form half cock

[Bruce_in_Oz]

If you have a "spare" sear, swap it in. If the "long arm" of the original sear is distorted, (bent), it may well be engaging the very end of the half-cock notch and this not locking up the bolt and trigger movement.

Swapping in an "unmolested" one is pretty easy, after removing fore-end first. You then have to attach the trigger-guard assembly in its correct location (sans wood, of course) and see what is happening.

Please keep us posted.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Towarzysz_Beagle]

If you have a "spare" sear, swap it in. If the "long arm" of the original sear is distorted, (bent), it may well be engaging the very end of the half-cock notch and this not locking up the bolt and trigger movement.

Swapping in an "unmolested" one is pretty easy, after removing fore-end first. You then have to attach the trigger-guard assembly in its correct location (sans wood, of course) and see what is happening.

Please keep us posted.

That's a good idea, I happen to have a box of spare parts, I'll see if there's a sear in there.

[Towarzysz_Beagle]

If you have a "spare" sear, swap it in. If the "long arm" of the original sear is distorted, (bent), it may well be engaging the very end of the half-cock notch and this not locking up the bolt and trigger movement.

Swapping in an "unmolested" one is pretty easy, after removing fore-end first. You then have to attach the trigger-guard assembly in its correct location (sans wood, of course) and see what is happening.

Please keep us posted.

Late update, but you were spot on mate.

I took the forend off and attached the trigger guard and bushing. The sear is being caught by the half cock but not making it all the way into the notch.

The interesting part is that the original sear does not seem bent or damaged in any way. It engages properly with the bent, and disengages consistently when fired. It also engages correctly with the safety.

The rifle does have a non-matching bolt. Which bears well on both recoil lugs (first thing I checked on the rifle). I'm guessing this issue with the half cock is a matter of fit, and I am unsure how to correct it.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Just wondering: Has it ever been a "Range" rifle?

Folks used to do some "unusual" things to their target Lee Enfields; some of them extremely dangerous. Triggers, sears and cocking-pieces got all manner of "tuning" done to them. Bolt bodies as well; really quite scarey...

Heard of "psycho-acoustics"? I am fairly convinced there is a school of "psycho-ballistics" as well.

[Towarzysz_Beagle]

Just wondering: Has it ever been a "Range" rifle?

Folks used to do some "unusual" things to their target Lee Enfields; some of them extremely dangerous. Triggers, sears and cocking-pieces got all manner of "tuning" done to them. Bolt bodies as well; really quite scarey...

Heard of "psycho-acoustics"? I am fairly convinced there is a school of "psycho-ballistics" as well.

Oh I'm no stranger to this. I've spent a lot of time shooting and collecting Enfields. I have come across some pretty crazy bubba examples in this time.

Like a trigger where the humps had been so haphazardly ground down to create a single stage, that the end result was the sear protrusion into the bolt channel being inconsistent and not always catching the bent. Couple this with when it did catch its position was so low on the bent that if you gave the ground a tap with the but it would release as if the trigger had been pulled. That was extremely dangerous obviously but also easily fixed with a new trigger.

I've also come across ground down bents as well which again interfered with the consistency and safety of its engagement with the sear.

So yeah I have a fair idea of what to look for with some of the dodgier things people do and this rifle doesn't exhibit any symptoms of tampering/grinding etc on the bolt, sear or cocking piece.

It's really got me scratching my head.