Any cure for bolt lift?

[5thBatt]

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

There are no repair instructions in any Enfield manual I know of for bolt lift.

When you dry fire the Enfield Rifle you have the weight and mass of the cocking piece and the firing pin striking the rear of the bolt head, this along with the firing pin spring causes the bolt to lift.

When you fire a live round the firing pin strikes the primer, the blow is softened and the chamber pressure of 46,000 CUP holds the locking lugs in place preventing upward movement of the bolt.

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel or fix something that isn’t broke.





I still prefer the Attila the Hun form of diplomacy no matter what Matt and Badger said.

Personally i am not trying to fix the 'problem' of "bolt lift"

The strength of the spring seems to control the amount of lift, the weaker the spring, higher the lift.
If this is so, when someone posts they have excessive bolt lift when they dry-firing, then a reply that they may have a weak main spring is more productive than just saying "don't worry they all do that"

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[Edward Horton]

Personally i am not trying to fix the 'problem' of "bolt lift"

The strength of the spring seems to control the amount of lift, the weaker the spring, higher the lift.
If this is so, when someone posts they have excessive bolt lift when they dry-firing, then a reply that they may have a weak main spring is more productive than just saying "don't worry they all do that"

Go back and read my first posting in this thread and do not put words in my mouth.

[5thBatt]

Go back and read my first posting in this thread and do not put words in my mouth.

I did go back a reread your first post & you're quite right with your reply but
It was a generalization statement on posts from different forums on this subject of "bolt lift" not about you.

Also reread Alfred's next post about seeing "bolt lift" with live firing, i have also witnessed this, could this be due to a excessively weak spring causing the firing pin and cocking piece to bounce or maybe a firing pin to set to far back causing the cocking piece to slam into the rear of the bolt body?

[Edward Horton]

If you store your rifle with the bolt closed you are putting the extractor spring under load and over time this will weaken this spring. (more bolt jump)

If the firing spring becomes weak you can have more bolt jump.

If the firing pin is not adjusted properly you could have more bolt jump.

If the *bolt head timing is not set properly you can have more bolt jump.
(*When the bolt head contacts the collar on the firing pin as you screw the bolt head closed.)

How well used and polished the bolt lugs and bolt lug recesses are can affect bolt jump.
(Are they slicker than snot on a door knob) What type super slick oil did you oil your bolt with?

The list goes on, headspace, bolt head over rotation, numerous worn parts, the phase of the moon and a spastic trigger finger could effect bolt jump.

Many things can effect bolt jump, the secret to bolt jump is to properly maintain your Enfield Rifle to the standards in the manuals and then don’t worry about it any more.

I will say this one more time, the two most used and abused springs on the Enfield rifle are the extractor spring and firing pin spring. I have tested thousands of aircraft hydraulic pump springs during pump overhauls and on the Enfield rifle when it comes to these two springs “when in doubt, throw them out” I replace these springs on my shooter Enfield’s with new ones.

Know thy rifle, and don’t listen to wild rumors.

[5thBatt]

I will say this one more time, the two most used and abused springs on the Enfield Rifle are the extractor spring and firing pin spring. I have tested thousands of aircraft hydraulic pump springs during pump overhauls and on the Enfield rifle when it comes to these two springs “when in doubt, throw them out” I replace these springs on my shooter Enfield’s with new ones.

I may not know much about aircraft, but i do know its airflow over the wings that generate "lift", not the springs in hydraulic pumps

I hear what you are saying Ed but the main cause seems to be the shock of impact from metal on metal causing the bolt handle to "lift" jump would be a better word.

I may be wrong, but you are not making any attempt to explain why the "lift" is largely reduced on all & eliminated on some rifles when the contact between the handle & receiver is eliminated.

[Edward Horton]

5th Batt

You are right I have not answered “why the lift is largely reduced on all & eliminated on some rifles when the contact between the handle & receiver is eliminated.”

Now I will tell you “why” I didn’t answer your question, the Enfield bolt has two positions when cycling the bolt “Fully Opened” and “Fully Closed”, the bolt does NOT have a partially closed position, a almost closed position or a almost partially closed on a piece of paper position.

Now I have a question for you, how many people have you seen when they are shooting their Enfield reach out and partially open their bolt before they pull the trigger?

If you want a real answer to your question there is no such thing as bolt jump, but some Enfield’s have had the Snoxall speed cocking modification done to them.

Now STOP worrying about bolt jump and worrying about something real like swine flu….

[Edward Horton]

To the Moderators

I’m sorry but this fairy tale needed a funny ending………

[Alfred]

I did go back a reread your first post & you're quite right with your reply but
It was a generalization statement on posts from different forums on this subject of "bolt lift" not about you.

Also reread Alfred's next post about seeing "bolt lift" with live firing, i have also witnessed this, could this be due to a excessively weak spring causing the firing pin and cocking piece to bounce or maybe a firing pin to set to far back causing the cocking piece to slam into the rear of the bolt body?

Theres a possibility that sluggish ignition contributes, allowing the bolt handle to rise further before the chamber pressure comes into play.
If so then there might be less bolt lift when fresh ammunition is used.

If the *bolt head timing is not set properly you can have more bolt jump.
(*When the bolt head contacts the collar on the firing pin as you screw the bolt head closed.)

Thats something I'll check on.
The way the shank of the bolt head of this rifle is visibly broader at the base than further up towards the shoulder might be the result of repeated impacts upsetting the metal. The bolthead is more worn than it appeared to be because it still clocks in within prescribed limits due to the base being hammered by the firing pin collar. Its possible that the previous owner did a lot of dry firing practice, or if the rifle spent some time as a training rifle it may have been dry fired much more than fired with live ammo, which would go a long way towards explaining the still excellent condition of the bore.

Excessive bolt jump may be a result of excessive dry firing.

Some slight bolt jump is tolerable and nothing would be thought of it, so no real fix was required, rifles still in service would be unlikely to be dry fired much if any. The replacement of weak springs and such as a matter of course would be enough.

Old rifles that have been out of service for a generation will have received no attention from armorers for several decades. Those given to third world allies or WW2 resistence groups may have never received any attention from an armorer trained in inspecting and repairing Enfields.