No.1 Nk3 trigger work. Where to start.

[newcastle]

Took a previously unfired (by me) 1917 BSA No.1 Mk3* to the range today.
It has been re-parkerized and also has a Canadian Arsenals C / arrow stamp. I am not sure if those two are related. Bolt is pretty stiff to close.

The first stage of the trigger seems fine - trigger moves back about an 8th of an inch after the first resistance is felt and the cocking piece minimally moves. THEN it becomes a battle to pull the trigger. To fire the pull is the toughest I've ever had to deal with, The trigger moves a full 1/4 of an inch and the cocking piece moves back a 1/16" or so before the break.

I'll need to do something to fix it - just wondering where to start to work through it logically.

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.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Quite a bit on these triggers has been posted in various threads and in formal articles like the many by Peter Laidler.

EVERY part of the system has to be in good condition; not "modified, distorted, wobbly, etc before you can assess further.

The mounting of the trigger on the trigger-guard is a bit of a nuisance, but not insurmountable.

The "full bent" (front face of the cocking piece) must be perfectly flat and at the correct angle. If someone has "polished" it and made the face more "vertical" or even past vertical to a reverse angle, the trigger pull will be horrendous. There is no coming back if this has happened; for two reasons The hardened skin of the steel at this point is relatively thin; grinding it the wrong way, then grinding it again to correct that and you have just altered the vital interaction between the cocking-piece, bolt body and the safety catch.

The two "bumps" on the front face of the top half of the trigger must NOT be modified apart from the removal of a couple of microns of surface coating so that there is no odd "drag" as the trigger acts on the lower arm of the sear. And, there is more.

If you do not have a Lee-Enfield-savvy gunsmith within reasonable distance, check around here. I suspect that I live on the wrong side of the planet to pop over for a look one afternoon.

Be careful if you go shopping for "spare" parts. The only way to go is with new, previously-unfitted parts. Otherwise you may be chasing your tail because the pre-loved bits from scrapped rifles may also be worn (or "bubba-ed") beyond tolerances.

[newcastle]

I have a pretty good stash of spare parts in their original boxes that I have been collecting over the past 20 years or so. Not certain as I'll have to look in a crate but I think I have all the parts needed to replace any that need it. I'll now need to search the forum for Peter's articles and read them in depth this time, having only scanned previously as I was happy with the triggers on my rifles. I actually took a bunch of rifles out that I hadn't fired before today - the surprise package was a horrible looking 1986 No.1 Mk.3 made at Ishapore which was as smooth as silk and put up about a 1 inch 5 shot group - only at 50 yards, but very acceptable nevertheless.

[newcastle]

Read through one of Peter's articles - what is have is clearly a "dragging pull". Off to get a fine whetsone and a micrometer to be able to solve the problem slowly and carefully.

[newcastle]

AAh knackers!! Took the rifle apart to start work. The draws are in a state of disintegration and the part in contact with he buttsocket has been bodged with fibreglass or epoxy or something and the forened is done for. The trigger has had both ribs trimmed and naturally the new sears I have turned out to be for the No.4 and I have no more triggers. I ordered 4 triggers from liberty tree, but does anyone have a solid source in the USA for a No.1 forend and No.1 sears as New Old Stock.

[pisco]

Just grind the bedding out of the forend with a dreamil and do a repair on the draws it’s worth repairing even if you have to rebed it if you get stuck for trigger Sears I might be able to help

[newcastle]

I noticed that the fore end did NOT actually contact the butt socket and thus I was all for scrapping. However, I have since read Peter's article again and no I think that this is likely to be
because the draws did not act correctly and draw the fore end up onto the butt socket as they are supposed to do. I honestly think this sort of thing is beyond me but the overall fore end is a lovely piece of walnut so it's worth at least trying. I ASSUME that the No.1 sear is different from the No.4 sear right?

[Brian Dick]

Charlie,

Buy one of the 1943 Canadian Ordnance Corps "Extracts from Instructions for Armourers". I found a few more copies in my gun show inventory a couple of months ago and when they're gone, they're gone. I've preached and preached about the value of this booklet along with other pubs for setting up triggers, sears, forends, gauging standards, etc. It's all there along with much, much more. With books like it and Peter's articles, there's nothing that can't be sorted out. Your original forend needs the draws chiseled out, blocked up with oak and refitted. I also have hundreds of sears, triggers, and most other metal parts available here for the SMLE if in need.

Brian

[Bruce_in_Oz]

One other thing:

I understand that the "geometry" of the trigger system did NOT change with the adoption of the No4. I have fitted No1 (groovy) triggers to No4s and they work fine. If you lay a No 1 cocking-piece alongside a No4 item, all the critical engagement surfaces are in the same place.

The No1 sear looks different, but the working surfaces are all pretty much in the same place.

There was no point in re-inventing a perfectly good trigger geometry in the model transition.

I'm told, but have never tried it, that the striker/cocking-piece assembly is interchangeable, but only AS AN ASSEMBLY (because the threads are different). The striker spring is IDENTICAL and carried the same part number.

Given that the No4 was not a "blank sheet" design, but a development of the No1, via the Mk V, Mk Vl and trials variations, all this makes some sort of sense.

These were not the days of CNC and CMM.

[Jsne]

Forget about triggerjob before you have repaired
Your foreend and have it set up correctly.
Then go to peters articles about bolt set up
Specially about straight fireingpin and
Alignment and securing of the cooking piece.
First then it is time for set up the rest of
The trigger group.

Jsne