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  1. #1
    Legacy Member HOOKED ON HISTORY's Avatar
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    Smle spare parts?

    I have three SMLE rifles and hopefully, counting. No 1 MKIII*/No 5 MK I / No2 Mk IV.
    I plan on being a good steward of these rifles until I pass them to the next generation.
    The thought I had was "should I stock up on spare parts while they are avaliable and if so which parts are consumables or prone to breakage?"
    Do any of the more seasoned collectors have an opinion on this?

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    A Collector's View - The SMLE Short Magazine Lee Enfield 1903-1989. It is 300 8.5x11 inch pages with 1,000+ photo’s, most in color, and each book is serial-numbered.  Covering the SMLE from 1903 to the end of production in India in 1989 it looks at how each model differs and manufacturer differences from a collecting point of view along with the major accessories that could be attached to the rifle. For the record this is not a moneymaker, I hope just to break even, eventually, at $80/book plus shipping.  In the USA shipping is $5.00 for media mail.  I will accept PayPal, Zelle, MO and good old checks (and cash if you want to stop by for a tour!).  CLICK BANNER to send me a PM for International pricing and shipping. Manufacturer of various vintage rifle scopes for the 1903 such as our M73G4 (reproduction of the Weaver 330C) and Malcolm 8X Gen II (Unertl reproduction). Several of our scopes are used in the CMP Vintage Sniper competition on top of 1903 rifles. Brian Dick ... BDL Ltd. - Specializing in British and Commonwealth weapons Specializing in premium ammunition and reloading components. Your source for the finest in High Power Competition Gear. Here at T-bones Shipwrighting we specialise in vintage service rifle: re-barrelling, bedding, repairs, modifications and accurizing. We also provide importation services for firearms, parts and weapons, for both private or commercial businesses.
     

  3. #2
    Advisory Panel Thunderbox's Avatar
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    There are no consumable parts, other than - eventually - barrels. Some people manage to snap No1 extractor springs by too much single-loading into the chamber and not via the magazine. Other than that, there is not likely to be anything requiring change in your lifetime! Plenty of rifles around are over 100 years old and appear to be completely original.

    One of the problems with thousands of owners buying up "spares kits" is that, eventually, all the available stocks of these 60-100 year old parts will disappear off the market..... and they won't even be used for anything.

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    Peter Laidler's Avatar
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    I agree entirely with Thunderbox. Obviously things were different for us in the Army at our big workshops but that was because the rifles that came through us were used reletlessly, day in and day out.

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    Legacy Member Bruce_in_Oz's Avatar
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    Used "lovingly", these beasties are almost indestructible.

    That said, extractor springs can be an issue, as can the striker spring sealed inside the bolt body. Seeing as this latter item is both common to the No4/No5 series and a simple coil spring with closed and ground ends, replacing it any time in the next century shouldn't be an issue. Keep an eye on the sear/mag catch spring as well.

    Followed by heat, rust is the biggest killer of springs. Once corrosion starts, stress risers will rapidly form micro-fractures that seriously degrade the spring's performance. But, if you keep up with good maintenance and storage, things will be good for quite a while.

    Data for force to move striker spring rearwards (in situ).

    At ease - 7 to 9 pounds
    Cocked - 14 to 16 pounds

    On the good old armourer's spring scale, there is a hook that fits over the striker between the cocking piece and bolt body for taking such readings. There are probably lots of ways to improvise this test.

    If your spring is a bit limp, you may as well change it now and it will probably outlive you.
    Last edited by Bruce_in_Oz; 02-09-2012 at 05:53 AM. Reason: typo

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    Advisory Panel Son's Avatar
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    weighing the striker spring..

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    Legacy Member Alan de Enfield's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Son View Post
    weighing the striker spring..

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    Son - I bet you've even got some photos showing other uses for the spring balance - HAV'NT YOU !!!!!!
    Mine are not the best, but they are not too bad. I can think of lots of Enfields I'd rather have but instead of constantly striving for more, sometimes it's good to be satisfied with what one has...

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    Legacy Member Bruce_in_Oz's Avatar
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    Nice pic.

    Interesting that your sample scale hooks over the actual cocking piece whilst the one in my kit has a radiused slot that hooks over the actual striker. It also has a slight chamfer to help ease it into the gap.

    The scale reads up to 16lb.

    Interestingly, these same scales were on issue right through the L1A1 period and into the F88 (Steyr) era, being superseded by a nifty electronic number some years back. Not too many folk, including instructors, knew what that funny hook thing on the end was really for.

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    Legacy Member HOOKED ON HISTORY's Avatar
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    Thread Starter
    Good info. Thanks for all of your input.

  13. #9
    Advisory Panel Son's Avatar
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    The hook on mine is chamfered to fit into the grooves on the cocking piece. The "Tester, trigger B" for the SLR is noticeably smaller and lighter built. Replaced since by a digital force gauge.

    Yes, Alan... I have pics showing all it's uses.... here's some more for fun... and one showing this tester's pedigree...

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    That really old Armouring there Son. Buit these trigger testers (made by Salters) are still in the Armourers tool kits and calibrated annually. I still use one to test the 'lift' on the Vickers cocking handle to weigh the fuzee spring

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