Lee Enfield Bolt Replacment

[SJB]

Good Day

I had the head space fixed on my long lee. The smith also replaced the bolt body. I am just a bit concerned that he did not mate up the locking lugs correctly. What would the danger be if one of the lugs do not make full contact? And how should i test the contact surface to make sure the lugs are locking correctly?

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

There is a thread on this forum about the exact method of fitting a new bolt to the Enfield Rifles, Search under Fitting a new bolt. It should be there or maybe someone who's a bit computer literate can resurrect it.

[browningautorifle]

There it is Peter... https://www.milsurps.com/showthread....t=fitting+bolt Maybe it should be with your informative articles?

[SJB]

HI thanks. I will double check to make sure the lugs fit correctly.

[browningautorifle]

I don't quite follow though, someone changed the bolt in a Long Lee? What was substituted? Is the bolt from a LE #1Mk3 correct enough?

[SJB]

I do believe it might be a early no1 mk3 bolt. as i have seen some of them with the safety on the bolt cocking piece. The head space was out a lot. it would close over a Flied gauge of 0.074 with ease. He then set the barrel back in to the action about 0.5mm to close up the head space and also replaced the bolt. The barrel have also been changed out in the 60's sometime by my grandfather. It looks to be a no 4 barrel that was fitted. He replaced the bolt because he said the old bolt might have been damaged because of the repeated firing with the head space being to big.

[Peter Laidler]

If I was a betting man I'd say that if you had to set the barrel back by that amount, that your body is worn out

[browningautorifle]

your body is worn out

Now it's good to go though...

[Surpmil]

Good Day

I had the head space fixed on my long lee. The smith also replaced the bolt body. I am just a bit concerned that he did not mate up the locking lugs correctly. What would the danger be if one of the lugs do not make full contact? And how should i test the contact surface to make sure the lugs are locking correctly?

This is what can happen if the smaller lug takes more of the thrust than the larger lug. If the smaller lug engages its recoil shoulder in the receiver before the larger lug, it obviously takes more thrust than it was designed for, but if the large lug contacts first, I'm not sure it's much better for the smaller lug if it makes contact with its shoulder after receiver & bolt flex and "compression" has suddenly "closed the gap" between them.

Use engineer's blue or a magic marker to check the contact between the lugs. I'd put a cleaning rod down the barrel with the end touching the bolthead face, rest the handle against the wall, while holding the rifle at waist height and lean into it putting backwards force on the bolt, while you raise and lower the handle a few times. Just pulling back or pushing forward on the bolt handle won't give even backwards force; the bolt ways in the SMLE are not that close a fit to the bolts!

[Peter Laidler]

I would slightly and very respectfully ever so slightly disagree with your para 2 Robert. I would contend that the best way to ascertain and then fit a bolt is the way taught by Armnourers to others Armourers and practiced by them for generation after generation, ever since the bolt action Lee Enfield was introduced. The bolt isn't subject to a rotational force or load when the rifle is fired. It is all rearwards. Down the bolt body and diverted to the locking lugs and thence the locking shoulders............. And then on to the lucky shooter who acts as an effective shock absorber

But the mere notion of screwing the barrel in further to reduce the head-space is.........., well........ There are words I would like to use but let's just leave it at 'foolhardy.....'