No1 Mk3 Help with bolt lock issue and marking Identification.

[cbiscuit]

Hello fellow Enfield enthusiasts,

I for the longest time wanted a No1 Mk3 and 2 years ago picked one up that had been sporterised mainly due to how little I got the rifle for. However two problems have plauged me from starting a restoration on this rifle. First item was securing a replacement charger bridge to replace the one missing on my example which I have since secured. The other was a problem I am having when trying to close the bolt.

with the bolt pushed forward as far as it will go with normal force, I cannot bend the handle down given that the face of the bolt head seems to rub against the entrance where the bolt should go into and lock. There are 3 ways I can get round this, either push as hard as possible against the bolt handle, ramming the bolt quickly into battery or with the bolt as far as it will go under normal pressure, press down slightly on the cylinder portion of the bolt head, allowing the bolt to lock into place smoothly. I have tried to take two pictures showing the point at which the handle stops and where the bolt face seems to get stuck. These should be the last two pictures in the images below.

I would also like some help Identifying the markings and the maker of my rifle. I have seen many with a factory or company listed but not one with a crown that says GR. From my own research so far it seems that I have a rifle that was pressed into Irish Free state service with British proof markings that was also possibly re barreled in 1935.

I really want to try and put this Enfield back in good order but want to try and find out how much of a problem I have with the bolt before I start an expensive parts hunt.

Thank you all for your time. And if there is anything I have left out I apologize and will answer any questions.

-Conor

[Buntlineguy]

I don't know if you are new to Enfields or not, but this got me once. It seems that in assembling I let the front of the bolt loosen. Make sure it is screwed all the way in. Hope it is that simple.
Enjoy
B

[cbiscuit]

It seems to be screwed in as far as it will go.

[Parashooter]

Adding a slight chamfer to the front of the bolt head can alleviate this kind of difficulty, although the actual cause is likely a worn bolt or receiver.

[cbiscuit]

Adding a slight chamfer to the front of the bolt head can alleviate this kind of difficulty, although the actual cause is likely a worn bolt or receiver.

http://www.milsurps.com/images/impor.../2ednz0n-1.jpg

Is there a way to determine if the receiver or bolt is the problem? When you say the bolt being worn is that fixable with a new bolt head and if it's the receiver am I just out of luck?

[Parashooter]

The symptoms described indicate there is enough radial play between bolt body and receiver to allow bolt head and receiver ring to misalign and jam unless the bolt is manually pressed into alignment. A new bolt head will not correct this; a new bolt body might or the receiver may be worn out.

Try the chamfer before deciding to invest in additional parts.

[nijalninja]

The bluing looks really nice, also I recognise the 'FF' shadow marking as one of Irish use. Couldn't tell you much more than that. Best of luck with sorting out its issues.

[mr.e moose]

Check the headspace. The bolt head could have been changed out and is too long. No 1 bolt heads are hand fitted and I have a number of them that do not allow the bolt to close.
To fit a No.1 bolt head you ether need a selection of bolt heads or in your case perhaps lap the bolt head down until it will close on a go gauge. You will then need to adjust your firing pin protrusion.
Even with the numbered No.4 bolt heads I find that there can be a wide variation in lengths. I have found #1 that are longer than #2 and shorter than #0.

[Surpmil]

At a glance it looks like the Fianna Fail marking went on after the existing finish, so from that we could deduce that the rifle was supplied to the Irish "Free State" after the rebarrel date of 1935.

For a minute I thought it might have been an inanimate witness to the day the Free State army shelled and burned the Dublin Public Records Office to get the I.R.A. out of it, thus destroying most of their own historical patrimony in an afternoon. Fianna Fail alright!

Someone has been buggering about with the rifle, I see three dents in the rear face of the receiver ring where the end of the extractor spring has jammed into it. And that would require the bolt head to be disengaged from the guide for some unknown reason... Someone messing around and perhaps trying to fit a new bolthead that didn't fit and wasn't even needed? (The wear to the finish does not suggest to me a rifle that has seen enough use to be likely to need a new bolthead)

[Surpmil]

Is that a No.4 safety catch I see there in the last photo?