1915 SMLE bolt problem

[eggwelder]

I have the mentioned No 1 Mk III. it is in good shape for the most part. I'm not sure if this is a standard practice, but i have done it for years to avoid dry firing the rifle. the problem i have is that when the bolt is closed on an empty chamber with the trigger depressed, (so as to avoid cocking the firearm) the bolt catches up and will not slide home unless the bolt gets backed off a hair and then it will slide home. there is no other function problems with this rifle. all my other LEs function smoothly in this manner, from No1s to No5s.
any ideas?

Information

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[Daan Kemp]

Soldiers in training dry fired these rifles many hundreds of times in practice and there is no warning in the training and armourers pamphlets about dry firing. The striker is a very robust piece of steel even for 1915.

I would guess your dry firing would be much less than that.

[pisco]

hi i would wash the bolt in degreaser and then wash it in 2 stroke petrol it could have some **** floating around in there if it still done it i would pull the bolt apart and have a look inside as for draw firing i would not do it but every one to there own

[Brian Dick]

Check to see if the sear is dragging on the left hand locking lug of the bolt body. It could be hanging up because of a worn body. Just a wild *** guess.

[eggwelder]

thanks for the replies. The rifle has not been fired since at least 1964 when my father bought 3 of them for $15 or $25 for all three. he's not sure what he paid. it was missing a front sight blade so he never used it. I replaced it but have yet to fire it myself. I`ll check that bolt for **** and wear. i don't like to dry fire any of my firearms, especially the older that they are.

[Steve H. in N.Y.]

How far forward is the bolt when it catches?

[Bruce_in_Oz]

If the bolt is correctly assembled and if you fire the action when the bolt handle is not fully down, it will usually "jump" into half-cock mode, slapping the bolt handle down at the same time. To go to "fire mode", simply pull the cocking piece fully back and carry on.

This is not a "fault", it is an actual safety feature, intended to prevent firing when not fully locked. In the "half-cocked' state, the tail of the sear SHOULD BE fully engaged in the half-cock notch on the underside of the cocking piece. It takes a LOT of hard use, or a few moments of idiocy to remove / disable the various safety features.

At one time it was a practice among certain "full-bore" shooters to "remove" the safety stud from the bolt, allegedly to "improve the trigger pull" or somesuch; scary stuff. The safety stud is (or should be) a little square-ish blob in that recess under the rear of the bolt body. If some bozo has "eliminated" it, the bolt is DANGEROUS. Likewise there SHOULD be a smaller, more "rounded" stud on the upper surface of the "tongue" of the cocking piece. This little lump travels around the bolt safety stud as the bolt is operated. It is a very clever system. Not "fool proof"; there is always someone trying for the "Gold Darwin Award" by "improving" mechanical safety systems.

When the action is fired, with or without ammo, the striker runs forward until the striker collar hits the rear of the bolt-head. As you lift the bolt handle, the striker is cammed back a little, but unlike a Mauser, is not actually cocked, As he bolt body rotates out of battery, it also move rearwards slightly as it rotates on the bolt-head thread AND the small locking lug rides on the primary extraction helix..

The whole system is designed to keep the striker AWAY from primers unless in full lockup, safety off and finger squeezing the trigger; fewer "own-goals" that way.

[eggwelder]

almost all the way forward. maybe 5/8 inch left to go

[5thBatt]

Not the half cock, he is having problem closing the bolt with the trigger pulled.
The only thing i can think of that might be happening is the top edge of the bolthead snagging up as it hits the opening at the chamber.

[Alan de Enfield]

If I have read the symptoms correctly (the bolt catches up and will not slide home unless the bolt gets backed off a hair and then it will slide home) - It could be that the action is worn and the bolt is rattling about (like a sausage in an alley) and lifting / twisting and the bolt head catching on the edge of the breech.