1st mil rifle Lee Enfield mk4 no1 help. How to clean?

[Bud421]

Hey all just got my first military rifle, it's a Lee Enfield mk4 no1. My question is, how do I clean this thing? Just like any other fire arm or is there anything special I should know about cleaning these?

[curator]

Bud421:

Take out the bolt and clean it like any gun from the breech end. You may find that it has years of built-up copper fouling even though the bore looks shiny. Use a good copper fouling cleaner until you've got it all out. Once it is cleaned, you may need some kind of rust preventative depending on your storage conditions.

[higgins]

Most of the .303 surplus ammo sold in the past was corrosive primed - that may be where you go the impression that a special cleaning process is needed for Enfields. Since you are new to surplus rifles, until you have educated yourself about .303 ammo assume any surplus ammo you come across is corrosive until know otherwise - and don't rely on the knowledge of the person selling it; some don't know and some don't care.

[Artful]

Good choice in a Military Weapon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JLZMVxR-tQ

Yes, corrosive ammo was probably used -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcFKCTfKENc

http://www.chuckhawks.com/lee-enfield_last_rifle.htm

http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/stratton/Enhistory.htm

http://www.americanrifleman.org/article.php?id=14659&cat=3&sub=10


And yes, I am an owner
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/th_SMLE303.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/SMLE303.jpg.html)

[atr]

just keep cleaning....after a while the bores usually clean up nicely.....I don't get aggressive about cleaning...a patch, a bush..let it set for a bit then do it again
I like to use a mixture of mineral spirits with Hoppes #9, or mineral spirits with something with copper cleaning properties
if I heat the mixture just slightly then apply with a patch the crud seems to loosen faster. I think mineral spirits in combination with others is one good fine cleaner...
have fun with that #4.....the enfields are interesting and provide a great learning experience....and sometimes frustration

[Bud421]

Thanks all! Your posts didn't show up till today for some reason, but I appreciate the help

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I have 17 SMLE's and give the barrels a very good scrub with steel wool and "Brasso" for about 30-40 minutes, wiping out every 5 mins. This seems to lift all the corrosion and crud back to a bare shiny bore.

I load all my rifle ammunition with cast boolits so the bores only get more polished with time.

[N4AUD]

I used some Kroil to clean the bore in my No4 MkI yesterday and it got out a lot of crud that I didn't know was in there. A patch with Kroil, bronze brush with Kroil, clean patches, repeat until clean, then a patch with Remoil and a clean patch. Bore shines like a new penny now.