Safety of SMLE No1 MKIII

[TaylorTN]

I have a semi-sporterized Enfield No 1 MK III that I inherited.

My dad bought it 40 years ago to "rework it" He says that that's there is what was on it when he bought it. The bolt has a 3 digit # on the handle but the rfle doesn't have any #s to match to.

I have never fired it and wondered if I needed to get a set of "go/no go" gauges to check the headsapce for safety before diving into it as a project rifle.

I plan to shoot cast in it anyway, probably lighter loads.

My local gun****h said that he didn't have gauges but since it was a lower-pressure round, he'd tie it to a spare tire with a couple of sandbags on top and fire it with a string and inspect the cast for gas blowback on teh neck and shoulder and look at the primer for signs of backing out.


I need to order dies and brass, but already have a couple of moulds to play with.

I don't want to get into spending much $$ on a rifle that's not a good bast to work on.

Any ideas or tips to consider before tackling this as a spring project. It will end up being a truck and tractor gun for teh farm as well as another gun to deer hunt with if I feel that urge.

thanks, Taylor

[bruce drake]

go to Brownells or Midway and spend the roughly $30 for a No-GO Gauge. Or split the cost with the gunsmith. Either way it's worth the expense versus blowing yourself or the rifle.

Your gunsmith's ideas of a low-pressure round.....If he shoots a commercial round that will mean roughly 44-48K of PSI. Just 10% less than the 30-06 and 308 cases. If it has bad headspace issues and blows up when he does this, I wonder if he'd be willing to replace your father's rifle or would he charge you for his time to damage your rifle.

So get the gauges. After shooting your current Enfield, you may buy more than the gauge will pay for itself in the long run.

Bruce

[jonk]

A headspace problem would be very unlikely to cause a blow up. What it COULD do (as could a loose chamber) is cause a case head seperation and a shot of gas in the face, as well as leaving the brass stuck in the chamber.

[JeffinNZ]

I'd be astounded if it HAD the correct headspace. Most No1 MkIII's have "war time tolerances" but the reality is they shoot just fine and a perfectly safe. Just don't full length size your brass.

There have been more deer shot in New Zealand with the No1 MkIII than any other rifle and VERY few of the shooters would have known what headspace was and remain alive and oblivious. Not to trivalise the situation as it is worth checking but don't be surprised when the bolt closes on a 'field' gauge.

[curator]

I concur with JeffinNZ. If the rifle is in pretty good shape it will be safe to fire. The Lee Enfield has good gas-venting and is unlikely to injure you wiht a normal case-head separation. You should be wearing safety/shooting glasses anyway, right? If you want to test for really excessive headspace without spending a lot of $$$, go to your local auto parts store and buy some "Plasti-gauge." This stuff is short pieces of crushable plastic wire. Place a short length behind an empty cartridge case and the bolt head, then close the bolt. The plastigauge will crush into a ribbon. You measure the ribbon's width with the scale on the package. If it shows a space of .010 or less you are good to go. Nominal .303 british cartridge rims are .064" thick. Most No1Mk111 rifles will close their bolts on a .074" field gauge.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I usually seat a primer in an empty case of pull a bullet and dump the powder from a milsup round. Fire the primed case in the rifle and if headspace is excessive, the primer will back out.

Thats how I was taught and its worked for me over the years. I had an old 8mm Mauser and it backed the primer out many moons ago and when I showed it to a gunsmith, he said the rifle must have just had an old bolt someone found on the floor, the headspace was so sloppy.

Good cheap initial check.

My machinist mate used to use a piece of shot on the bolt face and carefully close the bolt on it. he would then measure the squashed (hopefully) piece of shot.

[JeffinNZ]

HEY MICK! That must be the same 8x57 I bought!!!!!!!!!!! :-D

[Four Fingers of Death]

Nah, I still have it downstairs, the action is also pitted below the stock, I have stripped parts off it, but couldn't in all conscience sell the old clunker. I'll put the grinder through it one day.

[KCSO]

A Gauge for the 303 is simply a metal shim with a cut out for the extractor. Have your local machin shop turn you a 1/2" (?) diameter circle with a thickness of .078. (If I remember right w.t.s. .064-.074) File a notch so the extractor doesn't touch and if the bolt closes you may need some work. In all actuality most of the 303's I measure are over size and have been fired that way for years. Aside from brass loss and an occasional case seperation with reloads this isn't particularaly dangerous. To correct the headspace have a gunsmith soilver solder a shim to the bolt face and hone to proper headspace. I like to set the headspace to .069 for my personal rifles.

[NVcurmudgeon]

I usually seat a primer in an empty case of pull a bullet and dump the powder from a milsup round. Fire the primed case in the rifle and if headspace is excessive, the primer will back out.

Thats how I was taught and its worked for me over the years. I had an old 8mm Mauser and it backed the primer out many moons ago and when I showed it to a gunsmith, he said the rifle must have just had an old bolt someone found on the floor, the headspace was so sloppy.

Good cheap initial check.

My machinist mate used to use a piece of shot on the bolt face and carefully close the bolt on it. he would then measure the squashed (hopefully) piece of shot.

Mick, I had a 1933 Obendorf that seemed to have had a very bad time in Russia. It backed the primers out, but was OK with brass necked out to .35 cal. and then necked back down until it would just chamber, or cases formed from .30/06 carefully fitted the same way. Eventually a friend threatened me if I didn't trade him the Mauser, and is still delighted with it. Naturally neither of us ever shot anything but 1600-1800 fps cast loads in it.

[corvette8n]

Brownells has the field guage for $26.00
Lee dies are fairly cheap.
10gr of Unique should give you a good plinking load.
I have a MKIV, MKIII, and a Jungle carbine and have yet to shoot any of them, thats the trouble with having a C&R FFL too many guns and not enough time.

[4060MAY]

use a new or fully sized case, make sure it fitss and the bolt closes, insert a primer part way put into the chamber and close the bolt gently
if the primer is flush with the case, it should be ok, if it sticks out then there is a headspace problem
IIRC the bolt head comes in different lengths to correct headspace

[KCSO]

The WW2 rifles have the interchangable bolt heads the earlier rifles were stoned to fit.