Hi, I'm new to the forum and I have a question regarding surplus Lee Enfield .303 British bolt action rifles. I am considering purchasing a Mark III which has a fairly new Ram-Line synthetic stock and I am just wondering about the bolt...When I tried it out at the gunsmith's shop it took a certain amount of force to pull the bolt back part of the way (and I must admit I have basically no experience with bolt actions except a Savage single-shot .22lr, and in this rifle when the bolt is pulled back it requires a constant uniform amount of force with no noticeable variation), and then the rest of the way it required more force to pull it back which was noticeably different from the first part of pulling back the bolt...Is this how it is supposed to function? They had two Enfields and the bolts worked relatively the same when pulling back the bolt. I am just not used to using this kind of bolt so I am wondering if it is functioning properly or if there is a problem with it...? I am also not sure what exactly "binding" means regarding the bolt-action, Does this mean it stops completely or slows down part way? Any info on this would be greatly appreciated. Also is there anything to look out for/pay close attention to when purchasing a surplus Lee Enfield bolt-action rifle? Thanks ...

-Matt

One thing about this forum...it makes me dig back into the gun safes and get out guns I thought I knew well in order to answer questions.

But this time I'm a bit stumped. Have a MNo. 4 Mk.I*...No. III but have had them in the past and the system wroks about the same way. Should't be binding.

Thse rifles actually cock on closing...which means that the spring tension to the firing pin is applied by the final bolt closure. Empty and cocked, the bolt kind of jumps back under the spring tenstion of the striker. IF I flip the bolt handle up on a cocked (empty) chamber, the bolt slides back under its own power for about 2/3 of it's travel length. With the gun fired (again empty chamber) can lift the bolt and it won't quite move back by gravity..takes very little pressure to move the bolt back.

Now closing the bolt is another matter...can feel the resistance of the mainspring as you get to within 3/4" of travel and as you close the bolt...are compressing the mainspring. But opening the bolt and sliding it back should't be a stop-and-go effort.

Now if it is a gritty-grating feeling of abrasion, then something is amiss and a part is out of alignement, IF it's a grinding type feel, then the action could just be well fouled with sand, fouling, or random crap. Could be various dings, dents, and othermarks of abuse by some body who things a hammer is a good rifle tool.

But as I sit here flipping the bolt open and closed with no effort, think I'd pass on one with the unexplained binding problems you outline...world is full of .303's, better to wait for a good one.

I am an Enfield fan also. The bolt should work free until the final closing when it is cocking the striker. It is very possible these rifles are either dry or coated in a preservative.
Ask you dealer to put a drop or two of oil on the bolt and see if it fees up.
I have heard of all manner of things being wrong with Enfields, I have examined a number of them and even the really rough examples were decent shooters. They are pretty common so get one you like

That's way too tight. The bolt on my No. 4 Mk. I/2 slides under it's own weight and jumps all the way open if I flip up the bolt handle when it's cocked. I wonder if the ejector screw is too long. Look for a big headed screw on the left side of the action, in line with the bridge. It should stick out into the bolt race about 1/32", but shouldn't bind the bolt.

The other thing to check is excess headspace. Put a couple of layers of masking tape on a case head and close the boult on it. If it closes easily, it's got too much. Longer bolt heads will tighten it up, but they're getting very hard to find.

Bye
Jack

A No. 1 Mark III was my first rifle back in 1958. These good folks are correct, the bolt should move easily back and forth until the sear engages to cock the action on closing. I have seen the problem you describe and it was attributed to a slightly bent receiver rail. Seems somehow the receiver got whacked or stuck and once the rail was moved outward a bit, the bolt worked easily. Hope this helps. All the best...
Gil

Are a lot of things to check in any used rifle buy, but most of them are pretty non-specific to any one model...and many of them should be obvious. Looking through a cleaned bore for signs of rougness, erosion, buldges, rings, etc. Missing parts (usually visualized by threaed holes with no obvious reason for being there), triggers that work either very hard or very light, bolts that bind.

.303's usually had a diet of military ammo, and the old ones porably saw a good amount of corrosive primers and cordite powder. Even with good cleaning habits, these rounds tend to wear the barrel (esp. at the breech end of rifling) faster than modern loadings.

With the two pice stock, betst to check for loosness on both the butt stock and the fore stock. Take a good look around the fitting of the stocks to the action, looking for cracks or oil soaked wood (which will be soft and a darker color than the rest of the stock).

The lads are right on with the 303. the bolt should fall back on its own weight if the barrel is tipped up once the action is opened, and you should feel some play between the bolt and the reciever. The guns cock on closing .
Wartime rifles have issue's with head spacing and washed out rifling , so each rifle should be checked out by a trusted Gunsmith before you put your money down.
Most rifles here in Central Ontario were I live command a good price "if" every thing is in order .
If you reload brass life is usually good if you use the Lee collect die. I found that the surplus power WC755 works wonders in the mark 4 that I had.
During the fifties and sixties the 303 probably shot more Moose ,bear and deer than any thing else , other than maybe the winchester 30/30 in these woods.
Check the web. there is a lot of information on the 303 B.

Hey thanks a lot guys for your informative replies, just what I needed. As I recall, the bolt did not slide back under its own weight, It had to be pulled back to even get it to begin to slide back..I'll try some of the tips you guys mentioned here when I go back and check it out, thanks again!

-Matt

Matt,

For what its worth, I'd pass on this one. Your great country is awash with our great rifles, albeit too many of them have been to Bubba.

Sit tight and one will fall on you when you least expect. At least you can jsut go out and buy one when they arise - unlike the Brit situation where we need to apply to our local Police for a permit for that specific calibre rifle in advance and convince them we can demonstrate 'good reason' for ownership.

Hey, we are both fighting a war for freedom in Iraq - there should be freedom at home also!

Feed.

Yes! We are all watching your right to hunt being attacked. I dont think anyone here doesnt realize that we are next. Between our Government and the UN we are just a few years behind you in this fight.

Yes! We are all watching your right to hunt being attacked. I dont think anyone here doesnt realize that we are next. Between our Government and the UN we are just a few years behind you in this fight.

William,

I'm afraid the war is now over regaridng hunting with dogs - a law was passed last week and it will no longer be legal from Feb '05.

We lost auto-loading rifles in '88, handguns in '97 and now hunting in 2005. What's next - fishing, game shooting, target shooting and finally the ability to wear a loud shirt in a speed restricted area?

Tony Blair maybe a loyal supporter of George W., but he has a hellava lot to answer for in his own country :-(

Feed.

It is a crying shame to see people's rights eroded by the continual chipping away of the shooting sports.

For the life of me, I still can't understand the clamor over the traditional fox hunting there in England. Folks need to pull their collective heads out of their arse and face reality. When the foxes dine on all their bunnies and such, perhaps their views will change once more. Until then - keep up the fight and don't go down easy!

Many of us did not like Blair during the Klinton admin. I for one was ver suprised when G. W. was elected and their was Blair supporting him! I have not got a handle on how Blair thinks.

KDUB is on the right track. Fight for every inch. We lost ground on every vote until finaly our NRA woke up and developed a back bone. I stil believe we are just not fighting hard enough. Time will tell.

Kdub - to help you understand, I believe the fox hunt ban has little or NOTHING to do with the welfare of the fox. However, it has a GREAT deal to do with the class war perpetuated by some quarters of Tony B. Liars Labour party - this issue has been running for over 14 years and they have finally won. Oh, but we have an election next May and it is predicted that there will be horrid scenes publicised on TV when many hounds and horses are slaughtered due to no hunt, no economy, no future.

William - how Blair thinks? Like a meglamaniac. Power hungry for his 3rd term in office (yes, we let them have more terms in office than you sensibly do). Unfortunately, our conservative (aka republican) opposition is currently not up to much :-(

Oh well, I'm currrently seeking Mexican nationality so I can sneek over the border to join some buds in WV - my shooting Nirvana! + I will get weflare, a drivers licence and US citizenship.

Feed.

Well, you've got our system of government pretty well pegged!

A federal judge in Tucson placed an injunction on Proposition 200 being made into law here in Arizona today. Prop 200 would deny state sponsored welfare to illegals and the right to vote in elections. Does nothing in interfering with federal given welfare. The Mexican Counsel and the Mexican-American League filed suit in his court to stop the enforcement that would have taken place today. Says he needs to "study" the ramifications of the voter approved proposition to determine if any discrimination will be effected.

Darn'd right there will be discrimination - against illegal aliens that are flooding our state and sucking the coffiers dry with state and federal funded welfare and give-aways. In addition, the crime rate is rapidly approaching the uncontrolled level. Most of all murders, rapes and thefts in this area are committed by this group.

Kdub,

Yep - spent some time in MD & WV and made some real good friends - great southern hospitality at its very best.

Heck - I even know what Grits or Biscuits & Gravy are - that's more than many Brits! But liking them is another thing!

Been invited over to sit in on a Level II pistol class in Spring '05.

http://www.f-r-i.com/

Would like to get over, but there is .44mag Long Barrel Revolver (the only handgun we can now own - 12" barrel, min. 24" long) that has my name on it somewhere, so got to count the pennies. Here is my .357mag verison (Taurus).

Feed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v189/feedbackboy/Firearms/Taurus5b.jpg