Lee-Enfield Rifles

Among the longest serving military rifles of all time is the British Lee-Enfield .303 rifle. Originally known in some circles as the MLE (Magazine Lee- Enfield), sometimes called "Long Lee" or "Emily", this changed to the less pleasant "Smelly" when the Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield was released. The rifle came into widespread service in the 1890s and the SMLE was used during World War One and Two as well as the Korean War. Many others entered service in 1903 and was improved as the SMLE MKIII in 1907.

This rifle and the later No. 4 served the British Army well into the 1960s. Lee-Enfields remain in worldwide use, notably as an important part of the Indian Home Guard. The This is an Ishapore-manufactured rifle converted to a carbine. rifle has also been used by the Commonwealth nations including New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. Among the most unsung of paramilitary organizations are the Canadian Rangers.

The Rangers have served in times of peril and emergencies such as floods and conduct search and rescue missions in arctic conditions as well as demanding long range patrols. Their standard rifle has been the Lee-Enfield since their formation. The rifle is still serving but scheduled to be replaced by the C-19, Tikka’s Arctic tenshot .308 bolt action. The SMLE is also in use by friend and foe alike in the mountains of Afghanistan.

The primary impediment to continued use of the Lee- Enfield seems to be a shortage of .303 British ammunition. The impending retirement of thousands of Lee- Enfield rifles in use by the Canadian Rangers will take some time but just the same it is the end of an era and unprecedented service. The Tikka replacing the SMLE is a Sako design that is basically a modified Scout rifle and good for hunting, recreational shooting, Service Conditions competition, and—in many cases—home and area defense.

Standard Disassembly Press the safety forward to the off position. The middle position is known as the bolt catch selection. Move the bolt to the rear until it stops. The bolt head catch is in the middle safety position. Rotate the bolt head counter clockwise until the flat points 12 o’clock. Move the bolt to the rear and of the raceway. Remove the magazine. There is a front sight shroud that period literature sometimes refers to as the front sight protector. If present, take the screws out that holds it on.

Some will need to be soaked or sprayed to release. Remove the forward barrel band and the rear sling swivel. Spread the forward barrel band and remove the handguard. Remove the trigger guard screws. The trigger guard and barrel bands are sometimes tight in the stock. Never force them, just

62 x 51mm cartridge. tap on the sides of the stock in order to loosen these parts. Tap the forend off. The butt plate is easily removed. Remove all lower stock screws. The butt stock bolt requires a large screwdriver and sometimes plenty of force, depending on how long it has been in place. Take the locking bolt screw out Th esafe ty screws off. Note, some Lee-Enfields have a loose safety that slips to the fire position as the rifle is fired, so check the safety to prevent this.

The sight pin may be drifted out for removal. There is a rear sight plunger pin that should be removed as well. To remove the sear from its notch, depress the sear spring located in the back of the magazine. Remove the sear, the magazine catch screw, and magazine catch spring. Most Lee-Enfield problems involve the bolt, headspace, and firing or extractor springs. Optional work includes working the trigger action. Lee-Enfield Design The Lee-Enfield cocks on closing.

This additional leverage makes the Far 5 carbine features distinctive sights. and the butt stock may be removed.

rifle more reliable in harsh conditions or where mud and grit may be in the action. While the action is quite strong and accurate, it isn’t as rigid as some. This makes for problems if handloading ammunition exceeding issue cartridge pressures and we must counsel our customers. Another concern is headspace as .303 British is a rimmed cartridge and headspaces as such, similar to a revolver and different than more modern rifles. This was common during the 1880s when .303 British was under development.

Headspacing here is the just the difference between the front of the bolt and the back of the barrel where the rim fits. These rifles were intended to function, feed, and fire in all conditions so there is more headspace than needed. The rifle has a splendid reputation for always working and being the most reliable bolt action in the World Wars. One reason military cartridge primers are crimped in is because this extra headspace can allow primers to back out and tie the gun up.

The .303 British cartridge and the Lee-Enfield are not the best combination for a handloader and the problems I have seen associated with headspace and the Lee-Enfield usually occur when a handloader attempts to "improve" ballistics and hot load the rifle with commercial brass. Brass stretches quite a bit in issue Lee-Enfields and it wasn’t intended to be reloaded.

The forward neck expands and fits into the chamber tightly, the solid case head moves to the rear slightly, sealing the primer and backing against the bolt head. The military load of a 174 grain bullet at 2600 fps is duplicated ballistically by Hornady in their Vintage Match loads. These loads are clean and accurate. Military ammunition may go bang but it isn’t as accurate Hornady and isn’t suitable for hunting. Bulk ammo for informal practice from Seller and Bellot is acceptable.

Wolf Performance Ammunition is generally reliable but is just burner ammunition. For matches or hunting Hornady 150 grain JSP, the 174 grain load, or similar handloads are recommended. Handloaders will discover that the action stretches cases and wear out sooner than in a 1903 Springfield or 8mm Mauser. Neck sizing is recommended to extend case life and Lee- Enfield actions have plenty of leverage. When checking headspace, the action should not close on a Field gauge with 0.74 max clearance.

Forster headspace gauges are set at 0.70 for a tighter fit. It is very important to check headspace before you go on a loading program with the Lee- Enfield.

A T-shaped tool is used to break down the bolt. Purchase one from Brownells or make your own. This tool sets into the bolt head notches and turns the cocking piece until the two lower notches are reached, decompressing the firing pin spring. The firing pin locking screw is located in the rear section of the cocking piece. The firing pin is removed by unscrewing and demands a special tool. The extractor spring, which occasionally gives up the ghost, isn’t the easiest to remove.

Place the bolt in a padded vise and insert a drift punch of less than 0.04 di- The bolt head simply screws off of the bolt. ameter into the very small hole that is located in the bolt head near the extractor. The punch must be tapped into the hole against the extractor spring to accomplish this. The extractor spring is removed by pressing it forward with a screwdriver as the punch exerts pressure against the extractor spring.

Keep a finger over the extractor slot so Far Be certain to use the proper punch if working these pins. the extractor spring does not jump out. Reassembly is done by placing the spring into the extractor slot and seating the small projection of the spring on the seat that is located in the bolt head. Lee-Enfield bolts are not interchangeable, are hand fitted into the raceway, and should share the same serial number as its rifle.

Check the bolt after clearing the rifle, confirming that the bolt head is completely screwed into the bolt and the cock-

The bolt head is properly screwed in here. ing piece is properly lined up with the lug in the underside. Place the bolt in the raceway and press it forward as if loading a cartridge. Pull the bolt rearward to the shoulders of the raceway and force the bolt head over the spring retaining catch. Press the bolt forward and turn the bolt handle down to lock the action. Pointing in a safe direction, press the trigger and the firing pin should snap.

Firing pin protrusion should be 0.0504-0.055 for early model rifles and 0.040-0.050 for the No.4 and No.5 models. The trigger action requires 3-4 pounds of takeup and 5-6 pounds of final pressure. Modifying the sear stop in the cocking piece may make the trigger press smoother. The factory trigger can be modified for a smoother let off but the betcom offers proper, specific Lee-Enfield tools. ter solution is from Huber Concepts (HuberConcepts.com, Some shooters like to eliminate the two-stage trigger altogether.

This is OK but care must be taken and only for target work and recreational firing as the trigger action is exposed and a sear removed. To eliminate the two stage, study the two bumps on the trigger that contact the sear. The polish area is the sear the trigger contacts and just the tip that contacts the hammer on the bolt. It is important not to remove metal at this point, polishing with a slight downward angle. Never remove more than 0.01, a little at a time to achieve a smoother release.

Sideto-side evenness is very important. An overtravel stop may also be fabricated. Find the slot toward the rear Cautions Lee-Enfields are reliable rifles. Stock repair and refinishing are straight forward. Haze cracking in barrels occurred in long-serving rifles in the United Kingdom beginning in the later 1960s. While I have not observed it in America, it certainly could happen. There’s a myth that No. 5 Jungle Carbines have a wandering zero or lose it after extended firing.

In truth, these rifles don’t lose zero, rather, troops pounded by recoil during extended firing blamed their shooting errors on the rifle. The No. 5 uses full power service rifle loads but weighs two pounds less than fullsize Lee-Enfields. Finally, the Ishapore 2A/2A1 is based on the Lee-Enfield but isn’t a Lee-Enfield converted to 7.62 x 51mm. They are suitable for higher pressure .308 Winchester cartridges. AG of the trigger guard. Drill and tap this area and run a screw into it to achieve a trigger stop.

This is an overlooked trick that really helps with the Lee-Enfield trigger. I have only seen two rifles so fitted and it improved trigger control.