What the heck is that for? [odd screw on my Enfield]

sean69

sean69

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Just picked up a real great No4 Mk.1* 1950 Longbranch, all matching, excellent condition, great shooter too! [5 groove!]

enfield-what-the-hell-is-that.jpg


One question, that screw just to the right of the stamping, what is it for?? The threaded end protrudes into the action & if I tighten it right up will jam the bolt. It somehow worked it's way tighter while shooting & jammed is how I found out.

So, what is it, how do I correctly adjust it to prevent it jamming?

[ALSO: it's missing one of the buttstock swivel screws, does anyone have a spare?? :) Marstar and Epps are out!]

-sean
 
The screw catches on the rim of the 303 cartridge shell as you pull the bolt back to load another round and the empty case gets flicked out of the receiver on the right hand side. If you remove the screw your case will just stay on the end of your bolt as it is held by the ejector arm.
 
JP said:
Its the ejector screw, but yours looks strange, I think it may not be the proper screw.
Click to expand...

ok - so let me extrapolate from that then, it is only supposed to protrude into the action far enough to contact [and kick out] the rim of cartridge as the bolt pulls it back. I've noticed that the bolt head thingee [I don't know what it is called] forces the cartridge against the left action wall quite hard.

in theory I should be able to file a thou at a time off until it kicks out a round and does NOT obstruct the bolt? or is there supposed to be another piece inside the action? The bolt is not what I would call smooth & the brass ejects, but it kind of just falls out no real spunk there.
 
That bolt should protrude just a little from the reciever enough to catch the rim on the left side of the case. if it's too long it will make contact with the bolt and wear a groove in the bolt body and bolt head.

You are correct, you can file the bolt down to the point that it ejects the brass but doesn't contact the bolt. Just file it a little at a time and cycle the bolt with a loaded mag til it ejects and cycles smoothly. I had to do this with my '43 Longbranch when I got it as I had the same problem as you. I loaded up 5 dumby rounds and cycled them through in between filings until it worked perfectly.
 
desporterizer said:
If you operate the bolt with vigor, the bolt is redundant (at least in my rifles).
Click to expand...

How much vigor are you using? The bolts are never redundant in my rifles, they don't chamber a round, fire, or extract cartridges at all without their bolts no matter how vigorous I am.
 
TheTooner said:
How much vigor are you using? The bolts are never redundant in my rifles, they don't chamber a round, fire, or extract cartridges at all without their bolts no matter how vigorous I am.
Click to expand...

Your doing it wrong then! The edited text shows what I meant to have written but sniders don't have bolts & do all the things you mentioned.
 
It could be a retainer screw for the PH5 or AGP target sightts which was longer than the regular ejector screw.
 
It is possible that someone, at one time, had an aftermarket receiver sight on your rifle. Many of these sights used the ejector screw hole to mount them, and the manufacturer provided a slightly longer ejector screw to compensate for the thickness of the sight base. It is also possible that a receiver that has been scrubbed or one that is slightly thinner will have the ejector screw bind when it is tightened down.

It is even possible that the ejector screw itself, was a bit long when made. If the head of the screw is tight against the left receiver outside wall, the bolt should open smoothly. An ejector screw can be shortened slightly with a file to make clearance for a binding bolt, however if the head protrudes from the side wall and has a space or gap, then you definitely have an ejector screw made for a receiver sight base. In this case, a proper ejector screw should be purchased and fitted.

BIGEDP51 has it right - the purpose of this ejector screw is to eject LIVE rounds but many people think it acts similar to ejectors on other rifles.
 
"...might be for..." Nope. It's the ejector.
"...If you operate the bolt with vigor, the screw is redundant (at least in my rifles)..." Your rifles are either damaged or you really have no idea what you're saying.
"...buttstock swivel screws..." You should be able to find one at any gun show. Otherwise contact Gunparts or Western Gunparts.
 
sunray said:
"...might be for..." Nope. It's the ejector.
"...If you operate the bolt with vigor, the screw is redundant (at least in my rifles)..." Your rifles are either damaged or you really have no idea what you're saying.
"...buttstock swivel screws..." You should be able to find one at any gun show. Otherwise contact Gunparts or Western Gunparts.
Click to expand...

Allow me to clarify, both my No 4mk1* and No4mk2 will eject live rnds with the ejector screw out of the rifle IF I work the bolt like somebody was shooting at me.
 
@ DESPORTERISER:

That means that your rifles are functioning as designed. Friction against the Left side of the Bolt Channel in the Body is what provides ejection in th Lee rifle IF everything is in good nick. The Ejector Screw is there MOSTLY as an insurance policy; it keeps the Muser guys (whose rifles NEED a separate Ejector) from saying that your Lee doesn't have enough parts to be taken seriously. If your rifles are behaving the way you say, then your Extractors are fitted correctly and your Extractor Springs are working properly and have not lost any strength.

The Lee Rifle is BY FAR the simplest mechanism ever designed for a military Magazine-fed rifle. It is ALSO the most effective and least troublesome in actual Service.

The Lee Rifle was introduced in calibres .45-70-500 and .43-77-380........ in 1879. The British Government bought THREE of the rifles for experimental and evaluation purposes nd that was the beginning of the story. The original Metford-barreled rifle was adopted in 1888; it has many parts which interchange with later models. The Short rifle was introduced in late 1901, modified slightly in 1907n and remains in regular Service with two of the biggest Armies in the world.

There is NO other rifle with this kind of service record.

It's gotta have something going for it... and I think you have a pretty good idea what that might be: pure RELIABILITY!
 
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