Bought my first Enfield...

And now I've gone from "oh well" to WTF. The bolt functioned fine prior to stripping it down, and now with it all back together the bolt doesn't want to rotate down and lock. Keeps springing back up as the bolt won't seat into the breach. :bangHead:

Putting it in the safe and going to bed before I try really bugger something up. Look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow.

**Following morning edit** End of the bolt and "unscrewed" out one extra turn from seated. Once I figured out that it all fits together nicely again.
 
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Two rifles, two paragraphs.
SMLE = Short Magazine Lee Enfield - you No. 1 Mk. III*
Compare my list of numbers with your Mk. III rilfe.

For whatever reason, your No.4 wound up with two sets of numbers. Probably happened during FTR. The m/m on the bolt handle means nothing - just a stamping error.
Matching/non-matching bolt serials might or might not reflect headspace issues. If you are concerned, check.
The clamp screw through the rear of the forend - part of the conversion to Mk. II - should have a slot head.
 
tiriaq said:
Two rifles, two paragraphs.
SMLE = Short Magazine Lee Enfield - you No. 1 Mk. III*
Compare my list of numbers with your Mk. III rilfe.
Click to expand...

Man I must have been way more tired last night than I thought. On the SMLE the serial numbers all match. (Bolt, right side of receiver ring, under rear sight, and bayonet boss. The stock behind the foreend is pretty hard / impossible to read. Looks like the right number but it is pretty fade. Not worn, just looks like the wood has "sprung back" where it was stamped. I'm missing the magazine all together.

tiriaq said:
For whatever reason, your No.4 wound up with two sets of numbers. Probably happened during FTR. The m/m on the bolt handle means nothing - just a stamping error.
Matching/non-matching bolt serials might or might not reflect headspace issues. If you are concerned, check.
The clamp screw through the rear of the forend - part of the conversion to Mk. II - should have a slot head.
Click to expand...

Know where I can find the proper screw?
 
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Your rifle was "unsporterized" by someone. Surrey refers to a commercial model that was made after ww2 from an army surplus rifle. Yours has been reconverted to military guise with the full wood set - that explains the screw.
All in all, not a bad thing - the surplused rifles were generally in pretty good shape when released from the military. With the current pricing of full military LE's, there are a lot of rifles being reconverted.
 
cosmic said:
Your rifle was "unsporterized" by someone. Surrey refers to a commercial model that was made after ww2 from an army surplus rifle. Yours has been reconverted to military guise with the full wood set - that explains the screw.
All in all, not a bad thing - the surplused rifles were generally in pretty good shape when released from the military. With the current pricing of full military LE's, there are a lot of rifles being reconverted.
Click to expand...

Rifle looks great, just not what I thought I was buying. Again lesson learned.

Who made the commercial models from the army surplus stuff? The "surrey"?
 
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