Lee Enfield .303 MK4 Bolt Head

Airbob10

Airbob10

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Yesterday, I fired my .303 for the first time in 25 years. The first 3 shots were fine, and on my 4th shot the casing separated and I couldn't get it out. Took it to the gun shop and was told that I had excessive bolt head space. I was using Federal 180G hot core rounds. This is the first time I used other ammo than military surplus since I bought the gun in the late 70's. The .303 surplus issue has already been discussed on this site.
Where can a person buy a #2 bolt head in Canada? I can find them in the US, but they won't ship to me even though I do have an US mailing address.
I would even be willing to buy a new bolt with the #2 head.
I have not been a member for 90 days so I can't access the Equipment Exchange forum.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
Size 2 bolt heads can be found, many gunsmiths, gun shops and folks here on CGN could have one. Did the gun shop measure headspace with the proper gauges, or was this merely a hypothesis provided by the person you dealt with?
 
federal brass is a likely culprit, try reloading your old surplus cases from that rifle or buy some new prvi stuff and your problem will probably disappear.
also, try the ponytail elastic trick
 
He called me and left a voicemail, and they are not open till Tuesday. If I remember, it was either a #0 or #1 bolt head. I couldn't discuss if he had used the gauges and got to "no go", so I was trying to be proactive. He did state that they were out of the parts so I believe I just need to go to a bigger bolt head.
I realize that the guns were built with different variances because of possible contaminates like dirt etc. But this is the first time it has happened to me. I put a lot of surplus rounds through it years ago, so maybe the new rounds are less tolerant of the head space gap.
I was going to try a different round from another manufacturer, but I couldn't get the casing out. Disappointing, my kids had never shot a .303 and were waiting for their turns.
So hopefully I can find a #2 bolt head for the rifle.
Thanks for your response.
 
Have you used the ponytail elastic? While I was looking for the part on the internet, I read a lot of articles on the elastic, or even fish line. I really like this rifle and want to keep it working safely so my kids can enjoy it as well.
Just waiting for my POL to be upgraded to a PAL so I can buy a cheap SKS to fire cheap rounds like I used to with the .303.
 
Yes, ponytail elastic, or o-rings. i use Buna o-rings in metric sizes. They work great. And if you play around with the sizes, you can find a size that works best with your bore.

Best thing you could do short of the o-ring trick is to get privi Ammo. That stuff is great.
 
#s 0 and 1 are as common as dirt but the 2 and 3 sizes are a tad more scarce. They are out there. When you can, post on the milsurp parts exchange for one. In my experience, if you are getting case seperations from headspace, it will be more than just one size jump. The #4s are very forgiving. As mentioned by others, try a different brand of ammo befor you get too carried away. PM me if you keep having troubles. I can have a look at it for you. I'm in PoCo.
 
PM with manufacturer...Brit, Long Branch or Savage and I'll look through my stuff. Should have what you need. Ron
 
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Federal brass tends to have problems with case seperation. As mentioned, try some other manufacturers ammo.

Headspace should be measured with MILITARY headspace guages. There is a difference between the Military and Commercial ones.

A stuck case extractor is almost a MUST for anyone who shoots the .303 British. Do not try to use a screw driver or tool as you can damage the chamber.

The biggest problem is that commercial ammo can have a thinner rim than the Militrary rounds and therefore enter the chamber deeper. The "O" ring on the first firing helps keep the base of the cartridge back against the bolt face, and subsequent reloads are neck sized only for long brass useage.
 
Thank you for your info. I figured it might be the type of ammo I was using. I have order a Stuck case extractor. I will also use a O ring pending the arrival of a larger Bolt head.
 
I appreciate the help. I should get the rifle back early in the week. I was also getting the front sight changed. Amazing, the last time I shot it (80"s) they didn't have lasers to see just how bad the sights were actually out. I purchased the gun from a gun store in Victoria late 70's. It didn't have a front sight on the holder. The gun smith took it away and put a new one on it. I couldn't believe how far it was off from a bore laser. Most of my shooting was in gravel pits, so being close was good enough.
 
Airbob10 said:
I appreciate the help. I should get the rifle back early in the week. I was also getting the front sight changed. Amazing, the last time I shot it (80"s) they didn't have lasers to see just how bad the sights were actually out. I purchased the gun from a gun store in Victoria late 70's. It didn't have a front sight on the holder. The gun smith took it away and put a new one on it. I couldn't believe how far it was off from a bore laser. Most of my shooting was in gravel pits, so being close was good enough.
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There is trueth to what you say about the laser. But, it is still only close. A high grade laser (and there are cheap crap ones) aligns the bore with the point of aim. That is not always where the bullet will strike. It now has to be zeroed on a range.
 
I agree. When I lined up the sight to the middle of the target, my Buschell Boresighter was at the top right corner of the large target (about 16 inches) from where I was aiming on a 75 yard range. I know this a a less that ideal test, but it was pretty sure the guy slapped on the wrong front sight years ago. I was dead centre with my .22 from the same place.
 
Thanks Peter. Took my rifle to a Gun Nutz member's home tonight, and he took a look at it for me. He found numerous issues with the rifle. The firing pin was lose at the tip, but stuck in the bolt. He had to cut it out and replace the firing pin. Once that was done, Peter put a #2 bolt head in the rifle and it tested no go. Tried an #3 head and no go again. Discovered that the bolt was no good and had a bit of a twist in it. Put a new bolt in it and put the original #1 head, and the rifle was fine. Peter then fixed the magazine that was meant for a No1 rifle, as well tightened the stock. He did a complete overhaul of the rifle and even had time to show me how to reload .303 cartridges.
Peter was outstanding in taking the time to help me with my rifle. Again I can't thank him enough. I am gald to be a member of this community..
 
Airbob's bolt was an interesting piece. You see something new every day. The tip of the stiker was not only bent but looked like a 2 piece unit. The tip of the striker was still attatched to the main but loose right at the part where the striker tool engages. I have no idea how that came to be.
 
points said:
Airbob's bolt was an interesting piece. You see something new every day. The tip of the stiker was not only bent but looked like a 2 piece unit. The tip of the striker was still attatched to the main but loose right at the part where the striker tool engages. I have no idea how that came to be.
Click to expand...

Mate sorry, I'm really interested to know what was wrong with his bolt but I'm not following this very well. Can you please elaborate a bit more.
 
First, the firing pin was bent had a lose tip.It looks like the tapered part is pressed into the rest of the pin. It was also jammed in the bolt, so we had to cut the firing pin back at the firing ####. Once Peter replaced the pin, he reinstalled the bolt. It was a no go on all #1, #2 and #3 bolt head's. Peter checked out the bolt and it had a taper or almost twist in the actual bolt. Peter replaced the bolt (with a #1 head), and tried the no go gauge again. It passed. I am concerned because I bought the rifle from a reputable gun shop in Victoria a long time ago and it would always have been at no go. I never touched the bolt except to oil it after cleaning. I appreciate that the no4 was sloppy at best, but it was really lose on the no go gauge. On the positive side, I learned more about Lee Enfield rifles in the time I was with Peter than I ever ever would have thought was possible.
 
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