Lee Enfield #4 Feeding Problem

[Ganderite]

I shot my new 303 #4 in a match last weekend. It has two distinct problems:

It extracts a case just fine, but tends to drop the case in the action, instead of ejecting it. Extractor spring?

Sometimes a round jams against the feed ramp instead of feeding into the chamber. I assume I have to adjust the mag lips. Maybe try a different mag and if it feeds, bend the lips to orient the rounds the same way?

 

[Redlight35]

I'm not sure of the answer for the second question but your solution makes sense.

As to the first question, there's a little screw toward the back of the action. It's a natural wear point and it's job is to send the casing away from the action when you pull the bolt back. Make sure that it isn't worn out too far. If you're not sure, change it and see how that works.

Hope that helped a little bit!

 

[Ganderite]

I am familiar withthe ejector screw. I get the impression that the case is falling off the extractor before it gets back that far.

I guess i could test by using a bolt head from another rifle and seeign if that extracts better.

 

[woodchopper]

I am familiar withthe ejector screw. I get the impression that the case is falling off the extractor before it gets back that far.

I guess i could test by using a bolt head from another rifle and seeing if that extracts better.

check the extractor spring first, sounds like its not holding the shell spent if you go with trying a different bolt head you might check headspace first

 

[cantom]

I am familiar withthe ejector screw. I get the impression that the case is falling off the extractor before it gets back that far.

I guess i could test by using a bolt head from another rifle and seeign if that extracts better.

Definitely the extractor spring. It should be very hard to move the extractor with your finger, let that be the test.

BTW, sorry I couldn't go to your match on Sat., my son had to work OT. I wanted to go.

 

[BUSHMAN79]

What weight of bullet? Lee-Enfields need long bullets for proper feeding, but you can tweek the front lips a bit to make them work. It sounds like yours need to be pried up slightly. The extractor and ejector are major weak points of the Lee action. Even a rifle that is properly set up will sometimes flip an empty backwards and leave it in the action. Others will eject perfectly even with the screw removed. If you load the rounds directly into the chamber, the extractor spring will eventually fail from being compressed as the extractor pops over the rim.

 

[Gary D]

you're shooting a number 4, I have found my No.4's don't feed round nose ammunition worth s#!t, without modifying the feed lips on the mag, but take Spitzers no problem, as that is what they were meant to fire. That could be your problem.

 

[kayaker1]

My 1943 No. 4 (Faz) has similar habits:
1) doesnt eject with much gusto at all (still clears the action with an 'average' pull inertia, but not by much).
2) Feed from the mag just fine EXCEPT the last round (or if just loaded with one). The front of the round pops up and gets jammed into the left side of the action - I reckon I just need to the mag lips to be modified a bit.

Neither of these really bother me though...!

 

[happydude]

I have a No. I Mk. III that does the same thing. As long as I work the bolt with more force as opposed to babying the thing it works just fine.

 

[Ganderite]

These are 150 grain spitzers. In addition to checking the extractor spring and feed lips, I will experiment with seating out further. I think I can make the rounds a bit longer.

I will report back. Soon, I hope.

 

[englishman_ca]

With free advice, you get what you pay for.

If you load the rounds directly into the chamber, the extractor spring will eventually fail from being compressed as the extractor pops over the rim.

I read that somewhere too. Sounds clever, but with all due respect, I think it is a crock.

When the bolt goes forward into battery, the face on the extractor claw is forced up a ramp in the barrel extractor slot retracting the claw a distance away from the rim, way more than the distance of that when it pops over the rim. In fact, Lee Enfields were originaly designed to be used as single loaders with use of the mag cut off leaving the rounds in the magazine for reserve fire power.

To fatigue a spring it has to be cycled a gazillion times. I honestly don't think that one lifetime of average use is long enough wear out an extractor spring. Most rifles with shagged out springs have been through military service and then through the hands of several generations of shooters.

Try replacing the extractor spring if she doesn't have crisp ejection. A strong spring makes a BIG difference. The ejector screw on the side of the receiver does not come into play when ejecting an empty case, it is for ejecting a longer live round.

 

[snowhunter]

The ejector screw is only used when a live round is being extracted from the chamber of the # 4 Lee-Enfield.

The spend or "empty" case is solely being ejected by the ejector spring. What happens is, when the spend case is being pullet rearwards by the bolt and reach the charger clip thump cutout along the raceway, it also relieve the cartridge rim pressure against the racesway, and the force alone from the ejector spring will eject the spend or empty case.

After discovering this unique # 4, Lee-Enfield ejection system, I debated this discovery in these fine pages a while back.

Therefore, if a spend case refuse to be ejected, the problem must be in a weak ejector spring.

The way this ejection system works in a # 4 Lee-Enfield, is made possible by custom building the Lee-Enfield raceway to be use with the .500 inch rim diameter .303 british cartridge, and so far, the only other cartridge that will function flawleslly along the Lee-Enfield raceway is the rimmed magnum cartridge of the same rim diameter as the .303 british cartridge.

Empty cartridge like from the 45-70, will work along the Lee-Enfield raceway, but will not eject until the reach the ejector screw.

Empty 303 british cartridges, that fails to be ejected by a weak ejector spring when they reach the stripper clip thumphole cutout, will when they reach the ejector screw, in most cases, just flip 180 degree's and land on top of the next round, and thus jam the gun, if not remove by hand.

Live 303 british rounds, due to their longer lenght with a bullet, will not be ejected by the ejector spring when they reach the charger clip cutout along the raceway, because the bullet is still inside the chamber when the rim of the cartridge reaches this cutout, and first when the whole cartridge is out, will it finally touch the ejector screw, which then do the intended job

 

[snowhunter]

I also noticed that the new austalian clones of the Lee-Enfield rifles uses a spring plunger for ejection of spend casings, and thus avoid any future problem with any weak ejector springs, as well as making it very easy to use the same bolt head for different cartridges/calibers.

Would there be any way of machining a plunger ejector into the existing milsurp Lee-Enfield rifles, and thus improve the ejection of spend cases ?

 

[Ganderite]

Boy, am I ever gald I asked the question. Tomorrow, after I fertalize 5 acres of gras, cut down one acre of old hay and run the TV - dethatcher over all the grass, I will play with the rifle and test it with a different magazine and bolt or bolt head. I have lots of bolt heads, so should be able to salvage a good spring. Maybe someone at a gunshow would have a new one.

 

[snowhunter]

I find that the ejection system of the Lee-Enfield rifles is the weakest design point in an otherwise fine rifle design that, over the years have more than proven itself, and have never come upon any literature about describing this design weakness of the the Lee-Enfield rifle. Clearly, the designer/manufactorers of this fine battle rifle, knew about this design weakness of the Lee-Enfield rifle, but never informed the users of this design weakness, since a strong ejector spring, solely, would do the job of positively ejecting the spend cases, and the ejector spring only function was to eject a loaded round.

It is also clear to me, that the designer/manufactorers of the Lee-Enfield rifles never wanted to advertise to the users of this battle rifle, that a weak ejector spring could immobilize and turn a Lee-Enfield rifle into a jammer, and the way I found about this flaw in the Lee-Enfield design, was when I ended up with a Lee-Enfield #4, without the ejector screw, and which never had any problems ejecting spend cases, and I first thought that it was that particular #4 which was able to function perfectly without the ejector screw.

Examining closely of how this #4 would eject spend cases without the ejector screw, I noticed that what I thought was a thump cutout for the five round charger clips, actually was not what I thought it was, but an integral part of the spend case ejections system, which would free the cartidge rim from the halfmoon cutout along the raceway, and thus enable the pressure from the ejector spring to eject the spend case.

When forcing a spend case all the way back to the ejector screw, I found that the spend case would not eject, and just flip 180 degree's and land on top of the next round, and thus jam the gun, if one attempted to, with the help of the bolt, reload the next round into the chamber.

Therefore, a weak ejector spring, could be the culprint, is the the spend case is forced all the back to the ejector screw, which are only designed to eject fully loaded rounds.

Examining my other #4 and #5, I found that they all ejected the spend cases as decribed above.