Lee Enfield No.4 Mk.1 Disassembly

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MattE93

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My Lee Enfield No.4 Mk.1 just arrived and I am considering fully disassembling it to give it a thorough cleaning and oil up some of the tight parts. I did this with my RC K98k to remove some of the old grease and get the action running a little smoother. From what I have seen the disassembly of the Lee Enfield is a little more complex and I don’t want to ruin the bedding or damage anything.

Is it a good or bad idea to fully disassemble these rifles?
 
They were made to be taken apart and reassembled. Standard procedure for any new acquisition of mine. Just be careful removing stock, especially the "bottom metal". Possible to chip wood doing it, be no issue so long as you aren't an ape.
 
The instruction to pivot the forend towards the butt is a fine way to crush the draws. An easy way to remove a stubborn forend (which yours likely will be, if it hasn't been disassembled recently - or isn't f-d) is to take all the hardware off holding it on, then gently tap the receiver end wood with a hammer and block of wood. Just a few light raps on both sides should help free up a tight fitting stock. Having said that, if a little persuasion won't free it - DO NOT FORCE IT!

Find yourself copies of the two RCA manuals on the No.4. Operating Instructions, and First Line Maintenance Instructions. The latter has detailed disassembly procedures, as well as lots of details on the various tolerances for parts and other interesting bits. If you're going to take apart a No.4 for the first time, collect your tools and manuals - and then go slow.
 
Make sure you have a good set of flathead screwdrivers! Poorly fitting screwdrivers will slip out of the slots and damage the screw heads. Be careful and go slow!
 
Here you go, very detailed instructions. Normally, there's no need to disassemble the bolt but if you want to do that, it helps to have the right firing pin tool.

 
Thanks for the video, made disassembly easy. Does anyone know how to take apart the rear sights? I have the micrometer screw type, and the screw mechanism is very stiff and hard to turn. I would like to try and take them apart to oil it up and make them smoother but don’t know if they are easy to take apart. The video doesn’t cover the rear sights.
 
Finally I found these F&**^ing manuals...

http://www.euroarms.net/efd/manuali/No4Mk1Inst.pdf

http://www.euroarms.net/efd/manuali/No4Mk1Arm.pdf

The second manual is the one you want for all disassembly tasks - including the Mk.I sight. Now, some of the tolerances can be ignored to a degree as you don't have the ability to just toss parts and get them from stores.

Save these .pdf's and print them out. Cherish them! :p

The Mk.I is also a pain to put back together, properly. Take your time, be patient and be ready to reassemble a few times before it is working 100%. I bought one from Numrich when they still had them, bloody thing was seized and full of crud.
 
7ECA said:
Finally I found these F&**^ing manuals...

http://www.euroarms.net/efd/manuali/No4Mk1Inst.pdf

http://www.euroarms.net/efd/manuali/No4Mk1Arm.pdf

The second manual is the one you want for all disassembly tasks - including the Mk.I sight. Now, some of the tolerances can be ignored to a degree as you don't have the ability to just toss parts and get them from stores.

Save these .pdf's and print them out. Cherish them! :p

The Mk.I is also a pain to put back together, properly. Take your time, be patient and be ready to reassemble a few times before it is working 100%. I bought one from Numrich when they still had them, bloody thing was seized and full of crud.
Click to expand...

THANK YOU!! These manuals are awesome. I appreciate you finding them.
 
MattE93 said:
Thanks for the video, made disassembly easy. Does anyone know how to take apart the rear sights? I have the micrometer screw type, and the screw mechanism is very stiff and hard to turn. I would like to try and take them apart to oil it up and make them smoother but don’t know if they are easy to take apart. The video doesn’t cover the rear sights.
Click to expand...

Before trying to disassemble the rear sight, soak it with WD40. It's not that it can't be done but it's a little tricky and I wouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary.
 
If the Mk.I is full of crud/seized, a full disassembly and soak in boiling hot soapy water and a thorough scrubbing down is the best bet to get it working consistently.

During reassembly, you'll see why the Brits went away from the Mk.I as a measure of expediency - it's a bit finicky... Make sure the elevation scale is polished as well.
 
Soaked in WD-40 overnight. It now Moves quite easily between 400 and 1300 meters but is still very stiff between 200-400 which unfortunately is probably the most useful range. Compounding the problem I can’t get the screw rentention pin to budge meaning I am having a hard time taking it apart.

Is it best just to buy a new one?
 
Generally at shorter ranges the battle sight would be used, especially for quicker target acquisition. Of course, if you've got the time using the aperture sight is a good idea.

Sounds like you've got to take her apart and clean it out properly, it's probably some crud binding up the sight at that lower range. Good luck finding a replacement Mk.I, they're pretty much unobtanium now, at least for ones in working condition. I know I bought one from Numrich (when they had them, sort of NOS) for $79 US back in February of 2018. They don't even list them anymore, other than the reproduction sights for the No.5...
 
Got the pin out finally. The problem appears to be that the slider or leaf is slightly warped. The screw turns freely in the nut along the entire length. However when sliding the slider around it is nice and smooth from 700-1300 but very tight from 700 down. Could I file the leaf body gently to make the slider a little smoother?
 
With the sight disassembled, take a straight edge and see if everything is straight or warped.

I'd be interested in seeing a photo of the sight - because I'm wondering how it could've got warped in the first place, without damaging anything else.
 
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