Lee Enfield No4 MK I Magazine Feeding Issue & Sight Adjustment Question

Mumbles Marble Mouth

Mumbles Marble Mouth

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Magazine Feeding Issue

I have a feeding issue with my Lee Enfield. The right side of the magazine never feeds consistently. I tried bending the front tab different ways to try and correct its feeding path into the feed ramp but so far the issue is:

A) Bend too much and the round slams into the bottom of the feed ramp and will not chamber unless you bash the bolt handle hard enough to force it to chamber.

B) Bend it back too much and the bolt won't strip off the round to push it into the chamber. Instead the bolt will just push the round down.

Left side of the magazine always feeds properly and there seems to be no happy middle where the magazine should feed properly on the right side.

Oddly enough, if I put the magazine from my No 4 into my No 1, the left side no longer feeds right and only the right side does.

Using the same ammunition in my No 1 with its magazine, it will feed all 10 rounds without an issue.

If additional information and pictures are required, I will post back as soon as possible.

Sight Adjustment Question


My Lee Enfield No 4 MK I hits high and right at 100 meters. I'm fine with it hitting high since the site is set to 300 meters but id like to push the front sight block over to the right but I don't have a proper sight adjustment tool so I figured Id ask here to see if there is a way to do it with out wrecking the sight. The rifle is not sporterized.

I'm wondering if my local Canadian Rangers 4th Patrol has a sight adjustment tool.

Thanks for reading.
 
When you bend the lip down, you not only push the cartridge down at the front, you push it up at the rear as there is a degree of pivot on the rear lip.

When the front lip is bent upward the reverse happens: the rear of the cartridge pivots downward out of the path of the bolt.

You need to adjust the rear lip(s) slightly, not so much the front. If you don't feel able to sort it out any other way, find a mag that works in your rifle and adjust the lips in the problem mag so that they look the same.

Use a needle file to smooth the lower corners of the lips and use round nose pliers, preferably wrapped in tape to bend the lips. Bail-making pliers are ideal if the smaller jaw is about the diameter of the curve on the lips. Take out the platform before you try bending.

th
 
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Good advice from RRCo!

Point: You should never have to BASH the bolt handle. Normally, a Lee feeds beautifully smoothly.

Are you loading single rounds or from Chargers? If Chargers, how do you load THEM? Makes a BIG difference!

Are you removing the Magazine for any reason? Magazines on these rifles were adjusted properly and then removed only rarely.

A Number 4 Rifle SHOULD feed "slicker'n greased whale-snot", as the Old Man said.

Follow what RRCo has said and GET A MANUAL.
 
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The Number 4 Lee Enfield uses a sort of "reverse" screw to tighten the front sight. It is located at the muzzle end of the sight block. ( NOTE: Some wartime Number 4 rifles used a front sight blade that had a slot cut in them so that they compressed slightly to get a good grip on the dovetail. ) That is, the tip of the sight adjustment tool has a SLOT in it, rather than having a BLADE that a regular screw driver would have. You can easily make one out of an old screw driver. Simply cut off the blade so that you get a shank that is round, then use a Dremel or hacksaw to make a slot in it. One trick here is to put two blades in the hacksaw so that it cuts a bit wider slot. This slot only needs to be about 1/4 inch deep and you can take a thin file to widen it to get a good fit on the sight locking screw. Make sure that you do not use too large a diameter shank screwdriver for this purpose as the hole for the front sight locking screw is recessed.

With the screw loosened, the sight should move fairly easy. A SMALL Brass hammer or BRASS punch may have to be used LIGHTLY to move the front sight.

About five minutes work should make you one.
 
I've rebent feed lips to copy a perfect mag before. Just make it look exactly the same.

If that doesn't work, scrap it and buy a different mag...:cool:

They're not as common as they used to be, but they are out there in their multitudes, and most of them work as slick as Smellie mentioned.

There is a CGN member named Gairlochian, send him an pmail. He sells Enfield tools for a reasonalby low cost, including the Long Branch sight adjustment tool.


Mumbles Marble Mouth said:
Magazine Feeding Issue

I have a feeding issue with my Lee Enfield. The right side of the magazine never feeds consistently. I tried bending the front tab different ways to try and correct its feeding path into the feed ramp but so far the issue is:

A) Bend too much and the round slams into the bottom of the feed ramp and will not chamber unless you bash the bolt handle hard enough to force it to chamber.

B) Bend it back too much and the bolt won't strip off the round to push it into the chamber. Instead the bolt will just push the round down.

Left side of the magazine always feeds properly and there seems to be no happy middle where the magazine should feed properly on the right side.

Oddly enough, if I put the magazine from my No 4 into my No 1, the left side no longer feeds right and only the right side does.

Using the same ammunition in my No 1 with its magazine, it will feed all 10 rounds without an issue.

If additional information and pictures are required, I will post back as soon as possible.

Sight Adjustment Question


My Lee Enfield No 4 MK I hits high and right at 100 meters. I'm fine with it hitting high since the site is set to 300 meters but id like to push the front sight block over to the right but I don't have a proper sight adjustment tool so I figured Id ask here to see if there is a way to do it with out wrecking the sight. The rifle is not sporterized.

I'm wondering if my local Canadian Rangers 4th Patrol has a sight adjustment tool.

Thanks for reading.
Click to expand...
 
I found this helped me a bit:
http://towhichireplied.########.ca/2009/06/enfield-magazine-feed-lips.html

Some of the pictures don't show, however I copied the pics and text from this site (quite a while ago) and put it in a word doc. PM me and I'll email you the file. Share it if you wish.

I don't take credit for the site or its info, I just found it somewhat helpful. :)
 
So I have some new information on regarding my magazine issue. After doing what RRCO. said to do, the magazine did feed smoother and with seemingly no errors until I tested it at the range. It was a lot better but it would still push a round down to the point where it lets go and doesn't finish pushing the round into the chamber. After messing with the right side tab for a day, I couldn't make things any better. There was a fine line between it pushing the round down and pushing the nose of the round bellow the feed ramp and not feeding. After inspecting my No1 MK III a little further in comparison to the No 4 MK I, the magazine spring was bent differently than the No1 MK III. I copied it and sure enough, the rear of the magazine follower sat as high as it could go and the front of the follower was level with the magazine body. Still, there was 1 - 2 rounds that didn't feed properly but it was so close. I then inspected the magazine bodies and notice the right side of the magazine body of the No1 MK III was bent in further than the No 4 MK I. I then bent the magazine body in and guess what, Feeds perfect every time. I put 20 rounds though it trouble free.

I would also like to throw out that my SKS sight adjustment tool works perfect for adjusting the sights on my No4 even from loosening the tension screw. On the tool, there is a notch cut in the end of it in order to adjust the elevation of the SKS sight post. This notch fits into the notch for the Enfield like it was made for it. Then, adjusting the sight block also works you just need to remove the sight shroud to get it to work.

Now, Why don't I post some pictures of this Lee Enfield just for $hit$ and Gigs. :cool:








This is what it was doing by the way just so there us a photo of it.

 
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