Lee Metford Bolt
- Thread starter gerard488
- Start date
Yes, you can. I just did it on a number of mine. Or at least you can on commercial rifles and Mk II, Mk. II* or Long Lee, which have the bolt-mounted cocking piece safety, as well as on an early commercial Army & Navy Lee Speed with a tang-mounted sliding safety. The only thing is you'll have to change the trigger, sear & cocking piece to whatever it's going into or the receiver-mounted safety on the #1 Mk. III or #1 Mk. III* will not work as there is no safety notch on the Metford / Long Lee cocking piece.
And SMLE (no1 mk3) bolt will work in a lee metford mkii, mkii* or LMC receiver. You wont have a safety though as lmc/lec and mlm/mle had the cocking peice on the bolt. ( mk1's never had a safety, the mkii's did like the mlm and lec rifles)
The receiver is the same from mkii until the no4 receiver came out. Well not the same (mle vs clle type differences, volley sights, safety cutouts) but most all the parts interchange from the mkii to the no1 mkiii*
Although i have read they converted all the mk1 lee metford to mkii lee metford and thats why so are so few left. So they may even be interchangeable
The receiver is the same from mkii until the no4 receiver came out. Well not the same (mle vs clle type differences, volley sights, safety cutouts) but most all the parts interchange from the mkii to the no1 mkiii*
Although i have read they converted all the mk1 lee metford to mkii lee metford and thats why so are so few left. So they may even be interchangeable
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Hi Gents. The SMLE bolt body will fit into all the long Lees excepting for the Mark I or Mk I* Lee Metford.
Mk I or Mk I* Lee Metfords were not converted to anything else other than to .22 cal SMLE No.2 Mk I/I*.
The Mark I/I* Lee Metford body was never designed to accept the pressure of the improved variations of the .303 cartridge
so in British service it was obsolete at a rather early stage and relegated to a DP classification. I think that even Cadets
might not have been issued a Mk I* Lee Metford to shoot that lead bullet Gallery Practise Mk II ammo. You have probably
seen lots of the GP ammo in the 10 rd packets at Gun Shows as they were issued for Ross Mk I and early Mk II* designated
for DP or Gallery Practise only. John - - CUDOS for Ukranians.
Mk I or Mk I* Lee Metfords were not converted to anything else other than to .22 cal SMLE No.2 Mk I/I*.
The Mark I/I* Lee Metford body was never designed to accept the pressure of the improved variations of the .303 cartridge
so in British service it was obsolete at a rather early stage and relegated to a DP classification. I think that even Cadets
might not have been issued a Mk I* Lee Metford to shoot that lead bullet Gallery Practise Mk II ammo. You have probably
seen lots of the GP ammo in the 10 rd packets at Gun Shows as they were issued for Ross Mk I and early Mk II* designated
for DP or Gallery Practise only. John - - CUDOS for Ukranians.
