On page 101 of The British Service Lee by Ian Skennerton there is a description of the bolt head of the Mk III rifle which says in part, "The bolt head ... has a slot cut in the screwed end ... which acts as a key when stripping and assembling the striker and cocking piece." I cannot imagine how it is used. Does anyone out there know?
Mk III Lee-Enfield Question
- Thread starter odjig
- Start date
The slot in the bolt head & corresponding lug on the firing pin collar were features of the Mk1 SMLE family & the early MkIIIs, they were omitted from production in 1916 as part of the LoC that saw the changes to the future production of the MkIII & the introduction of the MkIII*
It was to enable the removal of the firing pin without the need for a special tool, you just remove bolt from rifle, undo the screw at the rear of the cocking piece, ease springs (put in fired position) the lug will engage the slot in the bolt head & you unscrew the firing pin as you unscrew the bolthead.
It was to enable the removal of the firing pin without the need for a special tool, you just remove bolt from rifle, undo the screw at the rear of the cocking piece, ease springs (put in fired position) the lug will engage the slot in the bolt head & you unscrew the firing pin as you unscrew the bolthead.
Thank you. I have never seen a striker with a lug on the collar before and I have owned or examined a lot of Mk III's and Mk III*'s over the years. Every striker I have ever seen had two grooves cut in the collar and required a removing tool for disassembly. I guess most of the lug-collared strikers were replaced by armourers over the years.
