This is my 1942 Australian Lee Enfield, and I came across it by pure luck. Some guys were selling it, and honestly, for the condition it was in, I just had to buy it. They actually told me straight up that it had issues seating, and they were at a total loss with trying to fix it without completely tearing it apart and throwing new parts at it.
When I first got it home, I was a bit worried they were right and I'd made a mistake. The bolt just wouldn't seat properly at all. Since it's a WWII gun, I figured I just had to make my bed with it and try to troubleshoot it myself.
After a few hours of messing around, I couldn't figure out what was stopping the bolt from working. Then, I found this tiny piece of sand or stone wedged in there. I picked it out, thought I gave it a really good cleaning, and took it out. But after cycling about 20 rounds through it, the bolt jammed up and wouldn't close again.
Immediately my heart sunk. I thought, great, I didn't actually fix the issue.
When I got it home, I was toiling and toiling with it trying to find the real culprit. Turns out, the previous owner had never properly cleaned the little piece of metal connecting to the lug, making it stick out just a little too much to let the bolt seat. I ended up throwing it in an ultrasonic cleaner and really getting into it until I finally got every last bit of junk out.
I'd go as far as to say the bolt is basically brand new now. I've had new age rifles that don't even come close to cycling this cleanly, and the gun has performed immaculately ever since.
It’s been my baby for as long as I've had it, but now I'm considering trading it to someone who can really appreciate the history behind it. As much as I love it, I'd honestly love to see it sitting beside a collection of other WWII era guns and equipment, or in someone's mini museum.
Looking forward to getting to know you guys and getting the equipment exchange unlocked!
