Picked up a DP No.1 MK III* - What to do?

[gyates93]

Hey all, I just picked up a very cool 1918 Enfield manufactured No.1 MKIII* from a very cool local CGNer and I now have some decisions to make.
It is DP marked with matching bolt, receiver, rear sight and nose cap. It has an excellent bore and appears to me not to have been FTRed or rebarreled like my other 1918 C broad arrow marked sporter. Unfortunately the rifle appears to suffer from excessive headspace due to the previous owner reporting that he was experiencing some case head separations. I am a shooter and while I love the history that this old girl has, I would like to use the rifle. The way I see it I have three options:

1. Determine current headspace and find a bolt head that will bring this to an acceptable value, or modify the current bolt head.
2. Use the 'oring' method to fireform cases for this rifle and then neck size only. (I think I would still want the bolt head gap to be in spec?)
3. Part this rifle and use it to rebuild my very nice shooting C broad arrow, non DP marked sporter, therefore ruining this piece of history.

Does anybody have any experience measuring and fitting a bolt head to these rifles and can chime in?

There is a crack in the stock forward of the king screw as well with what appears to be some sort of repair, I'm leaning towards leaving this as it is but perhaps I should do something about it?

Also, does anybody know how one could identify the unit at which this rifle was used for drill? It is evident it was paraded with, it's a little rough around the edges and the original butt plate is quite worn.

Anyway - here are the pics! I'm hoping to enjoy this rifle for years to come - I believe I will start by using a resized casing and a struck primer to get an idea of what the headspace of the rifle is in order to shop for a bolt head.

 

[Gnome75]

Don't modify the original bolt head!

I think its ok to replace the bolt head on the condition that you do not loose the original one.

If the o-ring method works there is nothing wrong with that

Please for the sake of history and the gun don't part it out.

I would just leave the crack in the stock. If it starts getting worse make the hard decision to fix it or safe queen it.

 

[Potashminer]

Just assuming that you do know what the "DP" stamp signifies?

 

[srdiver]

some light reading but will better answer your question
https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?169367-DP-marked-enfield

I would be leaning towards it being a display rifle versus a shooting rifle.

 

[gyates93]

Just assuming that you do know what the "DP" stamp signifies?

'Drill Purpose', however this rifle does not have the receiver drilled or firing pin cut. I understand there is some controversy as to whether these rifles should be shot, however if it can be brought into spec I'm happy with that.

 

[srdiver]

however if it can be brought into spec I'm happy with that.

pretty sure that it would have happened 75-100 years ago had that been an option, and you do not know what has been done to the rifle in that period or since it has left military service.

 

[Claven2]

FWIW, many older gunsmithing shops scrapped dozens, even hundreds of SMLEs when the registry first came out and registration cost $25. Depending where you are, you could bring in the bolt to one of those shops and the smith could micrometer the available heads and provide a longer one, assuming the receiver has not stretched to the point it's not safe.

Another option - there are LOTS of good receiver/bolt combos out there, but not lots of really clean barrels and furniture sets. You could swap everything over to a known good (non-DP) receiver.

 

[cosmic]

Personally, I wouldn't be too concerned about shooting a DP rifle, but that is an individual decision. Regarding headspace, things are not black and white. Even with a rifle that falls within "field" spec, commercial cases with thin brass and undersize rims can fail very quickly. No 1 bolt heads are not marked for size, so finding a tighter bolt head can be quite a chore. Also, there is more to swapping bolt heads than swapping...
Even after your possible bolt head swap, you will not have eliminated the case stretch issue. Just compare the neck and shoulder of a fired case to a new case... In your situation, I would elect to O-ring the first firing and then partially re-size, or neck size subsequent firings. This offers the most effective way of extending case life.

 

[Cottage Hill Bill]

Read the Gunboards article posted above. You have no idea why it was marked DP nor do you have the gauges or skill to determine what is out of spec that caused it to be downgraded. The locking lugs could be worn, the receiver could be stretched. On the two primary Lee-Enfield boards at least three British or Australian armorers have stated that they will not shoot a DP marked rifle. That is sufficient info for me to make a decision.