Safety issue with SMLE

[DOUGLAS D]

I have just aquired a very nice 1970's conversion of a 1916 SMLE No.1 Mklll.
I paid less for the entire package than what the walnut sporter stock is worth to buy in todays dollars but the old girl has some issues.

With the safety fully engauged simply lifting gently on the bolt handle causes the safety to move forward into an upright position.
The sear will then engauge and drop the striker if the trigger is pulled.
When this happens the striker falls halfway and locks the bolt down.
When this happens I have to recock the action manually to open the bolt.

Bolt is missmatched to the reciever if that helps but is a period correct bolt with the old style knurled cocking piece.
Safety lever is typical mares leg style.

Worth messing with or should I turn the iron into a tomato stake and mount the sporter stock on a 1942 Lithgow with none of these issues??

 

[John Sukey]

Somebody assembled the safety incorrectly when they sportyized the rifle. Note there are about a dozen ways to assemble the two parts of the safety, BUT only one RIGHT way.
I am sure other folks on this board can post pics of the correct way. There is nothing wrong with the rifle as such. You should NOT be able to lift the bolt if the safety is working properly

 

[buffdog]

Safety

The SMLE and Lee Enfield rifles have a safety that has to be assembled correctly as JOHN SUKEY has mentioned. There are threads on the pieces that have to be aligned just right for the safety to work right.

For some reason or other, many people think that they have to tear a rifle apart and clean and oil or whatever to every part of the rifle. When they take the safety off the Lee Enfield rifles, they invariably turn the two pieces so that they come apart, but they do not have a clue about how to put it back together right.

Many of the same people also take the butt stock off the SMLE first, instead of removing the front wood. The butt stock bolt on most SMLE rifles has a square end that fits into a recess in the forestock wood. This is easily split if improper disassembly of the butt stock happens.

Getting back to your problem of the safety, I think there was a sticky on how to assemble and time the Lee Enfield safety properly so that it works. If not, use the search function to find appropriate posts on how to do it.

As it seems like about 4 or 5 people each week take these safeties apart, I will try to describe how to put one back together properly.

There are SIX possible starting points and ways to start to thread the two pieces, (the safety lever and the safety catch), together. FIVE of the starting points are wrong, and only one is correct. Take your safety and lay it flat on a table with the outside flat side down. Take the second piece (the catch), with the projection UP, and put it on the lever thread and rotate it so that the catch threads up tight to the lever.

Now for the important part. If you have managed to engage the correct thread starting point, the lever part of the safety catch will be at approximately the 11 o'clock position, very close together. If it is NOT, then you have to unscrew it, and give it a slight turn, and engage the start of another thread. If the safety lever and the arm of the safety catch are closer to the 9 o'clock position, you are ONE THREAD OUT. They should be more like a shallow V than an L position.

When you have these two parts properly timed, then you turn it over and assemble it onto the rifle. The safety lever should be fully at the front position, close to the forestock wood, and OFF safe. After you attach it to the rifle, it should work.

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[DOUGLAS D]

Thanks Gents.
Thats the type of info I was looking for.
I did strip the rifle down to check for any obvious damge or junk in the trigger group (there was none) but stopped short of pulling apart the safety.
I'll dive back into the actual safety when I have 2-3 hours to make my mistakes and get it right.

It makes sense that the previous owner sold it for cheap because as it sits right now it's a hairy scary setup.
I ran 20 rounds through the rifle and never picked up on the safety issue until I was cleaning it later in the evening.

 

[John Sukey]

Lets put it this way,assembled correctly, in the rearward position the safety should move ALL THE WAY into the reciever. If it only moves partialy in, there's your problem.
Douglas gave a better description but I just thought I would add my 2P for whatever little that's worth
Remove the bolt when you do this so you can see the arm of the safety move all the way into the reciever.
If on reassembly you can still lift the bolt, it's still not right.

 

[Mk VII]

I've corrected this by just changing the safety assembly for another one in my box. Sometimes one combination works better than another.

 

[camster]

Stuff of stickies..

The SMLE and Lee Enfield rifles have a safety that has to be assembled correctly as JOHN SUKEY has mentioned. There are threads on the pieces that have to be aligned just right for the safety to work right.

For some reason or other, many people think that they have to tear a rifle apart and clean and oil or whatever to every part of the rifle. When they take the safety off the Lee Enfield rifles, they invariably turn the two pieces so that they come apart, but they do not have a clue about how to put it back together right.

Many of the same people also take the butt stock off the SMLE first, instead of removing the front wood. The butt stock bolt on most SMLE rifles has a square end that fits into a recess in the forestock wood. This is easily split if improper disassembly of the butt stock happens.

Getting back to your problem of the safety, I think there was a sticky on how to assemble and time the Lee Enfield safety properly so that it works. If not, use the search function to find appropriate posts on how to do it.

As it seems like about 4 or 5 people each week take these safeties apart, I will try to describe how to put one back together properly.

There are SIX possible starting points and ways to start to thread the two pieces, (the safety lever and the safety catch), together. FIVE of the starting points are wrong, and only one is correct. Take your safety and lay it flat on a table with the outside flat side down. Take the second piece (the catch), with the projection UP, and put it on the lever thread and rotate it so that the catch threads up tight to the lever.

Now for the important part. If you have managed to engage the correct thread starting point, the lever part of the safety catch will be at approximately the 11 o'clock position, very close together. If it is NOT, then you have to unscrew it, and give it a slight turn, and engage the start of another thread. If the safety lever and the arm of the safety catch are closer to the 9 o'clock position, you are ONE THREAD OUT. They should be more like a shallow V than an L position.

When you have these two parts properly timed, then you turn it over and assemble it onto the rifle. The safety lever should be fully at the front position, close to the forestock wood, and OFF safe. After you attach it to the rifle, it should work.

.
.

This is "sticky" material...


...no, I haven't wasted hours trying and, trying...