4thGordons Posted 5 June , 2012 Share Posted 5 June , 2012 I was just beginging the cleaning up process of a recent acquisition and it ocurred to me that people might be interested in an overall view of the components of an SMLE. This is a No1 MkIII* made at Ishapore. It has been converted to a Drill Rifle by having the firing pin cut off and the firing pin hole welded shut, it has also had DP stamped all over it. This is still legally a firearm (it is not deactivated) but it is not one I will be firing - I got it as an example of a drill rifle. This is what the white band around the stock indicates. Green paint on the barrel is a corrosion prevention measure. Pre WWII rifles were disassembled and greased annually to prevent corrosion below the wood - then during WWII (for the duration) painting was authorised for the same purpose. This measure was applied to all theatres and all units not as is sometimes claimed just for jungle warfare or desert warfare or airborne units or...... the colour varies but this pea-green variety is quite typical of Indian service rifles. The sharp eyed amongst you will note a couple of Indian specific components (the rear sight protector without an offset for example) but in terms of components this is essentially identical to a GW vintage Sht LE MkIII* It is also absolutley filthy! I am going to clean it up and reassemble it. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
17107BM Posted 5 June , 2012 Share Posted 5 June , 2012 Brilliant idea and very helpful in understanding the workings of an Enfield. What is the spring for at the nose cap or baoynet end of the rifle? Thanks Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 5 June , 2012 Author Share Posted 5 June , 2012 What is the spring for at the nose cap or baoynet end of the rifle? The spring sits inside the forestock with a concave plunger ontop of it. This exerts upward pressure on the barrel, I believe this has something to do with barrel harmonics/dampening vibration but the technicalities of it are beyond me. IIRC it is officially known as the "fore-end stud" and was fitted to all but the very earliest MkI rifles. If it would be of interest I can photograph the individual components as I go along. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
17107BM Posted 5 June , 2012 Share Posted 5 June , 2012 The spring sits inside the forestock with a concave plunger ontop of it. This exerts upward pressure on the barrel, I believe this has something to do with barrel harmonics/dampening vibration but the technicalities of it are beyond me. IIRC it is officially known as the "fore-end stud" and was fitted to all but the very earliest MkI rifles. If it would be of interest I can photograph the individual components as I go along. Chris It would be of very much interest Chris. And thanks for taking the time Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 5 June , 2012 Share Posted 5 June , 2012 I notice there's no spring for the Inner Band Screw. There wasn't on my 1917 BSA Mk.III* when I bought it, and I subsequently made one up for it when I couldn't buy one. I've never been certain how essential that component is for accuracy. Can anyone advise? Regards, MikB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 5 June , 2012 Author Share Posted 5 June , 2012 I notice there's no spring for the Inner Band Screw. There wasn't on my 1917 BSA Mk.III* when I bought it, and I subsequently made one up for it when I couldn't buy one. I've never been certain how essential that component is for accuracy. Can anyone advise? Regards, MikB Actually there was....I just dropped it and it was still in my pocket when I took the photo! I am afraid I cannot answer you regarding the impact of its absence (certainly not in technical terms - perhaps Thunderbox might if he sees this) as to my knowledge all of mine have it! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tipperary Posted 5 June , 2012 Share Posted 5 June , 2012 Hi Chris very interesting to see the rifle stripped. Would Tommy have stripped his weapon to this degree or would it have been the task of an armourer.john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 5 June , 2012 Author Share Posted 5 June , 2012 (edited) Hi Chris very interesting to see the rifle stripped. Would Tommy have stripped his weapon to this degree or would it have been the task of an armourer.john No, a regular soldier would not have stripped the rifle down like this. Removing the bolt (and perhaps magazine) for cleaning with the pull through would have been the extent of the disassembly by an O/R. Any other disassembly would have been done by qualified armourers. Soldiers were not encouraged to tinker with their weapons and as far as I can tell from reading accounts they had little inclination to. Keeping the bore clean and the action moderately lubricated was the extent of it. O/Rs may have attended lectures on the rifle mechanism during training or on courses (and special "cutaway" rifles were created for this purpose). OK so here is a breakdown of the main components. EDIT: Whilst I have this to bits and my parts bin out - if anyone would like photos of particular components or particular views let me know and I will try and take one. Edited 5 June , 2012 by 4thGordons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waggoner Posted 5 June , 2012 Share Posted 5 June , 2012 Chris, Looking forward to seeing a picture of it reassembled. Hopefully, no bits left over :-) All the best, Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 6 June , 2012 Share Posted 6 June , 2012 Thanks for posting this - excellent pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshdoc Posted 6 June , 2012 Share Posted 6 June , 2012 Well thats not something I will be trying with mine. Everytime Ive ever taken anything apart and put it back together, Ive always ended up with an extra screw or washer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spconnolly007 Posted 6 June , 2012 Share Posted 6 June , 2012 Excellent thread Chris, and great photos. Im not sure what impresses me more, the disassembled SMLE or your computer skills in posting such detailed pictures with explanations regards Sean p.s like welshdoc, im happy to just admire mine, with no intentions of unscrewing anything!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Bailey Posted 6 June , 2012 Share Posted 6 June , 2012 No, a regular soldier would not have stripped the rifle down like this. Removing the bolt (and perhaps magazine) for cleaning with the pull through would have been the extent of the disassembly by an O/R. Any other disassembly would have been done by qualified armourers. Soldiers were not encouraged to tinker with their weapons and as far as I can tell from reading accounts they had little inclination to. Keeping the bore clean and the action moderately lubricated was the extent of it. Chris You've highlited an interesting difference between the German and British approach. The German soldier was encouraged to strip the bolt down and was of course provided with the disc in the rifle butt to do so. Both in the Gew and K 98s. I've not fired a GEW 98 so cannot say how dirty the bolt inners get. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 6 June , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 June , 2012 Chris You've highlited an interesting difference between the German and British approach. The German soldier was encouraged to strip the bolt down and was of course provided with the disc in the rifle butt to do so. Both in the Gew and K 98s. I've not fired a GEW 98 so cannot say how dirty the bolt inners get. John While removing the bolt head from an SMLE is straightforward (it just unscrews), removing the cocking piece, firing pin and mainspring requires a specialized tool and a screwdriver. I am not suggesting that O/Rs did not recieve any instruction on the workings of the rifle (they did) but that in the field mainenance was simply cleaning and lubricating which required little or no disassembly once the bolt is removed. I do not really know any detail on German army practices in this regard although I have disassembled Mausers and I have to say - it may be a matter of familiarity - but I would not fancy my chances of successfully reassembling a mauser bolt with cold fingers in wet or muddy conditions! It's hard enough for me on my bench! The only type that was a worse expereince for me was the straight-pull steyr M95 which, if you don't get it right - gets half way in and then sticks fast and will not move forward or back.....don't ask how I know. Here is the bot disassembled (I left the extractor and spring in the bolt-head) along with the tool for disassembly The tool is hollow with two prongs which fit into slots in the collar of the firing pin. to remove the firing pin/spring one removes the bolt head and the locking screw in the cocking piece (rear) then slides the tool down inside the bolt body over the fining pin and unscrews (carefully! to avoid shooing the parts to the 4 corners of the planet when it is finally unscrewed.) The cocking piece is threaded and the firing pin screws into this and then is locked in place by the locking screw). The picture below shows the tool in the slots in the firing pin. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 6 June , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 June , 2012 Another detail picture: how the trigger mechanism works The SMLE is fitted with a two-stage trigger there is some slack, with light pressure, then there is the final release. This is created by the two "bumps" on the trigger. When the slack is taken up the first bump contacts the sear - a piece of metal that looks like < with a pivot at the point. The top arm of the < engages with the bottom of the cocking peice and when the bolt is pushed forward compresses the mainspring, cocking the rifle. When one takes up the slack in the trigger the first bump contacts the inside of the bottom arm of the sear <. Pulling the trigger all the way brings the second bump into contact with the inside of bottom arm of the sear depressing it and because of the pivot, releasing the cocking piece/firing pin (which is under tension from compressed mainspring) to fly forwards inside the bolt body and, by protruding a fraction of an inch through the bolt head, strike the primer in the chambered round detonating it. In order to close the bolt on an SMLE without cocking the rifle simply hold down the trigger while pushing the bolt home. This depresses the sear to the firing position and it does not catch the cocking piece - allowing the bolt to close in an uncocked state. Call me paranoid but I hate to see cocked rifles (even in pictures) lying around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted 6 June , 2012 Share Posted 6 June , 2012 A point to make before embarking on this level of stripping is that an SMLE has to have the wood forward of the trigger removed before the butt is removed. The front end of the butt bolt (?) is squared and fits into a squared metal plate at the rear of the fore-end. If it is forced round there is a danger of splitting the forward wooden component. By contrast you can remove the butt of a No 4 first because it isn't locked in this way; rather it is held in place by a spring washer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 6 June , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 June , 2012 A point to make before embarking on this level of stripping is that an SMLE has to have the wood forward of the trigger removed before the butt is removed. The front end of the butt bolt (?) is squared and fits into a squared metal plate at the rear of the fore-end. If it is forced round there is a danger of splitting the forward wooden component. By contrast you can remove the butt of a No 4 first because it isn't locked in this way; rather it is held in place by a spring washer. This is absolutely correct and I was remiss not to mention it. As a rule of thumb the forend should always be "first off / last on" However... in the case of this particular rifle, the forend is a later (inter-war) Indian one which does not have the stock bolt keeper plate (the recess) so it is not an issue, post WWII Indian SMLE forends also lack the recess and have a metal reinforcing strip as on a No4. Many later production SMLEs also omitted the squared end on the stock bolt but one cannot know that until it is too late! So you are absolutely correct and as a matter of practice I always remove the fore end before the butt, even on No4s. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted 7 June , 2012 Share Posted 7 June , 2012 I only mention it because, when I was very new to Enfields, I gave my SMLE to a gunsmith to work on. Luckily I discovered the fact that the front came off first and rang him and caught him just before he was about to apply a large screwdriver (and lots of elbow grease) to the butt!! Still makes me shiver a bit to think about it. I didn't realise that the Indian rifles didn't have the plate; presumably they just use a spring washer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 7 June , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 June , 2012 Yes flat spring washer on the stock bolt. Just to put everyone's mind at rest that I am not sitting here with a jam-jar of bits! Here it is cleaned, lubricated and back together. It is certainly not going to win any prizes for being in mint condition but it is an example of an individual rifle that probably did well over 50years of service and a rifle type that is still in use over a century after it was introduced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deerhunter Posted 10 June , 2012 Share Posted 10 June , 2012 Excellent thread, very informative indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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