Round Cocking Piece For SMLE

[trenchtrotter]

Not wishing to hi jack the recent thread on a 1916 SMLE I have started a new one.

My 1917 deac SMLE has a No 4 cocking piecw...slab sided and rounded like the one illustrated on the othr thread.

My question is...where can I source arounded one and how easy are they to fit to the bolt?

I am in the UK.

Thanks

TT

[4thGordons]

They are relatively easy to fit if you have (or can fabricate) a tool to unscrew the striker/ firing pin. The are sometimes sold as (and do double duty as) a scabbard grip removing tool (they are available on ebay). the only complicating factor is if the deactivating process does anything that would interfere with this (but I do not believe it did on the old deact.s not sure on the more recent ones)

The cocking pieces are relatively easily obtainable in the US showing up on ebay all the time. However I am not up sufficiently familiar with current legislation in the UK to know whether they count as a "Load bearing" (and therefore licensed) component the sale of which is restricted. I suspect this is not the case as several No4 cocking pieces are listed on eBay.co.uk currently. So I think you should be able to find one from a gunsmith. Be aware there is also a No4 cocking piece that resembles the early round No1 one (although it is rarer and you are probably far less likely to run into one)

The later slab sided cocking piece would probably be appropriate on a 1917 MkIII*

This picture is missing the small, striker retaining screw. The tool is the T shaped implement

Chris

[AdamMills97]

Valmont arms is a business in the UK that has different parts for the SMLE.

http://www.valmontfirearms.co.uk/Leeenfield.html

Adam

[Beerhunter]

Slab sided cocking pieces are not incorrect for SMLEs. They are often to be found. For example, my 1935 BSA Commercial has one.

[303man]

As beer hunter states, The slab sided cocking piece was introduced in WW1 and is not incorrect for a SMLE. Known as the second variation cocking piece it was introduced with the MkIII* as a wartime expedient some manufacturers went back to the round variety in the 20's and 30's and early 40's

[trenchtrotter]

If you refer to the thread this one evolved from no one said they were but the differences between a WW1 slab sided and a no 4 are shown clearly on that thread. There are clear differences but not saying no4 types were not used on SMLEs as a norm late on.

TT

[4thGordons]

As beer hunter states, The slab sided cocking piece was introduced in WW1 and is not incorrect for a SMLE. Known as the second variation cocking piece it was introduced with the MkIII* as a wartime expedient some manufacturers went back to the round variety in the 20's and 30's and early 40's

Slab sided cocking pieces are not incorrect for SMLEs. They are often to be found. For example, my 1935 BSA Commercial has one.

It's not the slab sided ness -- it's the round toppedness!

Although there are complicated examples (see 5thbattn's post) GENERALLY SPEAKING the design of WWI "slab sided cocking pieces" and WWII No4 Rifle cocking pieces (and there is a third Indian variant and a fourth smooth WWII variant, and to really mess things up an early cocking piece on No4 rifles and the trials versions which resembles the No1 rifle round cocking piece) differ.

Please also note that in post 1 of this thread I stated: "The later slab sided cocking piece would probably be appropriate on a 1917 MkIII*"