Damaged Lee Enfield Mk III*

[stranded1980]

My Lee Enfield is damaged, but not entirely sure what the broken piece does. It's the tab at the end of the bolt action. Is this tab necessary to the function?

Here's a picture of the bolt complete with the broken piece of metal in place.


Here's the broken piece of metal removed.


Also, does anyone know a good source for Lee Enfield parts? I'd like to get a replacement bolt so I can continue shooting it.

Any tips or knowledge is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Rustybore]

Yup, you need a replacement bolt body.
Try Springfield Sporters;

http://www.ssporters.com/parts/enfield-1-mkiii.html

items 4 thru 5, your choice.
You will have to check headspace after replacement.

Rb.

[DennisCA]

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/

[Enfield47]

I agree with Rustybore, you need a new bolt body. BRP Guns has one for $12. They are great to deal with and ship quickly. http://www.brpguns.com/42-bolt/

However, before you can swap bolt bodies out you will need to purchase a disassembly tool to get the firing pin out. Sarco has them so you may just want to order both parts from them and save on shipping.

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/le3breechboltbody-leeenfield1mk3.aspx

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/toolenfieldfiringpinremoval.aspx

[Rustybore]

[stranded1980]

Thank you all so much for the replies! I'm going to order the take down tool with the replacement bolt.

Regarding headspace, from what I could search on the internet, I saw some recommendations for using the Okie Headspace Gauges. Do you guys have any recommendations?

Thank you again!

[81turbota]

All the above posters nailed it. I have Okie gauges for my Mosins, they work as advertised.

[stranded1980]

All the above posters nailed it. I have Okie gauges for my Mosins, they work as advertised.

Thanks, most everything I've read about the Okie gauges has been positive. I'm going to give them a try.

Thank you all for the replies!

[bigbossman]

you can also make a bolt disassembly tool out of a small piece of galvanized pipe, but for $9 you might as well buy the original one as long as you're ordering a bolt body.

[wingnut948]

Looks like you already have some less expensive options, but if you need another source for No III parts, Liberty Tree Collectors has them as well:

https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/viewcategories.asp?idCategory=62

[Rustybore]

Stranded1980,
Just in case you don’t have this link….

Thanks to the WayBackMachine;
Main SMLE page:

http://web.archive.org/web/20110427085820/http://www.surplusrifle.com/smle/index.asp

Just click on the bolt or rifle disassembly/reassembly links on the right side of the page, wait for the pictures to download.

Rb.

[stranded1980]

http://web.archive.org/web/20110427085820/http://www.surplusrifle.com/smle/index.asp

Just click on the bolt or rifle disassembly/reassembly links on the right side of the page, wait for the pictures to download.

Rb.

Thanks Rustybore! Hopefully I'll get to use these directions this coming weekend. I ended up ordering from e-sarco.com, both the bolt body and the pin removal tool. I also went ahead with the Okie gauges.

It was my great-grandfather's rifle. He bought it as a Military Surplus for deer hunting in Utah back in the late 1940's. After he died in the 1960's, it sat in my grandfather's closet for 20 years, and then another 35 years in my father's closet. My dad figured it'd be more appreciated in my hands than his. I had it inspected by a gunsmith when I got it, and have put a quite a few rounds through it.

Hopefully I can get it fixed and put a whole lot more through it. Kind of a shame there was such a long family generation gap between ones that would go shooting and ones that don't.