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Rebarrel of SMLE No.1

Printed From: Enfield-Rifles.com
Category: Enfields
Forum Name: Enfield Gunsmithing
Forum Description: Submit any how-to's or other gunsmithing suggestions here.
URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10460
Printed Date: March 28 2024 at 9:02am
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Topic: Rebarrel of SMLE No.1
Posted By: jmljr1948
Subject: Rebarrel of SMLE No.1
Date Posted: April 01 2020 at 8:01am
Can someone recommend an experience LE gunsmith to rebarrel a SMLE NO.1 MK III Enfield 1916, I have a used 'good' barrel from Numrich. I'm here in Ohio and every gunsmith I've spoken to will not touch it due to chance of torqing the receiver when removing the old barrel.



Replies:
Posted By: pisco
Date Posted: May 26 2020 at 12:31am
make a set a action and barrel wrenches


Posted By: Zed
Date Posted: May 26 2020 at 4:06am
Contact Brian Di ck . ( BDL) He has a very good reputation for Lee Enfield work.


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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!


Posted By: jmljr1948
Date Posted: May 26 2020 at 8:11am
Thank you Zed, I've contacted bcd ltd and my rifle will be sent this week for the rebarrel job, much appreciated


Posted By: Zed
Date Posted: May 26 2020 at 12:23pm
Look forward to seeing the rifle and a range report when you get it back!

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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!


Posted By: Pukka Bundook
Date Posted: May 26 2020 at 5:55pm
No 1's are usually very easy to change barrels on.   Mostly they index right on the money too.
Yes, you need to make action wrench etc if you do it yourself, but Brian does top notch work.


Posted By: jmljr1948
Date Posted: May 27 2020 at 7:45am
correction...BDL.LTD.  Will do the pictures and range report when completed, she's pretty much a smoothe bore right now and have been shooting her with an aftermarket .22LR insert. I aquired the rifle from Gunbroker.com a seller from Pennsylvania 3years ago. Nothing's better than the history of these old war dogs.


Posted By: englishman_ca
Date Posted: May 27 2020 at 8:37am
jmljr, how did you get that 22 insert to head space in your rifle?

The rim on the insert (Numrich) that I measured was .090 thick. Getting the bolt to close would mean removing metal from somewhere.


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Look to your front, mark your target when it comes!


Posted By: jmljr1948
Date Posted: May 28 2020 at 6:24am
I removed the extractor from the .22LR bolt head and hand filed the bolt head face until the bolt would close. I used a black sharpie marker to highlight the bolt face as i filed to keep the face as flat as possible during my handwork, I continued this process until the bolt would close on a chambered round. This was a long process, blacken the .22LR bolt face with a sharpie, handfile 5 stokes, reinstall the 22LR bolt head, attempt to chamber a round/close the bolt and repeat this process until the bolt closes on a chambered round. "I AM NOT ADVISING OTHERS ON THIS WEBSITE TO ATEMPT THIS" and "DO NOT DO THIS FOR ANY OTHER CALIBERS", I did this at my own risk for the .22LR barreled insert setup. I then strapped the SMLE to a shooting table with string tied to the trigger and test fired several times from 10 yards away. She shots .22s just fine, 600yd sight setting for target at 50yds. 


Posted By: englishman_ca
Date Posted: May 28 2020 at 4:37pm
Perfect! Right along the same lines as to what I was thinking. Shorten the bolt head. 

The kit comes supplied with a new old stock over length 22 bolt head fitted to the bolt. Instructions suggest having the insert fitted with head space set up by a qualified gun smith. Hmmm.

But thanks for that info, glad that it worked out for you.


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Look to your front, mark your target when it comes!


Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: May 28 2020 at 5:26pm
I have the Morris tube in my No4Mk1* LB. I made my own offset firing pin and then resurfaced the bolt face until the bolt assembly closed with a round chambered. 


Posted By: jmljr1948
Date Posted: May 28 2020 at 5:40pm
You're welcome. My first thought after receiving the .22LR barrel insert and bolt kit (without instructions) was to take metal from the insert, but then i would also damage the barrel cartridge recess area and ruin the complete insert....after additional thinking (my brain was smoking hahaha), realized that numrich also had .22LR bolt heads in stock for around $20, so i ordered an extra  bolthead just in case i screwed up the handwork on the original bolt head face and proceeded in that direction with success.


Posted By: jmljr1948
Date Posted: May 28 2020 at 5:52pm
yes, and the .22 kit from numrich also needed additional  shortening/file handwork of the firing pin.


Posted By: jmljr1948
Date Posted: May 28 2020 at 6:06pm
Englishman, did your instructions the correct torque for barrel insert nut?


Posted By: WilliamS
Date Posted: May 28 2020 at 7:47pm
On the few occasions I've fit new bolt heads, I've picked slightly oversize  (0.001" or less) ones that clock in properly (or trimmed the backside carefully to make them clock in) and then used a granite inspection block and fine sandpaper to trim the face down until it closes snug on the go gauge.  Firm downward pressure and only pulling the bolt head, never switching direction, has given good results.  I already had an extra, worn out inspection block - plate glass would likely be just as good for this sort of use.


Posted By: The Armourer
Date Posted: May 29 2020 at 12:16am
Originally posted by WilliamS WilliamS wrote:

On the few occasions I've fit new bolt heads, I've picked slightly oversize  (0.001" or less) ones that clock in properly (or trimmed the backside carefully to make them clock in) and then used a granite inspection block and fine sandpaper to trim the face down until it closes snug on the go gauge.  Firm downward pressure and only pulling the bolt head, never switching direction, has given good results.  I already had an extra, worn out inspection block - plate glass would likely be just as good for this sort of use.


A brief extract from a presentation on the same subject by Peter laidler


Now, how you shorten the bolt head it is up to you. You can machine it in a lathe if you like but some are quite hard, or surface grind but I was taught that the best way was to rub the face down on a sheet of ‘400’ wet and dry carborundum paper on a sheet of glass, just covered in slow running water. Go round and round with equal pressure, rotating the bolt head slightly every so often, taking a gnats knacker off at a time for several minutes and trying it again and again. Every so often, smear a smidgin of engineers blue on the rear of the .074” gauge and close the bolt head lightly against it to ensure a crisp round witness mark on the face of the bolt. This is the acid test of it being perfectly square to the bore. Be sure to remember these old Armourers technical words such as ‘gnats knacker’ meaning something too insignificant to be measured and ‘smidgin’, indicating a quantity equivalent to a gnats knacker.


Posted By: jmljr1948
Date Posted: May 30 2020 at 7:21am
Armourer.....thanks for the article concerning bolthead face work from the oldtime armourer. Yea, i had to remove alot of metal with a hand file from the boltface of the .22 insert/bolt kit, don't know exactly how much (in thousands of an inch) but yea, i may clean up the boltface handfile scratches using the 400 grit method mentioned in your article, just taking a gnats knacker off, haha. Thanks again 


Posted By: jmljr1948
Date Posted: June 01 2020 at 6:25am
Englishman...did your instructions for the .22 barrel insert kit mention the torque setting for the barrel nut?



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