LEE-ENFIELD

RIFLE MANUAL
No.1 - - No.3 - - No.4 - - No.5
MKlll MKI MKI MKI

No. 4 Mk. 1
The No. 4 Mk. 1 rifle was developed from the No. 1 SMLE between the World Wars. It retained the basic Lee action design of the No. 1 rifle, but was extensively modified to improve performance and made easier to manufacture. Important modifications included a heavier barrel, heavier receiver, aperture rear sight and simplified bedding of the barrel in the foreend. Before the Battle of Dunkirk, only a few No. 4 rifles were built. However, after the British disaster, these rifles went into major production in England, Canada and the United States. After World War II, No. 4 rifles were used by Italy, Greece and some Arab countries. The No. 4 Mk. 2 rifles were used during the Korean War. In 1954, the No. 4 rifle was replaced in the British, Canadian and Australian Services by the FN-FAL in 7.62 NATO. No. 4 rifles are by and large in better condition that No. 1s. but for the most part, are not finished as well as the peacetime rifles.

No. 5 Mk.
During World War II, the No. 1 SMLE and No. 4 rifles were found to be too long and heavy for jungle fighting. A shorter more handy rifle was needed and the No. 5 Mk 1 was developed and adapted from the earlier rifles. The new rifle became popularly known as the jungle carbine, as was a No. 4 with short fore-end and barrel. It was also fitted with a flash hider and a rubber buttplate. The short fore-end makes the No. 5 look like a sporting rifle. Many of these rifles were built and used in Burma and the South Pacific during the later part of World War II. This version of the Enfield is very popular with shooters and hunters and will likely bring a premium price.

Sights
The front sights for the Enfield were originally a barley corn sight with a small v for the rear. As improvements were made to the rifle, a front blade was used and a u-shaped ,rear sight replaced the old v. Later a long range adjustable stand-up sight with a peep was used. They were fixed to the barrel. As the rifles were further refined, the rear sights were set over the tang to increase sight radius. These sights have adjustments out to 1600 yards and some can be fine tuned with a worm wheel to more precise increments. The purpose of the long range sights was not for accuracy. The British like to fire in volleys and were able to use this strategy to terrorize the enemy with a hail of bullets from long range while the hapless enemy could not return fire. During World War II, sniper scopes were introduced along with mounts and boxes to carry them when the scopes were not attached to the rifle.

loading and Firing

Place the rifle on a table in the upright position or if in the field, place the left hand under the receiver and with the right hand, grasp the bolt and turn it up and to the left. Pull the bolt straight back as far as it will go. Insert a loaded five round clip in the clip guide inside the receiver and force the cartridges down into the magazine with the right thumb. Take out the empty clip. Place another five round clip in the clip guide and strip these cartridges into the magazine. There will be ten rounds in the magazine. With the right hand, grasp the bolt handle and push it forward and down, (to the right). This will strip a cartridge from the magazine and slide it into the chamber. This action also cocks the firing pin. The rifle is now ready to be fired by squeezing the trigger. If the rifle will not be fired immediately, set the thumb safety on the rear of the receiver to Safe. After the rifle has been fired, lift the bolt handle up and to the left. Pull the bolt straight back. This action causes the spent cartridge to be withdrawn from the firing chamber and flipped clear of the receiver. To reload the rifle, push the bolt handle forward and down. 9 fresh cartridge is stripped from the magazine and slipped into the :hamber. The rifle is now ready to fire again. This sequence may be repeated until the magazine is empty.

Insert the t-shaped tool into the notches and turn the cocking piece until the lower two notches are reached. The firing pin spring should be virtually decompressed. Remove the firing pin locking screw found in the rear of the cocking piece. Now we may finish removing the firing pin with the special tool. Wnscrewing the firing pin with a makeshift rig may cause damage and should be left to a qualified gunsmith.

Removal of the Extractor Spring

Place the bolt in a padded vice and 7 insert a drift punch bf less than 0.04 inch in diameter into the small hole found in the bolt head adjacent to the extractor. Push the punch into the hole against the extractor spring and ease Punch is insmud through Ihe hole the spring forward using a screw driver. a) in the boh bead. Extractor spring
b) is of V type.

Keep one finger over the extractor slot L to keep the spring from jumping out. To reassemble, place the spring into the extractor slot and seat the small projection on the spring into its seat in the bolt head.

Replacing the Bolt

Lee-Enfield bolts are nQt interchangeable. They have been fitted to their respective boltways. Compare the number of the bolt with the number of the rifle to avoid any chance that might cause you to substitute a bolt in the wrong rifle. Check to see that there is no cartridge in the chamber. Be sure that the bolt head is fully screwed home and that the bolt cocking piece lines up with the lug on the underside of the bolt. Replace the bolt in the boltway and push if forward. Next, pull the bolt to the rear to the resistance shoulders and force the bolt head down over the spring retaining catch. Then, push the bolt forward all the way and turn the bolt handle down. Hold the rifle so the muzzle is pointing in a safe direction and press the trigger. The firing pin should fall with an audible click.

The Lee-Enfield Ballistics

In 1892, the .303 British cartridge was loaded with 70 grains of black powder and had a 215 grain round nose bullet with a muzzle velocity of 1850 fps. Muzzle energy was 1640 fp. By 19 14, with a smokeless powder loading and a 174 grain pointed bullet, the velocity moved up to 2440 fps. This was the Mk. VII round and was still in use when the .303 was discontinued. Used extensively in Africa, Canada and India by the military, government, workers and settlers, the .303 cartridge suffered from a bad reputation due to the use of the military full metal jacketed pointed bullets. When sporting ammunition became available, the .303 became a reliable cartridge for lighter non-dangerous game. Jacketed ammunition has a bullet diameter of .3 1 1 inch. Cast lead bullets can be .3 12 inch or even .3 13 inch. The .30-40 Krag was the cartridge by which the .303 was judged early in its life. The .303 had a slight edge over the .30-40 and later could take chamber pressures of 50,000 psi. The Enfield Mk. 4 has been successfully converted to .308 Winchester (7.62 NATO). The British .303 is now compared with the more powerful .308 Winchester and the .303 has found its niche in the American market. Plentiful stocks of rifles and ammunition have assured it a place for many years to come.

.303 British
Max. Case Length: 2.222 Trim-To Length 2.212 Max. Overall Length: 3.075 Primer Size: Large Rifle Bullet Diameter: .3 1 1 *

*Rifle Loads for

LOAD NUMBER

18 19 t Abbreviations: ACC - Accurate Arms Co.; - Canadian Industries, Ltd.; HDY - Hornady Manufacturing Co.; HER - Hercules, Inc.; HOD Hodgdon Powder Co.; IMR - IMR Powder Co.:

the .303 British

REM

CCI

200

24

ACC

PTD - Pointed; RNN - Round Nose; SP - Soft Point; SPP - Spire Point; SPR - Speer; SRA - Sierra Bullets.

Care and Cleaning

The enemy of all weapons is rust. In order to maintain a rust free rifle, a few simple steps must be performed periodically. All metal surfaces should be coated with a light coat of a quality gun oil from time to time depending on the humidity in your area. In humid areas, more applications of oil are required. The user should pay close attention to the patch that is run through the bore. If the patch comes out dirty or green, a more thorough cleaning is recommended. After firing the rifle, the bolt should be removed and the rifle should be cleaned. A cleaning rod with screw-in tips should be used for versatility in cleaning of the bore. Other cleaning items include a good quality bore cleaner and oil, G.I. or commercial is fine. Also at hand should be some white cotton or blended cleaning patches, a brass brush in the correct caliber (.303 / 7MM), pipe cleaners, tooth brush and some lint-free cloth. A bore light and rust inhibiting spray such as WD-40 are optional.

Corrosive Ammunition
Corrosive ammunition can be manufactured using less expensive chemicals such as fulminate of mercury. Unfortunately, these chemicals will attract moisture, which in time will cause iron to rust. When corrosive ammunition has been used, the rifle should be cleaned within a day or two after firing. A rusty or pitted bore will destroy the accuracy of any rifle.

Regular Ammunition
To clean the bore, place a clean patch in the slot of the rod tip and saturate it with bore cleaner. Place the rod tip into the breach or chamber area of the rifle and force the rod up the bore until the tip with the patch comes out the muzzle. Pull the rod back through the bore until the tip with the patch comes out the breach or chamber end. Repeat this until the patch has gotten so dirty it will no longer remove fouling. Replace the dirty patch with a clean one, saturate it in gun cleaning solvent and go through the cleaning process again.

When the patches are coming out much cleaner, you have removed the first layer of fouling. Replace the slotted patch tip with the bore brush and run it through the bore from the breach end. Several strokes should be done. Remove the bore brush and screw on the patch tip. Saturate the patch with bore solvent and run it through the bore as before. Now the patch should look dirty again and it may possibly look green. The green color comes from the interaction of the solvent with copper jacketed ammunition that may have been used. This is normal and means that the s;sfvent is doing its job of removing the cooper residue that is left after the rifle has been shot. When the patches come out clean, stop rhe cleaning of the bore leaving a heavy coat of solvent in the bore overnight.

General Cleaning
All metal surfaces including the sights, should be wiped down with a solvent dampened cloth. Wipe the solvent from the outside surfaces of the metal with a dry cloth. This should remove most grime and powder residue. A light coat of rust inhibitor such as WD-40 can be used to spray the exposed surfaces of metal and then wiped with an oily cloth. We now turn our attention to the bolt and the internal area of the receiver. The bolt can be unscrewed and placed in a container filled with solvent to soak while you wipe down the internal magazine using a cloth with a liberal amount of solvent. Wipe down the boltway, and other places in the receiver with the solvent laden cloth. Be sure to clean the bolt latch and safety knob. Next, take the toothbrush and dip it in the solvent and scrub inside the receiver and boltways. Crime and fouling will be lifted. Follow up with a dry cloth to remove the fouling. When this area is clean, take a pipe cleaner and dip it in solvent. Scrub as many nooks and crannies as possible. This done, wipe all solvent from the internal surfaces of the receiver and magazine area with a dry cloth and pipe cleaners. A light coat of the rust inhibitor may be sprayed here, but remember this is not a lubricant and should be lightly wiped up. A coat of oil should be wiped over all the internal parts just cleaned. It may be necessary to use a pipe cleaner coated with gun oil to reach hard to lubricate places.

Take the bolt out of the cleaning solvent and scrub the exterior with the toothbrush. Wipe it down with a dry cloth. If it has not been soaking, apply a liberal amount of solvent to the interior and exterior surfaces of the bolt, Dip the toothbrush in solvent and scrub the bolt until all fouling has been loosened. Pay close attention to the extractor, removing all fouling. Wipe all internal and external parts of the bolt clean with a cloth. Coat the bolt with a light coat of gun oil and let it sit out of the rifle overnight.

Final Bore Cleaning

The next day. the bore should be coated with a liberal amount of solvent. The patch will be discolored with dirty powder and may be green from the copper. This is normal. Use the bore brush to clean out any remaining rust, fouling or copper residue. At this time, you may wish to inspect the bore with a bore light to look for fouling, lead build-up, rust, pits or cracks. Insert the bore light into the breach, turn it on and look down the muzzle to view the bore. If an unusual amount of firing has been done, it may be necessary to repeat the cleaning process the following day. After the bore comes out clean, dry it with clean, dry patches. Now, coat a fresh patch with gun oil and coat the bore liberally. Finally, you may use a cotton bore swab coated with oil to pass through the bore. It should come out clean. Wipe all exterior metal parts with a light coat of oil. Replace the bolt and set the rifle aside.