Enfield MK 3 Head Spacing

00buck

I purchased a MK 3 years ago from a big retail chain for around $100 plus matching bayonet for $20. Thinking it would be a great gun to hang on the wall and occasionally shoot. I took it to a local gunsmith to have it cleaned since I couldn't get the thing apart. He said the headspacing was too big to safely shoot. It has sat in my safe ever since. Is it worth fixing for the price I paid for it or do I just sell and for a parts gun? I am not attached to it and would be happy to sell it. Any Suggestions?

Old Fool

I would sell it. Setting back the barrel would cost far more than it is worth. You could then buy an Ishapore in .308 and have a better rifle with a much better cartrige.

65triton

i've heard that enfields head space could be adjusted with diferent numbered bolt heads....i'd look into that a see if any one else has any more info....

nononsense

00buck,

You can double check this by doing a search over on the Lee-Enfield Gunboards:

http://www.gunboards.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=44

Headspace
Headspace adjustments can be easily accomplished with the Lee-Enfield, simply by replacing the bolthead. As the Enfield rifle was a military, combat designed rifle there are actually two sets of specs listed for headspace.

Remember that the .303 is a rimmed cartridge, so headspace is the distance between the bolt face and the cartridge rim. Unlike the rimless cartridge, which draws it's headspace from bolt face and the cartridge shoulder.

For the SMLE/No1 family of Enfield's adjusting headspace can be accomplished by swapping different boltheads until one is found to produce the desired distance. This is necessary because the SMLE was only manufactured with one size of bolthead and the unit armourer stoned the bolt face to correct for headspace.

In designing the No4/No5 family of Enfield's, this minor headache was cured by producing 4 different bolthead sizes. This allowed the unit armourer and now the private owner to simply select the correct bolthead to quickly adjust headspace to specs.

Each No4/No5 bolthead is numbered 0, 1, 2, or 3. Each number specifies an increase in length, nominally .003 of an inch.

Best.

Old Fool

I can't believe that I forgot about the bolt heads on the Enfields, sorry[:(][:(]

richbug

what gauge did you Gunsmith use? Thre are many different standards for them. Just because is closes on a SAAMI spec No-go or Field doesn't mean it isn't safe as is.

The British Field reject gauge in .004" longer than a Saami spec field gage.