[Hazwaste]

I've got a #1 SMLE that I recently purchased. Today when I tried firing it, the round fired, but now the bolt seems to be mechanically stuck in the closed position on the empty shell casing, as if some safety device is not satisfied and is preventing the operation of the bolt. I don't want to man-handle the bolt for fear of breaking something.

Does anybody have any idea of what might be stopping the bolt from operating? There aren't any decent gun-smiths in my area, so I'd like to get some expert advice before resorting to going out of town to have it worked on. Thanks.

[jsalcedo]

Is thesafety catch engaged? It's on the left hand side rear of the receiver.

It's a lever that moves foward and backward. Backward locks the bolt.

Sometimes it is loose and will engage on its own.

If it is not that I suggest using the heel of your hand to give the bolt handle a few good whacks upward then check the fired case and chamber
for damage.

[Devonai]

It sounds to me like the case walls over-expanded, causing a failure to extract. If the case is jammed in the chamber, then the extractor could be stuck on the case rim. Take jsalcedo's advice and try whacking the bold handle. You might also try running the cleaning rod down the barrel and tapping it with a rubber mallet.

If I'm right, there are two explanantions. One is bad ammo with weak brass, the other is bad headspacing. Try different brands of ammo, and failing that, have a smithy check the headspace.

[Hazwaste]

Thanks to both of you. It could very well be the no-name ammo that caused it to jam. I gave it a good wack with my palm and it came loose.

I'm learning quite a bit on the many ways to jam a Lee-Enfield. Clearly I need to purchase a field manual.

BTW, the safety was not on. It was indeed floppy since the time I bought it a couple of weeks ago. I took the opportunity today to repair it by slightly bending the safety spring so that it would resist the movement of the catch. Works great now.

Thanks again.

[Jim K]

Hi, Hazwaste,

Is it you reporting a similar situation on another site? That report was of the same problem with South African ammo and may be due to soft brass. (I had signs of soft brass with South African 7.62 x 51.)

As you found, the bolt can usually be hammered open, or a long extension (piece of pipe) used on the bolt handle. Then try a different ammo. I have found Greek to be OK. I hope you didn't buy a ton of that ammo.

Jim

[Hazwaste]

No, I haven't reported it on any other site.

Fortunately, I didn't pay for the ammo. The fellow I bought the rifle from (for $50) also threw in 400 rounds of this no-name ammo. I'm not too disappointed, as I got such a good deal on the rifle.