Enfield round got stuck after firing - headspace issue?

[starnbar]

Rim thickness is the key to the old smle risky is echoing what a canuk armorer told me when he was in WWll working on lancs

 

[lysanderxiii]

In firearms, headspace is the distance measured from a closed chamber's breech face to the chamber feature that limits the insertion depth of a cartridge placed in it. Used as a verb by firearms designers, headspacing refers to the act of stopping deeper cartridge insertion.

Yes, and the feature that limits the depth of insertion on an Enfield, or any rimmed cartridge is the front face of the rim.

.303 headspace gauges:


The location of the shoulder on a rimmed cartridge is immaterial to a rimmed cartridge, other than it's effect on case stretch.

 

[GooseGestapo]

If it were mine, I’d get some 400grit wet/dry sand paper. Cut/tear off a 2” by 2” square piece.
Using a hack saw, cut a length wise slot in a 1/4” x 8” piece of hardwood dowel 2” long(deep).

Lightly coat the sand paper and chamber with cleaning solvent.
With bolt removed, insert the dowel/sand paper holding the paper in the slot, doubled over and wrapped around the dowel. Proceed to twist the dowel, possibly even chucking it in a hand drill, honing the chamber.
My brother and I had to do this to a Spanish 1938 ‘98 Mauser we bought in 1968 for $7.99 plus tax... it had a rusty pitted chamber and fired brass would stick. It got us by for awhile. We later had a carpool acquaintance/neighbor of my dads who worked at the Anniston Army Depot in the small arms unit replace the barrel with an Oberndorf like new barrel.

I also did this cheap hone on a Savage M110 in .300RUM that I acquired from a pawn shop. Some one had gouged the chamber with a steel rod punching out the cases. I quickly figured out that the extractor had been installed backwards! It now extracts and ejects properly...

 

[tark]

I used to have a Mk II Ross. The fired cases from that gun looked like yours only much worse. The shoulder was moved forward nearly 0.100" The gun extracted the cases easily enough, but they were trashed for any reloading other than neck sizing only.

 

[Ekunz83]

Thanks for everyone’s help! I do believe the issue like some of you mentioned is caused by the chamber and am in the process of polishing it with some steel wool and then finely with some jb bore cleaner..

I ordered headspace gushes but could only get Forsters go (.64) and field (.70) bc they were sold out of the no go.. anyways, I just tested it and it almost closed, but didn’t, on the field. I believe that’s ok, since it didn’t close and Foresters is only .70 not the full .74 like others. But what do you think? Should I go through the hell of trying to find another slightly larger bolt head for the mk3 since they don’t just make them to size like the no4s?

 

[MEHavey]

If it doesn't close on the field, you've got good headspace.
Partial resize from this point to be kind to both shoulder and minimize any residual stretch potential

 

[Risky buisness]

It sounds like your rifle headspace is fine to me. These old girls were built not with handloading in mind but function. Chamber, extractor and spring sould like good topics to address. My #4 mk1* has a similar shaped case after firing NZ ball ammo, so I get empty cases a light cast bullet and a lite charge and fire form them before loadng a regular charge and bullet . Best of luck

 

[Carl N. Brown]

You recently got a No 1 MkIII at a gunshow.
I'd clean the chamber and barrel thoroughly before firing. If your lucky sticky extraction is being caused by a layer of oil or grease that oxidized to varnish over the years.

As others have pointed out, the front chamber of the chamber is very generous to allow for mud, dirt, sand, under combat conditions.

Factory loads and fired casings.

When I reload my .303 cartridges I necksize only. No point in pushing the shoulder back only to blow it out again.
Of course that means my reloads might not fit another .303 British rifle