How To: Remove the Bolt from a Lee Enfield Rifle

This is a quick, to the point video I made on how to remove the bolt from your Lee Enfield Rifle.

As you can see, I used two different variants of the Lee Enfield. The bolts remove the same way.

Rifles:

1. 1964 dated Ishapore made No. 1 Mk 3 Lee Enfield chambered in .303 British

2. 1926 dated Lithgow made SMLE Lee Enfield chambered in .303 British

Things to remember about your Lee Enfield:

1. Make sure it is unloaded first, as always. The magazine release is right in front of the trigger, so be aware of the rules of gun safety.

2. You should be able to hear the parts click back into place. The video camera actually did a great job picking up the sound. Make sure you hear that sound and you'll know everything is in place.

3. Carefully decock your Enfield before putting it away. Enfields should not be stored cocked.

4. The bolt on the Lee Enfield is spring loaded. As you can see, the Ishapore's bolt spring still works. The Lithgow's does not. If your spring does not work, you can have it replaced by a good gunsmith, but it isn't necessary for good function of the rifle.

5. Do you own a Lithgow? Does it have paint on it, especially around the nose cap? Do some research. You may have been told it was for importing, it wasn't. The paint, if present even in trace amounts, should be green, yellow, or red. Green means good to go, yellow means 2nd level but still alright, and red was deemed not to be fired. A lot of the red ones made their way here. Check with a gunsmith if you are unsure. Any older weapon should visit a good gunsmith to be checked for safety.