Go gauges. No go gauges. Field gauges

[saddler]

Terry Abrams....billions of Enfield bits

[Alpha1]

I wonder if Adam has any he is closer to home.

[Sim G]

Sixty pounds bloody hell I only paid £120 for the rifle and sling. dear oh dear.

Aye, totally get that, but at the minute it's "120 quids warth of nee gud"...

[The Gun Pimp]

Alpha1 - PM me on vinceb@targetshooteronline.com

[MrD]

I have been having a play with my newly acquired .303 field gauge. I was shocked to find out that what I thought was a pristine No4 I have owned for years and years with probably not a massive round count failed. The bolt closed all though snugly on the field gauge. I'm devastated. I think you can get bolt heads for them to take up some of the slop but its some thing I am not familiar with. The bolt head in this rifle is a number 1. Can I rectify the problem with a replacement bolt head.
I also checked a recently acquired P14 and that was fine the bolt would not close on the gauge.
I removed the ejectors before I gauged them. I'm really on a downer now a duff .303 and my Lathe has failed again. I need a drink.

Before you panic, you said you removed the extractor. Did you also remove the firing pin and spring? If you are still cocking it when you close the bolt, you might be forcing it without realising. I did the same with mine, and without the spring to overcome, it was clear that the bolt wasn't closing on the gauge. With the spring, it seemed to fail the Field gauge. Without it, it wouldn't close on the No-go.
You are looking to let the bolt-handle drop without any pressure other than gravity.

Donald

[Rockhopper]

What MrD said.
Also are bolt heads controlled? Do you need a slot on your FAC for one as they are pressure bearing components?

[MrD]

What MrD said.
Also are bolt heads controlled? Do you need a slot on your FAC for one as they are pressure bearing components?

The attitude to control of bolt heads seems varied. I know that some dealers, Fultons for example, will exchange bolt heads but not supply other than to an RFD.
If you need to replace a bolt head, then it might be better to approach a specialist. Bolt heads were stoned, so a used size 2 could be smaller than a new size 1. You also have to take into account the amount of overturn plus thread tolerances. I have a No4 which won't accept two other No4's heads (threads were really tight), but its one fitted the others perfectly. I am not certain, but I have read that gauges such as Forster don't always suit military spec chambers - I have disc ones.

I believe that armourers faced with this problem would search through their bolt heads to find one which gave the minimum overturn and met the head space requirements - often they would stone them down if they were just a bit tight. A specialist in Enfields would likely have a selection of spares to try until they correct fit was obtained. There is also the thorny question of a new bolt head having to be proofed.

I think you might be surprised with the result of gauging without the firing pin -

Donald

[Alpha1]

I will remove the firing pin and spring this evening and recheck it.

[MrD]

I will remove the firing pin and spring this evening and recheck it.

Make sure everything is spotlessly clean. Hold the rifle slightly nose down and guide the bolt home and let the handle drop. It fails if it contacts the receiver. Try it first with an empty chamber until you get an idea of the movement, then try the gauge.

Last Jan I bought a 'bargain' No4T. I tried the club's Forster gauges with firing pin in and it failed. Someone lent me a size 3 bolt head and it failed too - I was totally gutted as you can imagine. I then tried other No4s and they all failed which made me think the method was wrong. After doing some research and buying disc gauges, the removal of the pin and spring showed that they all passed. It even passed the Forster one, but less convincingly.

Donald

[Alpha1]

Just my luck I bought Forster. I would be interested to see what the discs look like if they are just a disc I am fairly confident I could get a set machined up. I have made a tool for removing the firing pin and spring and it works a treat.