Be careful with adjusting the rear stock bolt before removing the forend! That’s a sure way of splitting the forend & your accuracy will be terrible. It can be fixed & improved . The draws & even fitment of the forend are critical to accuracy. It’s worth a bit of research & knowledge, to ring out the potential of the Lee Enfield. It’s basically a 10 shot 308 powered slick bolt action that charger / stripper clip fed . Yes I know it’s not exactly equal to 308 performance on paper, but in the field I doubt anything hit would know the difference. Maybe 20yards more point blank range at most .
My issue is that even with a long enough screw driver, and with the bolt screwed in up to the metal brace on the fore end wood piece, it’s still loose. It wasn’t loose when I began work but it is now, and no washer came out when I initially removed it. Any ideas?
I hope you removed the fore stock first. Otherwise you just cracked the rear of the forestock. I would recommend you check. That could explain why it shoots low.
My SMLE for some reason has a nail/metal post more than halfway down that tube blocking access for anything to go down and tighten the bolt. Does anybody have any explanation to as why it would be down there? There is no markings on the outside of the stock to explain the metal post blocking the flathead inside. It’s like I need a screwdriver that’s split into a fork if I want to tighten my stock, would be afraid to strip the screw by using a tiny flathead to try by tightening just one side. It looks like my only option is going to be take it a gunsmith and see what he can do with what tools he has.
Great advice. I fixed it with a mosinnagant spike which has a flat head
Excellent solution for those without a really long screwdriver.
I have not had one in years, but I do still have a large, long screwdriver I got at the local hardware store for tightening the stock screws.
Be careful with adjusting the rear stock bolt before removing the forend!
That’s a sure way of splitting the forend & your accuracy will be terrible.
It can be fixed & improved .
The draws & even fitment of the forend are critical to accuracy.
It’s worth a bit of research & knowledge, to ring out the potential of the Lee Enfield.
It’s basically a 10 shot 308 powered slick bolt action that charger / stripper clip fed .
Yes I know it’s not exactly equal to 308 performance on paper, but in the field I doubt anything hit would know the difference.
Maybe 20yards more point blank range at most .
My issue is that even with a long enough screw driver, and with the bolt screwed in up to the metal brace on the fore end wood piece, it’s still loose.
It wasn’t loose when I began work but it is now, and no washer came out when I initially removed it.
Any ideas?
I hope you removed the fore stock first. Otherwise you just cracked the rear of the forestock. I would recommend you check. That could explain why it shoots low.
Bingo
The value of doing some reading before jamming tire irons into your antique.
My SMLE for some reason has a nail/metal post more than halfway down that tube blocking access for anything to go down and tighten the bolt. Does anybody have any explanation to as why it would be down there? There is no markings on the outside of the stock to explain the metal post blocking the flathead inside. It’s like I need a screwdriver that’s split into a fork if I want to tighten my stock, would be afraid to strip the screw by using a tiny flathead to try by tightening just one side. It looks like my only option is going to be take it a gunsmith and see what he can do with what tools he has.
Thats odd. Maybe its an old oiler in there? Unfortunately sounds like you may need a gunsmith for that one.
Not something I would have thought of!
There is some good info on the internet. I never would have thought of it either.