Magazine Feeding

[sayak]

Well I recently bought a .303 after looking for one for a while. My father had one when I was very young which he got from Montgomery Ward. I took it deer hunting as a teenager, but never connected (mostly because I didn't know what I was doing). The model I have is a Lithgow SMLE made in 1944. It also says MA 55 near the safety.

 

The rifle appears to have been sporterized as it had a shortened forearm, though it did still have an upper hand piece atop the barrel by the ramp type sight. I replaced the forearm with a new walnut one from Boyds, and will probably put on a new matching butt stock as well, though I will reshape it in the traditional, small pistol grip Enfield style, and will keep the the brass butt plate. The receiver and the bridge over the magazine was tapped for a scope, so I ordered a mount from Midway and put a 3x9 Redfield on it. I was surprised that the 3/8" dovetail mount used rings made for a .22/air rifle!

 

I like this rifle far more than my Mosin Nagant which seems cold and hard compared to the smoothness and shootability of the Enfield. She is a lady.

 

OK, after all that lead-in, my question is: is it common for the magazines on these SMLEs to jam and not feed correctly? I had to stop several times while sighting the rifle in in order to unjam the rounds. Perhaps not all magazines are created equal? Am I loading the rounds incorrectly? Thanks for any input you may provide.

[Bob58]

I had a couple enfields and if I didn't sequence the rounds such that the upper round was forward of the lower round the upper rim would tend to hang on the lower rim.

[sayak]

I had a couple enfields and if I didn't sequence the rounds such that the upper round was forward of the lower round the upper rim would tend to hang on the lower rim.

 

Thanks Bob! Yes, that is what is happening. Guess I need to watch how I load the clip. Do they make stripper clips for LEs?

[roscoedoh]

Thanks Bob! Yes, that is what is happening. Guess I need to watch how I load the clip. Do they make stripper clips for LEs?

 

Yes they do but they can be hard to find. You'll have to do some looking if you want any.

 

I have two SMLEs and love'em. Just make sure you stack the cartidges in with the rim on top in front of the rim below it and you'll have a rugged, dependable rifle.

 

Do you know what model you have? It should be marked on the wrist. I have a No. 1 Mk III and a No. 4 Mk 1*. Both are good rifles although I'd give the nod to the number simply because I like peep sight.

 

Good shooting!

 

Jason

[sayak]

Yes they do but they can be hard to find. You'll have to do some looking if you want any.

 

I have two SMLEs and love'em. Just make sure you stack the cartidges in with the rim on top in front of the rim below it and you'll have a rugged, dependable rifle.

 

Do you know what model you have? It should be marked on the wrist. I have a No. 1 Mk III and a No. 4 Mk 1*. Both are good rifles although I'd give the nod to the number simply because I like peep sight.

 

Good shooting!

 

Jason

 

Jason-

I don't know what model I have. On the right side it has the following:

MA

LITHGOW

SMLE

II

1941

 

On the left it just has:

MA55

 

I love shooting this gun, though I am not yet getting good groupings. I was comparing the action to that of my son's Swedish mauser, and it is so much smoother.

 

I will have to keep a look out for stripper clips.