Thread: Fitting stock onto SMLE

Hi @Trigger, I take it you have a No 1 Mk III SMLE? But a New Old Stock points more to a LE No 4.

Those venerable, ugly war horses are getting popular again, can't for my life think why that might be...

Go for the new old stock is what I'd do, but your woodworking skills may be supreme compared to mine. BTW, who makes the repro stocks, without a trigger guard/magazine plate cutout?

No right answers re bedding, multitude of ways to do it, but I assume you want to just set it up milspec.

First read this entertaining article: Chasing Lee Enfield Accuracy - All About Enfields

One aspect important to understand is that the "draws" below the receiver are NOT "recoil lugs". Consider that the receiver is after all 100% connected to the wrist and through the wrist to the butt stock. The draws are there to connect with the forestock in its function as an elaborate barrel harmonics-dampener, specifically the middle ring contact and the front end spring plunger up-pressure point (both devices absent in the No 4 rifles, which just have simple front end up pressure contact). For that reason, as long as the receiver/draws/forestock are well connected you can safely leave an air gap between the wrist metal and the rear of the forend wood, which also helps disassembly and reassembly.

I would use bedding compound to bed the draws, the receiver and the knox form, good diagrams in the link above.

Peter Laidler (THE authority on how to set the LE up milspec) wrote interesting article on how to set the trigger and this is a crucial article if you want to take on the repro stock without the base plate cutout. The trigger plate has a cylindrical spacer above it at front, through which passes the main screw. That spacer sets the space in the front. In reassembly, the trigger guard/plate is first attached with the screw at the rifle wrist, and then swung up and tightened with the main screw. That last tightening of the main screw should slightly compress the front end wood above the trigger. Just. And if it is set right, you will also have a nice two-stage trigger pull, can't describe it as well as you'd instantly just "get it" from dry firing a well set up LE.

Article in two parts here:
Article One, the trigger pull off, by Peter Laidler


Article Two, the trigger pull off, by Peter Laidler


Index of Captain Peter Laidler's articles here

You can appreciate why in the No 4 Mk 2 upgrade they just hung the trigger from the steel and got away from this system which can be affected by shrinkage and expansion of the wood, but it is what it is. It is satisfying to get the trigger pull to work 'right'.

I did improve one of my LE triggers by adding an over-travel stop. Tied a cable tie around the back of the trigger guard, with the little lock block facing forward. I clipped small bits of the free end until I just had a crisp pull off of the trigger and no/negligible trigger over travel. A dab of epoxy steel made it go nowhere, but it will come off at a snip if I ever sell a rifle to a purist. I guarantee you, if he is a collector who likes to shoot his collectibles he will leave it on, knowing he can just remove it if he ever needs to.

Have fun!