Trouble shoot (roughly) this No. 4 Enfield with dangerous condition please

F

FirstFreedom

Moderator
Friend buys No. 4 enfield.

Front end piece of bolt with the "wing" which guides the bolt on the track on it, is detached.

I screw it on for him over the firing pin and re-assemble. Seems like not-a-problem.

He goes to range yesterday. Pulls trigger.... "click".

So lifts handle to cycle the bolt, and "BANG!"

Thankfully following gun safety rules.

What might be going on here?

Thanks.
 
I have been criticized for excess caution, but I advise waiting 30 seconds after a misfire (especially with surplus ammo) before opening the bolt. If there is a hangfire, you do not want the round going off just as the bolt unlocks or exploding in the air in front of your face.

Jim
 
no 4

check the serial no. see if the bolt and receiver are the same.the enfield has a bolt head that is dedicated to that rifle.the heads are marked 0-1-2-3 each is .03 longer than the last.[0]is shortest.:confused::confused:
 
Old surplus Hangfire ammo is really common in .303 unfortunately, check the headstamp for us and let us know what it says.

I have also had it happen in an old #4 I had that the head was wrong on the bolt too, but then the primer either gets over punctured or under punctured. Do you still have the brass from the shot?

-Dane
 
+1 on the hangfire. It's not that un-common with .303 surplus. The cordite propellant gets sleepy when not stored correctly.
 
Hangfires are not exclusive to cordite, they happen with all kinds of propellants. If I understand correctly, it is the primer itself, not the propellant, that is "sleepy."

Jim
 
Heard a story about a hangfire that I hope is true...

Thug steals a 1911 off the wall of some WWII vet.... also takes the ammo on disply and loads said gun... then robs a store... attempts to fire gun... gun does not fire... he looks down the bore.... you can figure out the rest...
 
I know a guy who about wrecked a BAR (yes, a "real" light machinegun BAR) when he did "immediate action" on a hangfire. The round went off in the receiver, blowing out the bolt guides, wrecking the magazine and bending the top cover. Fortunately, the gun could be repaired, but that would be a lot of money to lose just from impatience and trying to be "combat oriented" when there was no need to be.

Jim
 
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