{
  "apiVersion": 1,
  "kind": "work-order",
  "purpose": "Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification.",
  "firearm": {
    "slug": "lee-enfield-no4",
    "name": "Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I",
    "manufacturer": {
      "id": "royal-small-arms",
      "name": "Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield"
    },
    "category": "rifle",
    "action": "bolt-action",
    "calibers": [
      ".303 British"
    ],
    "alsoKnownAs": [
      "Rifle No. 4",
      "No. 4 Mk I*",
      ".303 Enfield",
      "SMLE (earlier No.1 pattern)"
    ],
    "coversAlso": [
      "Rifle No. 4 Mk I*",
      "Rifle No. 4 Mk 2",
      "Lee-Enfield No. 5 'Jungle Carbine' (with differences)"
    ],
    "page": "firearms/lee-enfield-no4.html",
    "bundle": "api/v1/firearms/lee-enfield-no4.json",
    "lastUpdated": "2026-10-29"
  },
  "notices": [
    "This work order is written for the Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I. It is reported to cover Rifle No. 4 Mk I*; Rifle No. 4 Mk 2; Lee-Enfield No. 5 'Jungle Carbine' (with differences) — if the firearm on the bench is one of those, check the torque notes: values do not always carry over.",
    "No torque values are recorded for this firearm. Get them from the manufacturer or a gunsmith; do not estimate."
  ],
  "disclaimer": {
    "headline": "Read this before you use anything here.",
    "points": [
      "This is a guide, not an authority. Entries are compiled from manufacturer manuals, technical manuals, published references, and community knowledge. Some of it comes from sources that are not authoritative, and some of it may simply be wrong.",
      "Always consult the manufacturer's manual for your specific firearm and serial-number range. Manufacturers change designs mid-production without renaming the model. The manual that shipped with your firearm outranks anything on this site.",
      "Consult a licensed gunsmith for anything beyond routine field stripping and cleaning, for any firearm you are unsure about, and for any procedure marked as gunsmith-recommended here.",
      "Treat every firearm as loaded. Verify it is unloaded, with the magazine removed and the chamber physically and visually checked, before any procedure in this database. Point it in a safe direction the entire time.",
      "Disassembly can damage a firearm or injure you. Springs are under tension, parts can launch, and reassembling a firearm incorrectly can make it unsafe to fire in a way that is not obvious from the outside. If a reassembled firearm does not pass a function check, stop and see a gunsmith.",
      "Torque values are shown in two groups. Values from the manufacturer or the issuing military are shown as such, with the document they came from. Values reported by anyone else — parts makers, gunsmithing publishers, articles, forums — are shown separately with who said them, how reliable that source is, and their exact words. Those are not specifications. Confirm any torque value with the manufacturer or a licensed gunsmith before relying on it.",
      "Nothing here is legal advice. Firearms law varies by country, state, and city, and some modifications or configurations are regulated or prohibited. You are responsible for knowing and following the law where you are.",
      "No warranty of any kind. Contributors and maintainers accept no liability for damage, injury, or loss arising from use of this material."
    ],
    "page": "disclaimer.html",
    "legal": {
      "summary": "Legal notice: this material is third-party information compiled from sources of varying reliability and is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not gunsmithing, technical, safety or legal advice, it is not verified or endorsed by any manufacturer, and it must not be taken as fact. Any work on a firearm beyond the routine field stripping described in its own owner's manual should be performed only by a licensed and insured gunsmith. You use this material entirely at your own risk. Fundamental Build LLC and the project's contributors make no warranty of any kind and accept no liability for death, injury, damage or loss arising from its use. Full terms: LEGAL.md.",
      "page": "legal.html",
      "notice": "https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown/blob/main/LEGAL.md"
    }
  },
  "sourcing": {
    "confidence": "medium",
    "verification": "armorer-manual-verified"
  },
  "manufacturerDisassembly": {
    "status": "not-recorded",
    "limit": null,
    "statement": null,
    "source": null
  },
  "recalls": [],
  "shopTier": {
    "tier": 2,
    "group": "rifle",
    "rating": "Pew-Takedown editorial rating (1 easy – 3 hardest), not the manufacturer's",
    "reason": "A bolt action with straightforward furniture (one-piece fore-end, two bands, guard screws, a stock bolt through the butt). The bolt needs a notched striker tool and has a jumpy V extractor spring, and the bolt head is fitted to the rifle. There are more traps than a modern bolt gun but no timing.",
    "confidence": "medium",
    "partCount": {
      "value": 57,
      "kind": "line-items",
      "covers": "complete No. 4 Mk I* rifle per the Gun Digest exploded drawing legend 'No. 4, Mark I* (SMLE) Bolt Action Rifle': keys 1-48 plus the 10 'Parts Not Shown' lines, less 'Stripper Clips' (accessory). Magaz",
      "basis": "publication-diagram",
      "source": {
        "title": "The Gun Digest Book of Exploded Gun Drawings (975 isometric views) - 'No. 4, Mark I* (SMLE) Bolt Action Rifle'",
        "publisher": "Gun Digest Books / Krause Publications (scan on archive.org)",
        "reliability": "secondary",
        "url": "https://archive.org/download/the-book-of-exploded-gun-drawings-975-isometric-views/The%20Book%20of%20Exploded%20Gun%20Drawings%20-%20975%20Isometric%20Views.pdf",
        "page": "book p. 535 (PDF page 536)",
        "pdfPage": null,
        "pageUrl": null,
        "quote": "Bolt Head Release Stop Screw"
      }
    },
    "painPoints": [
      {
        "issue": "Stripping the bolt: the bolt head is unscrewed, the cocking piece turned down to relieve the mainspring, the striker screw removed, and the striker unscrewed with a takedown tool that engages notches near its tip.",
        "during": "both",
        "source": {
          "title": "Exploded View: Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I",
          "publisher": "American Rifleman (NRA)",
          "reliability": "secondary",
          "url": "https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/exploded-view-lee-enfield-no-4-mk-i/",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "To remove the striker, insert a takedown tool from the front until the projections on either side of its point engage the notches."
        }
      },
      {
        "issue": "The striker has to be unscrewed from the cocking piece with a notched takedown tool while holding the mainspring; the pamphlet warns a makeshift rig can damage it.",
        "during": "both",
        "source": {
          "title": "Lee-Enfield Rifle Manual, No.1 Mk III, No.3, No.4, No.5 (Pamphlet 1)",
          "publisher": "unknown publisher (archive.org \"Lots of gun PDFs\")",
          "reliability": "secondary",
          "url": "https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/leeenfield.pdf",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "may cause damage and should be left to a qualified gunsmith."
        }
      },
      {
        "issue": "The V-shaped extractor spring is eased out through a tiny hole in the bolt head with a fine punch and jumps if not covered; it seats on a small projection going back.",
        "during": "both",
        "source": {
          "title": "Lee-Enfield Rifle Manual, No.1 Mk III, No.3, No.4, No.5 (Pamphlet 1)",
          "publisher": "unknown publisher (archive.org \"Lots of gun PDFs\")",
          "reliability": "secondary",
          "url": "https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/leeenfield.pdf",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "To reassemble, place the spring into the extractor slot and seat the small projection on the spring into its seat in the bolt head."
        }
      },
      {
        "issue": "The buttstock comes off by a long stock bolt reached through the butt trap.",
        "during": "both",
        "source": {
          "title": "Exploded View: Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I",
          "publisher": "American Rifleman (NRA)",
          "reliability": "secondary",
          "url": "https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/exploded-view-lee-enfield-no-4-mk-i/",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "insert a long-bladed screwdriver into the recess in the buttstockﾕs rear and turn out the stock bolt (48) and its washer (49)."
        }
      }
    ],
    "minutes": {
      "strip": 35,
      "rebuild": 50,
      "basis": "estimated",
      "note": "Estimate: bolt (bolt head, striker with tool, extractor and V-spring), bolt head release/catch, magazine and catch, trigger guard and trigger, safety, fore-end, bands, handguards, buttstock (stock bolt), sights. Rebuild longer for the striker tension and the band/guard screw sequence.",
      "source": null
    },
    "stripScope": [
      {
        "assembly": "Bolt",
        "removes": [
          "bolt head",
          "striker screw, striker, mainspring, cocking piece (with tool)",
          "extractor, extractor spring and screw"
        ],
        "tools": [
          "Lee-Enfield striker tool"
        ]
      },
      {
        "assembly": "Receiver",
        "removes": [
          "bolt head release/catch and spring (Mk I)",
          "safety catch and spring",
          "magazine catch",
          "trigger (with trigger guard)",
          "rear sight"
        ],
        "tools": [
          "drift punch"
        ]
      },
      {
        "assembly": "Stock and furniture",
        "removes": [
          "front and rear guard screws",
          "trigger guard",
          "fore-end",
          "front and middle bands and swivels",
          "handguards",
          "buttstock (stock bolt and washer)",
          "butt plate and trap"
        ],
        "tools": [
          "long screwdriver for the stock bolt"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "hardware": {
      "pins": 4,
      "springs": 7,
      "detents": 1,
      "basis": "counted by name in the same legend. Pins: 11 sear pin, 13 trigger pin, 22 magazine catch pin, rear sight base pin (not shown) (25 firing pin not counted). Springs: 7 safety bolt spring, 10 sear spring"
    },
    "specialTools": [
      {
        "tool": "Lee-Enfield striker (firing pin) tool",
        "usedFor": "Unscrewing the striker from the cocking piece"
      },
      {
        "tool": "Fine drift punch (<0.04 in)",
        "usedFor": "Easing out the extractor spring"
      },
      {
        "tool": "Long-bladed screwdriver",
        "usedFor": "The stock bolt through the butt trap"
      }
    ],
    "fitOnRebuild": [
      {
        "check": "Bolt and bolt head fitted to the rifle",
        "why": "Bolts and bolt heads are fitted to their own boltway (headspace); keep the serial-matched bolt with the rifle",
        "source": {
          "title": "Lee-Enfield Rifle Manual, No.1 Mk III, No.3, No.4, No.5 (Pamphlet 1)",
          "publisher": "unknown publisher (archive.org \"Lots of gun PDFs\")",
          "reliability": "secondary",
          "url": "https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/leeenfield.pdf",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "They have been fitted to their respective boltways."
        }
      },
      {
        "check": "Fore-end/king screw and band tension",
        "why": "Fore-end bedding pressure and band screw tension affect zero; re-zero after the woodwork is off",
        "source": null
      }
    ],
    "assessed": "2026-10-29"
  },
  "videos": [],
  "configurations": [],
  "tools": [],
  "phases": [
    {
      "id": "clear",
      "title": "Clear and make safe",
      "steps": [
        {
          "n": 1,
          "instruction": "Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger."
        },
        {
          "n": 2,
          "instruction": "Apply the safety catch on the left rear of the receiver by rotating it rearward."
        },
        {
          "n": 3,
          "instruction": "Press the magazine catch inside the front of the trigger guard and remove the magazine.",
          "partsFreed": [
            "Magazine"
          ]
        },
        {
          "n": 4,
          "instruction": "Lift the bolt handle and draw the bolt fully to the rear, ejecting any chambered round."
        },
        {
          "n": 5,
          "instruction": "Inspect the chamber and the magazine well with a light and physically confirm the chamber is empty.",
          "warning": "Check the chamber independently. Removing the magazine does not clear it."
        },
        {
          "n": 6,
          "instruction": "Remove all live ammunition from the work area."
        }
      ],
      "videos": []
    },
    {
      "id": "disassemble",
      "title": "Disassemble",
      "videos": [],
      "procedures": [
        {
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "title": "Field Strip — Bolt Removal",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "configuration": false,
          "steps": [
            {
              "n": 1,
              "instruction": "Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure and move the safety to the fire position."
            },
            {
              "n": 2,
              "instruction": "Lift the bolt handle and draw the bolt rearward until the bolt head reaches the release cut in the receiver's bolt track."
            },
            {
              "n": 3,
              "instruction": "Depress the bolt head release catch on the left side of the receiver track, and rotate the bolt head upward out of its groove.",
              "tip": "The bolt head has to come up out of the track before the bolt will withdraw. Do not pull harder — rotate it."
            },
            {
              "n": 4,
              "instruction": "Withdraw the bolt assembly rearward out of the receiver.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Bolt assembly"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 5,
              "instruction": "Clean the bore from the breech with a bore guide, and clean the bolt face, bolt head, locking lugs, and chamber.",
              "tip": "Breech cleaning is a real advantage of removing the bolt. Do not clean a surplus rifle from the muzzle without a rod guide."
            },
            {
              "n": 6,
              "instruction": "Stop here for routine maintenance. Unscrewing the bolt head from the bolt body changes the headspace relationship and should not be done casually.",
              "warning": "If you do remove the bolt head, the rifle must be re-gauged before firing."
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "refinish",
      "title": "Refinish",
      "components": [
        {
          "name": "Bolt assembly",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 4
        }
      ],
      "manufacturerPartsList": null,
      "partsDiagrams": [],
      "materials": [],
      "note": "The components the procedures above separate. Coating, masking and cure are outside this database; follow your coating system's instructions. A part the manufacturer marks \"factory fit\" should not be swapped or reworked."
    },
    {
      "id": "reassemble",
      "title": "Reassemble",
      "videos": [],
      "procedures": [
        {
          "procedure": "reassembly",
          "title": "Reassembly",
          "configuration": false,
          "steps": [
            {
              "n": 1,
              "instruction": "Confirm the bolt head is screwed fully home on the bolt body and correctly oriented."
            },
            {
              "n": 2,
              "instruction": "Align the bolt with the receiver track, with the bolt head rotated up so it can enter the release cut."
            },
            {
              "n": 3,
              "instruction": "Slide the bolt forward into the receiver and rotate the bolt head down into its groove as it passes the release catch."
            },
            {
              "n": 4,
              "instruction": "Push the bolt fully forward and close the bolt handle."
            },
            {
              "n": 5,
              "instruction": "Cycle the bolt several times to confirm it runs smoothly, cocks, and locks up.",
              "warning": "If the bolt does not close fully and lock, do not force it. Withdraw it and check the bolt head orientation."
            },
            {
              "n": 6,
              "instruction": "Reinstall the magazine and perform the function check."
            }
          ],
          "instruction": null
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "torque",
      "title": "Torque",
      "coverage": "none-recorded",
      "manufacturer": [],
      "reported": [],
      "notes": null
    },
    {
      "id": "function-check",
      "title": "Function check",
      "checks": [
        "Verify the rifle is unloaded before each step.",
        "Cycle the bolt and confirm it cocks on closing and locks up fully.",
        "With the action cocked, apply the safety catch and press the trigger. The striker must not release.",
        "Confirm the safety catch also locks the bolt handle down when applied.",
        "Release the safety and press the trigger. The striker should release with a firm snap.",
        "Confirm the two-stage trigger has a distinct first stage and a clean second stage.",
        "Load dummy rounds into the magazine and confirm they feed without rim lock and eject cleanly.",
        "If you have any doubt about the rifle's history, have headspace gauged before firing live ammunition."
      ],
      "videos": []
    }
  ],
  "troubleshooting": [],
  "sources": [
    {
      "n": 1,
      "id": null,
      "title": "Small Arms Training, Volume I, Pamphlet No. 3: Rifle",
      "publisher": "British War Office",
      "reliability": "primary",
      "url": null,
      "accessed": null
    },
    {
      "n": 2,
      "id": null,
      "title": "The Lee-Enfield Rifle",
      "publisher": "Herbert Jackson / various",
      "reliability": "secondary",
      "url": null,
      "accessed": null
    },
    {
      "n": 3,
      "id": "tier-851a2b35",
      "title": "Exploded View: Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I",
      "publisher": "American Rifleman (NRA)",
      "reliability": "secondary",
      "url": "https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/exploded-view-lee-enfield-no-4-mk-i/",
      "accessed": "2026-10-29"
    },
    {
      "n": 4,
      "id": "tier-1b7a7e71",
      "title": "Lee-Enfield Rifle Manual, No.1 Mk III, No.3, No.4, No.5 (Pamphlet 1)",
      "publisher": "unknown publisher (archive.org \"Lots of gun PDFs\")",
      "reliability": "secondary",
      "url": "https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/leeenfield.pdf",
      "accessed": "2026-10-29"
    },
    {
      "n": 5,
      "id": "tier-41721d1b",
      "title": "The Gun Digest Book of Exploded Gun Drawings (975 isometric views) - 'No. 4, Mark I* (SMLE) Bolt Action Rifle'",
      "publisher": "Gun Digest Books / Krause Publications (scan on archive.org)",
      "reliability": "secondary",
      "url": "https://archive.org/download/the-book-of-exploded-gun-drawings-975-isometric-views/The%20Book%20of%20Exploded%20Gun%20Drawings%20-%20975%20Isometric%20Views.pdf",
      "accessed": "2026-10-29"
    }
  ]
}