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Work order — Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III (SMLE)

Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification. Generated from the Pew-Takedown entry last updated 2026-10-29. Confidence: medium.

Shop difficulty: Tier 2 of 3

Same bolt and striker-tool traps as the No. 4, plus more woodwork: a nose cap with two screws, separate front and rear handguards (the rear one has thin flanges around the rear sight), outer band, and a stock bolt. It has more parts than the No. 4, but they all go in order, with no timing. 70 parts (complete No. 1 Mk III (SMLE) rifle incl. magazine per the Gun Digest exploded drawing legend 'No. 1, Mark III (SMLE) Bolt-Action Rifle', keys 1-70. The rear sight is one key ('Rear Sight Assembly with). Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's.

Bench time: strip ~40 min, rebuild ~55 min (estimate). Actual: strip ______ rebuild ______

Special tools:

• Striker tool (3/8 in tube with two notches) — Unscrewing the striker
• Fine drift punch — Extractor spring
• Long wide-bladed screwdriver plus wrench — Stock bolt

Watch for:

• The striker is unscrewed from the cocking piece with a notched tube tool while holding inward pressure, or the mainspring ejects it. (both; American Rifleman (NRA))
• The rear handguard clips to the barrel and has thin flanges around the rear sight that crack if levered. (both; American Rifleman (NRA))
• The buttstock bolt is reached through the butt trap after pulling a leather wad, and usually needs a wrench on the screwdriver. (both; American Rifleman (NRA))
• 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. (both; unknown publisher (archive.org "Lots of gun PDFs"))
• 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. (both; unknown publisher (archive.org "Lots of gun PDFs"))

Tools

• Bore guide — Cleaning from the breech without wearing the throat or the crown. On a surplus rifle the crown is often the difference between accuracy and none.

1. Clear and make safe

1. Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger.
2. Apply the safety catch on the left rear of the receiver.
3. Press the magazine catch inside the front of the trigger guard and remove the magazine.
4. Lift the bolt handle and draw the bolt fully rearward, ejecting any chambered round.
5. Inspect the chamber and magazine well with a light and physically confirm the chamber is empty.
   Warning: Removing the magazine does not clear the chamber.
6. Remove all live ammunition from the work area.

2. Disassemble

Field Strip — Bolt Removal

1. Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure.
2. Move the safety to the fire position.
3. Lift the bolt handle and draw the bolt rearward until the bolt head reaches the release position in the receiver track.
4. Raise the bolt head out of its guide rib and withdraw the bolt assembly rearward out of the receiver.
   Warning: The No. 1 bolt head lifts out of its rib rather than being released by a separate catch as on the No. 4. Do not force it — rotate the bolt head up.
5. Clean the bore from the breech using a bore guide, and clean the bolt face, lugs, and chamber.
   Warning: Always use a bore guide on a surplus rifle. Cleaning rod wear at the crown is a permanent accuracy loss and is very common on milsurp.
6. Stop here for routine maintenance. Bolt disassembly is a separate procedure and is not part of normal cleaning.

3. Refinish

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.

No manufacturer statement of materials or finish is recorded. Identify each part's material before choosing prep and cure.

4. Reassemble

Reassembly

1. Confirm the bolt head is screwed fully home on the bolt body and correctly oriented.
2. Align the bolt with the receiver track, bolt head raised so it can enter.
3. Slide the bolt forward, letting the bolt head drop into its guide rib, and close the bolt handle.
4. Cycle the bolt several times to confirm it runs smoothly, cocks, and locks up.
   Warning: If the bolt will not close fully and lock, withdraw it and check the bolt head orientation. Do not force it.
5. Reinstall the magazine and perform the function check.

5. Torque

No manufacturer torque values are recorded for this firearm.

Fit or check on rebuild

• Bolt and bolt head fitted to the rifle — Bolts and bolt heads are fitted to their own boltway (headspace); keep the serial-matched bolt with the rifle
• Fore-end/king screw and band tension — Fore-end bedding pressure and band screw tension affect zero; re-zero after the woodwork is off

6. Function check

• Verify the rifle is unloaded — chamber and magazine — before each check.
• Cycle the bolt and confirm it cocks and closes fully into battery.
• With the action cocked, engage the safety and press the trigger. The striker must not release.
• Disengage the safety without touching the trigger. The striker must not release.
• Press the trigger and confirm the striker releases with a firm snap.
• Load dummy rounds and confirm they feed and eject cleanly.
• If you have any doubt about the rifle’s history, have headspace gauged by a gunsmith before firing live ammunition.
• Confirm the two-stage trigger has a distinct first stage and a clean second stage.
• Confirm the magazine cut-off works if your rifle has one — many Mk III rifles do, Mk III* rifles generally do not.

If any check fails, the firearm is not safe to fire. Stop and see a licensed gunsmith.

Sources

1. Small Arms Training, Volume I, Pamphlet No. 3: Rifle — British War Office primary
2. The Lee-Enfield Rifle — Herbert Jackson / various secondary
3. Exploded View: Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield, Mk III — American Rifleman (NRA) secondary
   https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/exploded-view-short-magazine-lee-enfield-mk-iii/
4. Lee-Enfield Rifle Manual, No.1 Mk III, No.3, No.4, No.5 (Pamphlet 1) — unknown publisher (archive.org "Lots of gun PDFs") secondary
   https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/leeenfield.pdf
5. The Gun Digest Book of Exploded Gun Drawings (975 isometric views) - 'No. 1, Mark III (SMLE) Bolt-Action Rifle' — Gun Digest Books / Krause Publications (scan on archive.org) secondary
   https://archive.org/download/the-book-of-exploded-gun-drawings-975-isometric-views/The%20Book%20of%20Exploded%20Gun%20Drawings%20-%20975%20Isometric%20Views.pdf

Educational guide only. Some information comes from non-authoritative sources. Always consult your manufacturer's manual and a licensed gunsmith. Verify your firearm is unloaded before every procedure. Full disclaimer: https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown

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.