this may sound like a very odd question. Is it possible to shoot yourself in the chest with your own rifle !!. Apparently this is what my Grandfather did by accident!!! . I find this hard to believe as the were 44.5 inches long . I dont see how you could reach the trigger.

Can anyone advise,

Regards,
Mike

Suppose anything's possible in an accident, Mike. I remember seeing a programme on the search for Butch Cassidy's grave, and one of the candidates was a cowboy buried in Peru who had managed to shoot himself in the head with a rifle while dismounting!

__________________
Regards,
Gordon
Scotland's Prisoners
www.spanglefish.com/scotlandsprisoners
FortressScotland-http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

There was a reduction in barrel length to 25.5 inches (from about 30", hence the term 'short'), in the SMLE Mk. III. So the overall length of 44.5 included the stock as well, so it isn’t that cumbersome between chest and trigger, and as Gordon already mentioned sometimes accidents are the strangest set of circumstance.

That version also has a two-stage trigger, and when first issued the first stage had a low first stage (3-4 lbs), and a high second stage (5-7 lbs.). Now, that is and always was adjustable after a fashion, but since the sear itself is being filed down (on one stage or the other) it is not reversible. So the next question would have to be was your relative a gun-nut who knew how to do that, or was this a re-issued Mk. III which someone else may have altered? Or was it one which had been used extensively, and the trigger sears had worn down and not replaced before he received his Lee-Enfield?

That two-stage trigger wasn't replaced until after WW2 in standard issue SMLEs (mid-fifties?), and it was sort of an extra safety feature. But if it was worn out, or altered it made the weapon less safe rather than more. And another query, was he only slightly wounded, or was he disabled to the extent he was mustered out? I cannot imagine a "self-inflicted" wound in which someone would shoot themselves in the chest, but accidental discharge is within the realm of possibility if any of the features had been defeated, worn down, or something. If you guys don't know it, the Lee-Enfield was the only bolt action (to my knowledge) which cocked its trigger on the closing stroke of the bolt, all the other bolt action weapons cocked its trigger on the opening stroke.

__________________
Happy Trails,
Clint.

Weirder things have happened but I think it would have to be intentional and have help.

Sure it could happen, I witnessed a guy who was cleaning a .22 with a rag, and when the rag hit the trigger it shot him in the shoulder! So yes, depending on the circumstances, I'm sure it could happen!

__________________
Scott

Several decades ago I read a study of gunshot accidents. For rifles several dozen, perhaps nearly one hundred cases were reviewed. The author/s noted that the most common rifle accident occured when the weapon was loaded and cocked, then the indivdual took hold of the mid section or muzzle end and dragged the trigger area against something. BANG!

These accidents occured when climbing over a fence or wall, mounting or dismounting a vehical, crawling under or through something. Basically the soldier or hunter had not accquired the habit of keeping the muzzle pointed in asafe direction and sloppliy dragged the rear portion of the rifle rather than keeping his hand on that section.

Apprently this was very common back in the 19th Century when exposed hammers were normal.

__________________
I forgot my password, can I use yours?

You couldn't use a finger and hit your chest. Anyone attempting this deliberately uses a toe.

But it is certainly possible that some other agent was responsible - cleaning rag etc.

I suppose I shouldn't ask why the safety catch wasn't on.