Visiting after a long time away - and I have a No.4T question

At one point No.4T rifles were common in UK; common enough for a particular company to assemble a quantity for a second conversion run. My memory tells me that a gunsmith of certain respectability (Wilkes?) converted wartime No.4T rifles to 7.62 as target rifles. Not L42A1s or Envoys or L39s but another similar looking rifle. Can someone refresh my memory please?

I have a busy life, and find checking multiple fora takes more time than I would like. Therefore, and no slight to those who populate these pages, I have had to limit my surfing times.

Herbert Whittaker, known as Bert converted some No.4T's into the "Whittaker Special".
This was essentially a No.4 with the butt socket cut off and a 7.62mm barrel installed into a piece stock. He converted 117 of them of which I own two.

An educated guess would suggest around 50 might survive.

Mick,
Any chance of some pictures?

I must get all my research down on paper regarding Bert's rifles for an HBSA article before apathy gets in the way!
The picture of the two gentlemen whom some of you will recognise the man on the right was of course taken in Fulton's at Bisley. The man on the left was a furniture manufacturer who made the stocks for the Whitaker Special.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...standard-1.jpg

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A bit more....Any connection to Wilkes is probably because Bert used Wilkes foresight tubes on most of the examples I have examined.
The main connection with Wilkes and target rifles of this period is George Swenson who worked for Wilkes but then went on to invent the Swing target rifle which is still winning things at Bisley today.
George was an excellent marksman who always managed to get up the nose of the Bisley establishment, in one case getting himself banned from Bisley for a year. He named his first Swing rifle after this incident calling it, SIN 71 Mk1 Rifle.

I've a body only from a Whitaker Special if someone wants it ?? also have a very nice Geoff Hart No4T conversion (Mick you have the info on these).

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Originally Posted by bigduke6

I've a body only from a Whitaker Special if someone wants it ?? also have a very nice Geoff Hart No4T conversion (Mick you have the info on these).

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Indeed; Geoff Hart bought all of Bert's unconverted stock from Christopher, Bert's son after Bert's death at Camp Perry whilst shooting the Palma.
Geoff took Bert's design one step further by putting on a slightly longer barrel, different furniture and a Brindles trigger from his friend John Light who also happened to be Robin Fulton's cousin.
The example I own has a high comb which really only lets me shoot it at 600 yards plus otherwise I cannot see through the sights. It also gave me my first 50 on Stickledown at 900 yards, although to be fair there was little wind that day!

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...standard-5.jpg

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And Geoff would have made four more if I hadn't pinched the receivers off him in about 1992! One was a Trials T......

Parkers were known to make TRs out of 4(T)s. I remember seeing at least in their Bisley store during the meeting.

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Originally Posted by Mk VII

Parkers were known to make TRs out of 4(T)s. I remember seeing at least in their Bisley store during the meeting.

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Worse: out of Trials No.4s. Worse that that: how about a Trials Model C? Only 56 made.