Battle weary No. 4 T

[Lance]

The drought has ended at last. Picked up this battle weary No. 4 T for more than I should of paid but..... it has been a long time since I found a new girl for the stable.

She is well used with only the barrel, sight's and safety being original as manufactured. For those that like a challenge view each photo in order to see if you can see why it was worth picking up.Attachment 34987Attachment 34988Attachment 34989

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Peter Laidler]

The letter T marked where it is is interesting because the original spec went on at some length to say that a letter T should be added to the nomenclature of the rifle so as to indicate its telescope status. That's why it's there on your rifle and on the side, near to the standardised designation on the others. In was put up slightly close to the bridge charger guide so that stamping it wouldn't affect any hardening, tough or annealed parts of the body side.

To be honest Lance, it looks a bit tired and if I were you, I'd sell it to me cheap and get another

[Alan de Enfield]

Is that 1931 ?

[Roger Payne]

Lance, you X?A!$$&?!. I WANT IT!!!! Not only a 31 Trials but one of the lowest serial UIC Mk1 scopes I've ever heard of. I HATE YOU!

(Actually, very well done, but you really ought to sell it to me, & now).

ATB

Rog.

---------- Post added at 10:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:57 PM ----------

Lance,
The beech butt is clearly a replacement but looks as though it's been there a long time. Is your scope number stamped onto it (&any others?) & is the rifle number stamped into the bracket. Just wondering what the possibilities are that it was the scope it left the factory with..........

ATB

[browningautorifle]

That's a nice old rifle...

[jmoore]

Lance, you X?A!$$&?!. I WANT IT!!!! Not only a 31 Trials but one of the lowest serial UIC Mk1 scopes I've ever heard of. I HATE YOU!

(Actually, very well done, but you really ought to sell it to me, & now).

ATB

Rog.

---------- Post added at 10:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:57 PM ----------

Lance,
The beech butt is clearly a replacement but looks as though it's been there a long time. Is your scope number stamped onto it (&any others?) & is the rifle number stamped into the bracket. Just wondering what the possibilities are that it was the scope it left the factory with..........

ATB

I love you! Thanks for sharing! Remember me in your will....

Roger Payne's questions are mine as well. In addition, it's interesting to note that it's still marked 1931. My three digit "T" was changed to the "1933" configuration.

I'm curious if your rear sight is still four clicks per revolution. (if it's still an Enfield rear.)

[paulseamus]

Very early build. Might be a lemon.............Congratulations on you great find.

Paul

[bigduke6]

Nice find Lance, your rifle confirms my thoughts on the recent 1931 T that was at scotarms auction, the T on the one at Scotarms was double stamped but looked liked it was done by someone who has never held a stamp before..........

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Nice find!!

As far as is known, the early No.4T s were built on No.4 trials rifles.

Holland and Holland did some conversions and stamped their code on the butt. Some 1933 marked 4Ts are known to exist.

As Mr. Skennerton notes in "The Book";

"...Two thousand of the No1.Mk VI and trials rifles were refurbished as No4 rifles and about 1.400 of the trials No4 rifles were stripped and carefully restocked at Enfield for rebuilding as No4 sniper rifles. Some of these new No4 sniper units were in use for a time before their official introduction, which occurred on 12th February, 1942."

Page 229 of "The Book" has a nice picture of a 1933 trials No4 Mk1 converted to a No.4 (T) at R.S.A.F. Enfield. The markings on the LHS of the socket read:

G (Crown) R
ENFIELD
1933
No4Mk1
A 0442

Page 212 usefully notes notes:

"The No4 trials rifles have "A" prefixed serial numbers and the sequence can be confusing as the serial range for the No.4 rifle started at A0001 again, just like the trials No.1 MkVI rifles. Thus it is possible to find both MkVI and No4 trials rifles with the same serial number. Most of the No.4 trials and many of the MkVI rifles were refurbished at the beginning of WW2.......and were mostly renumbered. On many of these rifles, the renumbering consisted merely of marking the "A" prefix after the number, so rifle "A2312" became "2312A". The "A" suffix on No.4 rifles was registered as in indication of certain non-interchangeable parts."

Of course, yours seems to be an exception to that!

[Lance]

Thanks all for the support in adopting this old vet, she has seen a hard life so hanging out in retirement with her mates is good for now.

I wish I could say it is military original, but as it is a mix-master one cannot tell. The butt (HMCoLtd) is marked with the scope number, the forend (un-numbered) and rear hand guard are LongBranch, front hand guard (SM) and front band (S126) are British, rear band and cocking piece are Savage. Trigger guard is M47C, front sight protector is an early SM41 regular profile.

Mount is marked with the rifle s/n (big numbers) and ring numbers only, ring screws are on their second stake.

Rear sight is original and is a 4 clicker (I have yet to come across a 6 click example)

The scope for me was the deal maker, I have only seen one other Vickers Mk I in my many years of collecting I knew if I passed I would kick my self later for it. [Roger, any guesstimate on production numbers?]

Also for comparison is my other Trials T, a 1933 hand stamp with the "T" added to the sidewall. The '33 was fitted at Enfield with Watson #1186 (still looking for 1186 if anyone see's her, but I did find the matching scope can for it awhile back.)