Parker Hale Conversion contract .22s
Dear Lance et al.,
I believe I have a rifle very close to the BSA/Parker Hale conversion you have described above. It is a BSA Sht LE III, 1915, with the III crossed out with two lines and No 2 IV* stamped below in identical style as yours.
Elsewhere the comparable stamps and lettering that I can see are identical in style, font, location. I could not see the PH 1941 stamp on the butt in the pictures you posted, however mine has the Parker Hale wartime code, M192, and the number 1948 stamped on the top flat of the receiver, directly behind the DP and PH stamps on the knox form. Mine actually went from EY to DP, both crossed out, before the PH, in the same font and size as those in your photo.
There are other similarities and differences, which I will try to illustrate in my next post, after I select some comparable photos. For example, mine has a Cooey 10A sight installed, but the sight has a British broad arrow acceptance
stamp on the sight. Only the base has the Canadian acceptance stamp. I have been trying for quite some time to figure out the history of my rifle with patient help off-line from another member of this forum, and it appears that you have just posted the missing key piece of information needed.
Will post pictures shortly, Scrmblerkari
10 Attachment(s)
Parker Hale Conversion contract .22s - Photos of mine
I briefly described the BSA/PH conversion which I believe is a close relation of Lance's BSA/PH in the post above this. Here are some photos which should help the comparison. I have many more, particularly of inspection or view marks, what I believe are reconditioning date marks, and proof marks.
I think it a particularly interesting feature of this rifle to see the broad arrow
at the bottom of the elevation scale on the 10A sight, which I take to mean that it passed through British stores before installation in England. It also has
the elevation scale for the .22 aperture auxiliary rear sight Mk. 1 on the volley sight staff. (Anybody got one of these sights?)
I welcome any and all comments as I am just learning about these rifles. I have photos of another one, not belonging to me, which I borrowed from a
local (friend's) gun shop and extensively photographed. That should be a new thread?
Kari
A question for Lance about dates & interpretations
Dear Lance et al.,
Your answer to the question about the significance of the number 1948 is a little unclear to me. Do the similarity of the markings place my rifle among the batch of 2,000 built per contract in 1941 or is it more likely to be a "clean-up" rifle actually built in 1948, in spite of the wartime code? To me it is a critical question.
I originally thought, based on information received from another most helpful collector, that use of the code was halted at the end of WWII. Thus the presence of the code pointed to a possibility that "1948" is a production number, not a date stamp. What do you think?
One of the things that I like about this rifle is that it is mostly unaltered except for relining and a .22 bolt. So the history from 1915 to the '50s is there to be deciphered from all the inspectors' marks, view marks, proof marks & refurb dates, as I become more familiar with Enfield rifles and understand them through study and the help of these forum members.
Thanks, Kari
Thanks to both of you, gentlemen, your help is appreciated!
Lance, thank you for giving me some closure on the story of my rifle. I have been trying to puzzle it out for quite some time. I've only the one rifle, and not many opportunities to examine others, so I'm working in a vacuum except for the forums and the help of a friendly collector. I've gotten most of the available books on the subject of Enfields, I believe, but none of them seem to go into the kind of detail I need. My next project, after posting pics of the post-war trainer I borrowed, is filling in the earlier history of my rifle. There are so many marks on the barrel and receiver that I'm sure it will take a long time to reconstruct. In any case, it is the best way to learn.
Mk VII, thanks for your added insight on the Parker Hale company, and especially for the photo of your sight. I've an old picture but yours is much better! My rifle has the graduated staff already. Now I know what to look for in every box of old sights at every gun show and gun shop I visit.If I find one then the rifle will be equipped with three different sights!
Best regards, Kari