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That's a good question JM but my understanding of the Faz FTR programme was that on approval of the Mk1/2 and 1/3 specification, then ALL rifles undergoing FTR at the plant were converted to that spec. But this is pretty ambiguous in our workshop notes as it goes on about 'total conversion programme etc etc...'
Can anyone take this further.........?
Knowing how slowly the wheels grind* in the MoD (and before it the Ministry of Supply), I imagine its quite likely that batches of Mk1/1*s would have been processed under "Mk1/1* refurbishment" conracts for a long time - years, probably - after the Mk2 spec became available in c.1949.
Another factor is the extreme miserliness of the equipment procurement process: if it cost a shilling more to create a Mk1/2/3 over the contract quote for a Mk1/1* refurb, then this price increment may have been debated and vetoed for months and months - especially if the contracts had already been entered into the defence budgets one or two years ahead.
I don't suppose any Fazakerley records still exist, but I expect that there were many different No4 FTR contracts - and that the specifications may have varied slightly.
*(If you go to a UK military surplus sale, you'll see great quantities of brand-new kit being flogged off. Often, this is stuff like spare parts that were only manufactured and sent to store just as the original kit was being withdrawn from service.)
The problem with not changing all to the Mk1/2 and 1/3 is that you'd have to have dual production lines running at the same time. One line for straight FTR and another line for FTR PLUS conversion to 1/2 or 1/3. I must confess that while I have never deliberately looked for, say, 1953 straight F/FTR rifles, I've seen thousands of 53 Mk1/2 and 1/3 F/FTR's .
Yes, it's just the notion of a mixed fleet scenario at Faz when...... anyway!
Succinctly put. I would have thought that as soon as conversion from Mk.1 and Mk. 1* to Mk.1/2 and Mk.1/3 respectively began in 1949, any Mk.1/Mk.1* going through FTR would have been converted.Quote:
Originally Posted by jmoore
I am just interested in whether or not 1949 FTRed No.4 Mk.1s are uncommon or as common as muck.