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Has anybody out there come across a grey finished enfield, I have had one for many years and thought it was a one off, but I have just seen another grey finished No4 on Ebay modelling a foresight adjusting tool. Is it a bonefide finish? as I was considering having it refinished in the more usual black livery.
Great paint job, pity it spread to the woodwork. My bets for bubba.
I think the subject has been brought up before on this forum, but it was some time ago. 2009, maybe? Don't remember that there was any definitive conclusion. I have had STEN parts painted that very same color, though. Not likely those were Bubba! Mk.V STEN, IIRC. I have long since sold off the Mk.V parts to a fellow with a Mk.II STEN which he wanted to upgrade a bit, so photos won't be likely.
I have a No4T with the same paint job.
These were done for a specific government. Dutch I think? Wheaty will know for sure. They aren't a grey paint job but a teflon finish. Done for their navy. Yes, we've discussed this over a Sten gun earlier. I've had the Stens in hand but haven't handled the rifles. I was just aware of them.
I imported a Chinese Contract No.1Mk.1 Inglis Browning Hi-Power many years ago that was done in the teflon finish by the Dutch. It was considered a rare desirable variation by the hard core collectors here. I'd leave you rifle as is. It ads to it's unique history.
Thanks for the confirmation Brian, I forgot about you being able to help here. I was sure it was Dutch and didn't you post pics of your pistol one time?
I would say Belgium, its typical for their SAFN and FAL rifles and FND MG's to be painted in Grey
nzl1a1collector is correct. I just went and checked Clive Law's book "The Inglis Diamond" and it is a Belgian finish. Sorry for the confusion. It's not mine and I imported it many years ago from Canada for a US buyer. I never posted pictures. It was in the 90's before I became computer oriented! The teflon finish is very distinct. Definitely different.
Thanks for all who have replied to this thread, glad to hear this is a "pukka" finish, so it'll be staying this way. Particularly interested to hear from Bindi as this rifle is also a 4T far left on the include picture
Wow, Don't they look nice!. I don't suppose a bit of detail would be possible(I'm a novice)?. e.g. Technical, Accuracy, any re-finishing , sling specs. , woodwork treatment etc.
I know that Belgium did a sh*t load of No.4's with the grey teflon type paint in the 60's. They also did a lot of No.4 conversions to .22 with the same finish. I also suspect the Hi-Power's that turned up in China were also done in Belgium but found their way to Viet Nam and then to China. I saw a huge pile of Hi-Power's so done up and all seemed to originate in Belgium. Holland had a HUGE pile of Hi-Power's that were being put on the market, but a couple of guys *****ed the deal and the Dutch just slammed the door. I might have the numbers around here, but around 25 - 30 thousand seems to be the number from memory (what is left of it).
i have a no4 t that was same gray magazine and all ,i had it resprayed on jmoore advice as he stated could not have come from h and h like it perhaps i should have left it alone please have alook at my thead on 17/12 2009
regards sjt 351
Whats the proper name for the third from the left, the 4T in 7.62? The 4T's I know, the L42 I know, was there a different name for those in 7.62? thanks
Trials rifles only. L8T
Here's a link to another thread about a now formerly grey No.4 Mk.I(T) rifle:
303 sniper
Thanks to sjt351 for the reminder to a good thread.
hello jmoore
the gun smith who did the work on my no4 t said during ww2 the brittish army sent 10 no4 t snipers to aussie for evaluation for adoption to the aif ,(if true)could these 10 rifles have been painted this grey,to be diferent from the other no4 ts
i had a grey no4 t bindi2 has one,seems strange 2 belguim snipers could end up in. australia bindi2 could you please post your rifle s/n mine is 34955
thanks again jmoore for your help
regards sjt351
I will dig the serial # out when i get home. The grey paint looks more like the navy grey then i am unfamilar with teflon grey.
I'm not so sure that "teflon" is an accurate descriptor. "Smooth almost glossy" seems more correct from what little I've seen. Teflon is slippery, but not real tough. Two things you DON'T want a protective finish on a weapon to be- fragile and slick!
I've had some pistols and a rifle that were coated with modern, "durable" Teflon finishes (not really paints so much as coatings) and did not care for it overly much. It seems unlikely that a 1950's or '60's paint would have Teflon as an ingredient. But I would happily be proven wrong- just need good evidence!
Royal Canadian Navy used paint of that hue for a lot of things. It was tough, too, would take a lot of beating about, as with just about anything destined for shipboard use. I have a box of Oerlikon spares about here somewhere, just about that colour.
Teflon I would rather doubt, though. Tough stuff, yes, but not Teflon. Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene) was only invented by accident in 1938; its first large-scale industrial use seems to have been to do with the UF6 separation equipment at Oak Ridge, during the Bomb project. I remember when the first Teflon-coated frying-pans came out; the stuff was regarded as pretty much of a miracle at that time. It was several years later that I read of it being used to coat bullets in an effort to get the MV up and keep the barrel-heating down; M-60 was eating barrels too fast, 'way off in some place called Viet Nam. We heard more about it later, of course, but that's the time scale.
Somebody owes me 1 cent, mostly because this really isn't 2 cents' worth.
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