One of the rarer rifles on the "Enfield" collectors wish list this one has had No4 woodwork fitted presumably during the war but the action appears to be complete and correct so still rare in its own right.
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One of the rarer rifles on the "Enfield" collectors wish list this one has had No4 woodwork fitted presumably during the war but the action appears to be complete and correct so still rare in its own right.
I'll bet the wood has been put on there well since the war. That's scarce for parts and people will do just about anything to get one into some sort of "shape". How about a few more pics though...
I have examples with and without the unique checkered forestock. Some were rebuilt with smooth forestocks during the reworks following Dunkirk. I like it as it stands and would not attempt to checker it to make a fake original forestock. A very nice find.
Sorry, I would have taken more but my camera battery went flat and the rifle is 150 miles away from where I live so taking more pictures at the moment is not possible.....Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
Maybe later then...:wave:Quote:
Originally Posted by Buccaneer
It has been re-numbered however it still has the ORGINAL cocking piece and striker. That is nice!!!!
Probably has the original bolt and cocking piece because it has the dreaded A suffix added to the new serial number. Non interchangeable parts!
The butt is from a No1 is it not? A bit loose too.
A nice find in any condition.
The cutoff is a replacement like the forend I assume?
very nice , one i would love to find , but so far no such luck , congrats
As requested I have at last obtained so more pictures and also some of the know history of this rifle. It was cleared from an old gun shop between ten and fifteen years ago as part of a pile of "scrap" that had been stored under a bench. From the amount of greasy gunge, wood shavings and general rubbish that was piled on top it had been undisturbed for years. At the time it was not recognised for what it was other than looking like a No4 rifle, the forend finish was badly affected by something that had dripped on it, it also had extensive fungal growth that resembled dry rot, those of you that have seen the pictures of the inside of the old Parker factory will have some idea of what I am talking about.
Fortunatly once cleaned the forend was found to be sound, it was not discovered to be a MkVI until the cleaning was completed, all the parts are as found except for being a lot cleaner and it the case of the forend somewhat discoloured, the mag was missing but everything else is original to the rifle as found. The wood is of the No4 type probably a "post Dunkirk" job as so many of them were.
For those cynics out there in forum land it is not a case of "buy the rifle not the story" as it is not for sale and will not be. It just goes to prove once again that all those years ago when nobody cared about old service rifles they were treated as worthless, at least this one was saved from the scrap heap...........
Interesting rearsight, obviously similar to but not the same as the standard singer sight. Wonder if its the same as the sight fitted to the trials No4.
5thBATT, have you posted about your MkVI on Milsurps?
No, i dont believe so but i think its been posted by its previous owner.Quote:
Originally Posted by Surpmil
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...mkvifive-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...kvithree-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../mkvisix-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...kviseven-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../mkvione-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../mkvitwo-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...kvimain1-1.jpg
And ain't she a beauty?
Together with the other re-numbered "A" suffix No1 MkVI rifles, this one seems to me to indicate that all the No1 MkVI rifles were sent to Fazakerly in 1940 along with all the spare parts etc., not just the uncompleted bodies and spare parts.
75A; that's pretty damn early for a Fazakerly number! I doubt we'll ever see an earlier one.
It would have made sense to send the whole lot together with the all the spares from the No1 MkVI and No4 MkI trials rifle programs. They were all in storage at Enfield presumably in 1940 and they needed the space for their Bren Gun production and No4 sniper conversions, among other things.
I wonder if the rifles were refurbished when they came back from troop trials or if they were left 'as is'? If they were left that way, it would have made sense to send them to Fazakerly for a going over, or perhaps it was just done so that they all stayed together in view of interchangeability issues.
What we've yet to see AFAIK, is a WWII photo of them actually in use by troops?
After troop trials, equipment is cleaned but remains as it is, regardless of its condition and then returned to Ordnance. This is because it can be inspected again in the future for various post trials tests and comparisons. We used to do this on a regular basis.
Thanks Peter, I suspected that might be the case.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
I have now managed to purchase this rifle at not an inconsiderable cost but I think it has been worth the wait and the financial outlay.
I have now been able to strip clean and photograph all of the relevant differences that make the MkVI special.
It is obvious from the baring out of the original serial number with the "A" prefix to the new serial number with the "A" suffix that this rifle was one of those reworked after Dunkirk. It can also be seen from the "England" mark on the butt socket that it has also spent some time across the pond in the US at some point in its life. The rear sight at first glance appears to be the standard "Singer" type but it is different, it has six turns per revolution and it turns like a Swiss watch. the battle sight aperture is smaller the normal and is more robust in construction. The plunger although in the same place is a rounded end post rather than the flat top post that is now used on the No4. The difference to the action and fore sight protector are obvious and I have found that the fore end woodwork is numbered to the rifle in the same font as the new serial number on the butt socket. I have tried to show all of the differences and the various markings and stamps that are not apparent when the rifle is all together.