1944 no4 mk1 T Questions

hey Ya'll
new here and have a few questions about an old british 303 I bought about 20 yrs ago from a coworker cause i needed a cheap deer rifle. he said he had a old 303 brit with a scope that shot good for 100 bucks I said deal and got the gun when I first saw it was better than I thougt it would be it had been sporterized with a nice wood monte carlo style stock and been cut down to a 22" barrel and nice after market sights added but the scope was old and heavy with brass showing thru the paint it did have some nice factory scope mounts though so I took the old scope off put it in the gun cabnet an installed a new tasco 3x9x40 and went deer hunting for the next couple years till I got a new stainless stalker 270. Then I stuck the brit in the gun cabnet.

Now that was about 17 years ago I just started researching some of my old guns for about the last 3 weeks and this one getting intresting.Maybe ya'll can help me out 1944 no4 mk1 sn#38930 all marking TR,T,and the little s the scope mount has m92 and one sn#slashed thru and 2258 on top of that.The scope is ak&s no 32 mk III 1944. any info greatly apprecated.

also what should I do with this sporterized T? to restore I would need a new barrel and stocks wich would not be the right ones. I don't really know what way to go with it maybe plastic stock big 3x12x50 scope modern sniper look
What do ya'll think???

THANKS IN ADVANCE RICH

Your description is consistent with a No.4 mark 1(T) that has been sporterized.

The number on the top of the stock just behind the receiver should match the serial number on the scope - take a look and see. It is possible that the scope mount will also have a serial number on it that matches the serial number on the rifle?

Replacing the barrel is not impractical, nor is replacing the wood - but you would have a restored rifle rather than an original - you might be better off selling the scope and mount as they do get good prices depending on the condition.

no it does not have the right stock on it its been changed to a vey nice wooden monte carlo style stock so no # to match up on that as for the scope mount it has one set of # slashed thru and another stamped up top of them thay do not match any # on the rifle I can find.
I forgot to add in the first post it does have m47c stamps on it though.
RICH

M47C = BSA manufacture

Quote:

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Originally Posted by no4T

What should I do with this sporterized T?
THANKS IN ADVANCE RICH

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Honestly Rich it depends on what you want from the rifle.
It’s true it will never be worth what an all original No4T would be but a lot of pleasure can be found in returning something like this to it’s original condition (or as close as possible under the circumstances).
No4T rifle prices are climbing to a point where soon they will be to valuable to shoot so a restored rifle will be very desirable for someone looking to be able to shoot there rifle.
Or you could break it up and sell the parts and make a cr*p load of cash and buy more milsurps!

Yeah thats were I'm stuck at ,I know the scope and mounts are worth money maybe more than a restored rifle(with non matching barrel and stock) what other parts are people looking for on these rifles?
how rare are the bsa no4 Ts?
the barrel looks to be threaded .does it just unscrew and screw the replacement on?

I do like to restore stuff (69 firebird 400,69 airstream land yacht,80 turbo trans am) if it worth it in the end. none of the above are 100% correct matching #s but all look very close only experts can tell.

Iguess what i'm wondering is this type of restoring acceptable in milsurp guns or would I be wasting time and money on the whole package when I could sell the scope and buy a socom m14.(u know what I saying)

Rich

Rich, Really tough to restore a (T) rifle. Every major part is a piece of a system. Really more to do with Holland & Holland than with the No.4.

Brad

i really wish the barrel was'nt cut down and the big ramp style front sight added to it not to mention drilled and tapped for a set of rear sights on the back of the barrel. so I'd have to change it out to fit new wood (to bad cause this barrel is a tack driver at all distances I've shot it at)or put on a jungle carbine style stock(hmmm sniper carbine)

what are the rarest Ts?
what are the rarest no32 scopes?

RICH

Finding a barrel, and furniture is no problem you should be able to find all the parts you need for $200. Screwing off the barrel and refitting can be done by yourself or sent to someone that does it commercially.

When a No.4 was selected for conversion, it was done by Holand and Holand and it required craftsmen to literally fine tune the rifle to make it into the excellent sniping rifle it is.

It's not impossible for you to bed the stock with classic methods and make it accurate. This is your call based on your personal preference.

BSA is not a rare maker of No.4's and in fact most of the "T" conversions are from BSA rifles.

The No.32 mark 3 scope is the final verion of the No.32 scope (if you ignore the L1A1 which was for 7.62 NATO), and I believe is the most common.

"what are the rarest Ts?
what are the rarest no32 scopes?" --no4T

I don't have my reference material handy so this is pretty broad...There was some new manufactured No.32 Mk.2/1 spec 'scopes. Most were conversions of Mk.2 to Mk.2/1 which is essentially a Mk.3. Canadian REL manufactured No.32 'scopes would be next. Surviving Mk.1 'scopes with the shade are popular (costly) for those who have early (T)s.

A compleated Savage (T) is likely the rarest. Long Branch conversions next then Maltby.

Brad

PS I think the newly made Mk.2/1 were made by Vickers.

well that figures I got the most common of everything (lol)
guess I'll have to think about it a little more or just stick it back in the safe for another 20yrs. I'm not a collector I just like guns. if I do decide to sell the scope what do ya'll think is a good price for a good working old looking no32 mkIII as&k

Rich

Rich, I haven't shopped for a No.32 in quite awhile, but someone will offer advice. Check some of the gun auction sites. Your No.32 is made by Kershaw and is probably the most numerous manufacturer of the Mk.3. Production numbers WRT the Mk.3 wouldn't/shouldn't mean much, IMHO to it's selling price.

Brad

PS The L1A1 variation of the No.32 'scope (for the L42A1) maybe the rarest/costliest of the bunch...I forgot it in my last post.

I'd definately go down the restore route on this one. A new barrel can be fitted cheaply enough, and brand new stock sets are still available for these rifles. Get it dressed up in military trim before all the presently available bits become rare, because I guarantee they will do.
Any chance you could post a couple of pics to show us what state she's in at the moment?

Yes I'll try and get som pics of her on here . and I have a couple resto questions .the barrel looks to be a grayish color an the reciever more black is this correct? what were the finishes on these rifles paint or blueing?

Might take me a little while to figue out how to post picS
Rich

It is a shame that 20yrs ago someone turned your $300 gun into a $50 junker. The current market price for a good condition T rifle and No.32 scope is three big bills. But, before you think you hit the jackpot, as everyone else has posted, a pretty good battle rifle was carefully tuned by proper old-school gunsmiths at a fine gentleman's gun store. Their kind of skills are not easily described or duplicated.

Another thought: sell the scope and bracket to a collector and find yourself a repro bracket and new scope. That way you have cash in hand for new toys and have a good shooting rifle now fitted with a modern scope.

here are a few pics of her in hunting trim

Rich

hmm that did'nt work .let me try again