Originally Posted by
Roger Payne
Generally yes, but 4's & even 5's are seen very occasionally. They were not standard issue so far as I know. I think I read somewhere that they may have been a factory expedient to allow rifles to be fielded that might otherwise have been rejected by the examiners. My rifle has been given an 'A' suffix suggesting it was noted to contain non standard components..........perhaps indicative of the over large bolt head? Incidentally, I'm pretty sure of the rifle's provenance & all of the bolt appears as per factory issue. The bolt head is clearly marked with the stylised 'M' typical of Maltby rifles & components.