Originally Posted by
Roger Payne
Yes, but how original is 'original'? Peter might not even have considered the butt plate worth mentioning.
I have a small quantity of original 4T butts in a drawer in the garage. I think some still bear their original (?) butt plates. I'll have a look at the makers for you Alan, if you would like. I had always simply assumed that with the UK in full scale wartime production brass/gun metal was by then (say, mid-warish) being conserved for where it was absolutely essential & mazak had become almost the norm. Part of the problem is how DO you tell if a butt plate is a replacement, especially if it has been fitted well & a long time ago?
I don't think there would have been any changing of butt plates at H&H or BSA. I'm sure both facilities had better things to do in the middle of a war. I just suspect that......let's just say 'a significant number' of No4's bore factory fitted mazak butt plates at this time so still bore mazak butt plates when they came out of H&H as finished 4T's.