Monday Morning at BSA in 1954

[Lance]

Nobody is perfect but this must be a Monday morning rifle or one of the last rifles on a Friday night.

Purchased at auction last month and it finally arrived today is this mint, unissued BSA 1954 FTR. I put in a steal bid as I already had a BSA FTR No. 4 and I lucked out. I never noticed the error in the rifle markings in the auction pictures but it adds character to her.

Originally a Savage No. 4 Mark I* like all the 1953-54 BSA FTR No. 4's it was cleaned of all the original marking but they missed the flaming bomb under the bolt handle and the body has a few grind marks showing the removal of the US PROPERTY mark. Mostly new BSA parts went into this one with new wood, bolt, barrel and rear sight. Of additional interest is the bolt head, originally a #3 it has been ground down and now marked as a #1.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Alan de Enfield]

Originally a Savage No. 4 Mark I*

Is this another BSA marking error ?



If it is (now) a No4 Mk1/2 then it was originally a No4 Mk1 (ie a very early Savage), but if, as you suggest, it was a No4 Mk1* then it should now be a No4 Mk1/3

Mk1 became Mk1/2
Mk1* became Mk1/3

[Lance]

Yes, as you can see it was a No. 4 Mark I* that was converted to a Mark 1/3 but marked as a Mark 1/2.

[Alan de Enfield]

Yes, as you can see it was a No. 4 Mark I* that was converted to a Mark 1/3 but marked as a Mark 1/2.

It does looks like it someone WAS having 'a bad day at the office', or a young lad given a 'Saturday job', some rifles and a 'scrathy pen' and told, put some markings on these".

Collectable for its 'errors', if for no other reason.

Good find.

[Surpmil]

The grinding work is miserable too. You'd think it could have been set up in a jig at least.

[limpetmine]

Jig? Seriously? Naw, they employed the one armed serial striker from Maltby.
I've got a similarity marked Long Branch that went through FTR, and they totally botched the serial number transfer. They swapped them around mightily. Makes book keeping a chore!

I must say I've never seen a renumbered bolt head. That's a new one.

[husk]

The one I have is a Long Branch with all marking scrubbed, but with the proper Mk 1/3 designation. Haven’t seen too many of these, so thanks for posting.

[Surpmil]

Jig? Seriously? Naw, they employed the one armed serial striker from Maltby.
I've got a similarity marked Long Branch that went through FTR, and they totally botched the serial number transfer. They swapped them around mightily. Makes book keeping a chore!

I must say I've never seen a renumbered bolt head. That's a new one.

Yes, a new one on me as well.

[Peter Laidler]

Being sub contractors for the war effort, while BSA did their own FTR's, they were basically jusrtcommercial contractors to whoever chose to utilise their services. The War Dept/Admiralty/ Air Ministry didn't use them for FTR work. Westley Richards were another post war commercial FTR contractor although their specialty was ex WD Bren Guns.