Late BSA No. 4 Mk I

[Lance]

A rare rifle for those who need one for every year, a 1947 dated M47C No. 4. I've come across acouple Shirley made '46's but this is my first factory '47. Based on the s/n I would assume it was made for a foreign order and ended up in India/Pakistan.

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

BSA were only ever sub contractors to the old Mnistry of Supply and weren't permitted to continue manufacture after their final contract had run-out. I would say that it was a tail-ender.

[Thunderbox]

I reckon that actually an early 1943 BSA thats somehow been incorrectly stamped, or restamped.

Is that a "B" on the safety catch? If so, little bit more circumstantial evidence to go with the 4-digit serial number and general appearance.

[limpetmine]

Nice find. It looks rode hard.

[husk]

I missed out on a similar rifle, dated 1948, last year in Tulsa. It was in mint condition and not an FTR. Never seen another like it.

[Roger Payne]

I saw a 1947 dated BSA on World Wide Arms' stand at the Beltring show about 5 years ago. Needless to say it had already been deactivated, sadly. I've heard of a couple of others as well, but have never heard of one as late as 1948. The one I saw was a Y prefix serial, exactly as per a continuation of the late war serial numbering system.

Which leads me on to another question - has anyone ever seen a 1946 dated No4 (T)? I mean here a rifle dated 1946, not a scope, as I know '46 dated Mk3 Kershaws are reasonably common. I've never ever seen nor heard of one, but there was at least one L42 converted that bore/bears a Y prefix serial, & the No4(T) contracts weren't finished till April 1946, so I suppose it would be possible.

ATB

[Peter Laidler]

Or were H&H simply using up earlier production rifles that they already had in their 'bond-hold' which was their term for the armoury type warehouse?

[Roger Payne]

I would think you're right Peter, I just posed the question as I suppose it is possible.

ATB.