No4 Mk2 marking on stock

[MannyR]

Just pick up a No4 Mk2 all matching with a number 1 curved on both side of stock, trench art or weapon rack number ?. Have been searching and unable to find information most Ive seen are very clean with no marking on stock. Any help or direction on locating information would be appreciated.
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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.

[SpikeDD]

I would say it is nothing that has been done by any military facility, rather a very bored individual with a spoon. Otherwise, a very nice 53' Mk.2

[Seaspriter]

I would say it is nothing that has been done by any military facility, rather a very bored individual with a spoon. Otherwise, a very nice 53' Mk.2

Concur with David's comments. Your serial number coincides with an order for 50,000 rifles issued to the British Army. You can see from the Armourer's repair to the stock (with the double dowels & broad arrow stamp) that the gun came back to an arsenal for repairs.

Sometime after that, the gun was sold as surplus, landing in the clumsy hands of Bubba, who, with carving skills that wouldn't pass a beaver's standards, gnawed the "1" in butt stock. It was probably his ego's delusion about his personal status in the world now that he owned a powerful rifle. Bubba's tribute to himself would personally irritate me if I owned the gun. Additionally, Bubba's Beaver Branding devalues your gun -- as a collector, I would put the devaluation due to this perversion at over $100 USD or more (to me it would be cause NOT to buy this gun as there are plenty others on the market.) Bubba's blunder is like owning Bubba's XKE Jaguar with a proudly displayed set of 1960 Cadillac tail fins glassed onto the rear fenders, or a vandalized Mona Lisa after Bubba painted a moustache on her lips. The mark reminds me of beautiful Egyptian and Greek statues that had their noses lopped off by Saracen marauders to show the impotence of their vanquished foes. Or like an alpha-male dog that has to p**s on everything to show his dominance over his staked-out territory.

Dents, dings, and scratches can be steamed out or sanded down. But sacrilegious desecrations need more than minor touch-up work -- they need ritualistic revival.

IMHO, you have several choices:
1) Leave it alone and live with this monstrous perversion staring you in the face
2) Try to sand it out - but it's so deep you will need a belt sander to remove it and you'll remove a lot of the wood
3) Buy another unissued butt (it's beech, so be sure to get the right wood, not maple, walnut, or birch) and replace the butt. A replacement will cost you about $20. To me this is the best option.

You have a very nice Mk2 that appear to otherwise be in excellent condition -- it yearns to be restored the RIGHT way. Bubba is never your friend.

[MannyR]

Thank you, will be going with option 3 replacing butt stock. On the hunt for one. Also the only import marks found unable to make out.[IMG][/IMG]
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[Seaspriter]

IAC ALEX VA, Interarms

Concur

will be going with option 3 replacing butt stock.

Good decision

[yoopercollector]

IAC ALEX VA, Interarms I think.

[ssj]

Where the UK 303brit is has anyone any idea what BEF would stand fro stamped in the same place?

[Peter Laidler]

Photo 4; I would say done/patched before the butt was originally issued out on the rifle OR issued to Ordnance as a spare part. It is a factory MoS examiners mark and he certified that the repair was acceptable for issue.