mystery - No. 4 Mk. I

[Roger Payne]

I think Peter is best likely to know the answer to that. I often wondered the same, but I think it's there from the outset, even before H&H took exclusively BSA made rifles. Also, it does not run forward right to the receiver ring - it stops just a short way in front. I suppose there could have been plans to set the pads a little further back & BSA could have tried to anticipate this (PL has mentioned that there was certainly an allowance for this, but I think that was just so that the screws for the rear pad did not compromise the hardening around the recess for the locking lug, & it was only a tiny amount anyway; I think he's mentioned 'the width of a hacksaw blade', IIRC!).

Just had a look in the rifle rack & it's present on both my 41 BSA T's. I note it's also on Savage rifles, at least, early ones. It might be on them all, but I only own three Savage rifles & they're all 41 or 42 mfr. They all have it.

ATB