Quote Originally Posted by Peter Laidlericon View Post
Top rifle. A previously ZF rifle number that has been reallocated at the factory. This is done and was done when a licensing agreement regarding quantities/royalties is in being. Bren bodies being a good example
How exactly would this work? Say a group of rifles comes to Lithgowicon for an FTR, and some fail inspection at the factory and are pronounced ZF or Z-BER...those condemned rifles' serials are then applied to new production rifles that are included with the rest of the FTR'd rifles? Is that right?

About the "Enfield 1983" rifle that started this thread, I had a thought. Hypothetical situation...an SLR is stolen and the new bearer, realizing they not only have a stolen firearm but stolen government property, obliterates not only the serial numbers, but all the obvious ID markings visible, including what's on the left side of the body. Rifle is subsequently recovered and returned to Army hands. Assuming the rifle is otherwise serviceable besides all the markings being "wiped", would the rifle be re-marked in a manner similar to what's on this mystery rifle? I vaguely remember word of a process for issuing new serial numbers in a case like this, but what about the rest of the markings?