.22 No4 Mk1

[Buccaneer]

This rifle started life as a .303 1943 dated ROF Maltby rifle and still has matching numbers to the action, barrel & bolt. It has spent some part of its life in the US as indicated by the "MK406514" number on the action sidewall and the "C.A.I. GEORGIA VT" and ".303 ENGLAND" that is stamped under the muzzle.
The rifle obviously arrived in the US in .303 but whether it was converted there or when it returned too the UK is not possible to tell although the fresh London proof marks under the muzzle would seem to indicate that it was done here.
The barrel has been sleeved as you would expect but instead of the normal empty magazine box used to collect the spent rounds it has been fitted with a magazine from a Canadian CNo7 rifle.
For those unfamiliar with the No7 and CNo7 rifle, the No7 was the only British training rifle to be fitted with a five round magazine as standard. The Canadian CNo7 rifle was a single shot with a spring loaded platform fitted to the magazine to assist in chambering the round.
In addition it also has a Canadian marked rear sight very similar to the CNo7 rear sight but without the ability for windage adjustment which is standard on the Canadian rifles, I have attached a picture of the Canadian rear sight for comparison purposes.
The sight is a straight replacement for the "Singer" style rear sight and on close inspection appears to be a marriage between the base of a "singer" sight and the top of the Canadian sight, if this is the case it has been very well done.
Has anyone seen a sight like this before?
All in all a very nice a professionally done conversion, whether it was a attempt to "Clone" a CNo7 or just to make a very good .22 No4 we will probably never know but as any Enfield Rifle in .22 is now becoming very scarce and expensive this has been a good find.

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