Alf Parker No4

[Ian]

I'm looking at buying a No4 MkII, it has a PH rear sight, a metal front sight cover and a very small stamp on the front left side of the receiver 'ring' that says Alf Parker Ltd. The wood and metal are excellent, but where a manufacturers mark would be on the left side flat there is a patch that looks like it was ground down, then finished over. The metal work isn't Suncorited it appears parkerized. Is this a postwar target conversion, (my assumption) and if so will this rifle be properly bedded and tuned? Any thoughts would be welcome.

Information

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[Thunderbox]

Its probably an AJ Parker-prepared "Service Rifle B" (SRB) target rifle. These rifles usually have centre-bedding: you can check to see if the barrel moves up AND down at the muzzle (on a military bedded rifle the barrel should just flex in an upwards direction).

[tbonesmith]

I've got one very similar, No4 mk2, AJP ball burnished barrel, and centre bedded, and it, as a .303 was the best shooting No4 I'd ever had(that barrel eventually died), and now that I've rebarreled it to 7.62 (same profile barrel, no change to bedding) it is again the most accurate No4 I've ever had. If the rifle is in good nick, I'd definitely give it a run. If it goes really good, then fantastic, if not either fix it up, or sell it and go again. When I first pulled mine down to clean it when I got it, it was very clear that the bedding was very professionally and carefully done, so I just cleaned it and reassembled it, and I was very glad I did. 61 years after the rifle was manufactured, and maybe 40 years since it was set up by AJP, and it's still perfectly set up and shooting better than or on par with any other No4 I see. AJP did a great job.

[Badger]

Associated background information on Milsurps - A.J. Parker Parker Hale Sights (click here) for anyone interested ...

Regards,
Doug