My No.5 seems scrubbed clean?

[Canuck Bob]

I just got my No.5 today. It is a BSA Shirley manufacture from 9/45. The rifle is very clean, too clean. Much of the original markings and all stock lettering are gone. The sn, BD4XXX, match but are very faint and the usual multiple stamps on the receiver wrist are gone. In fact the rifle looks like it was polished up a bit and reblued a long time ago.

The barrel has the BNP proof stamps that include .303 2.22 18tons, the usual manufacture stamps are gone. The right side receiver ring has England stamped above a mark that might be the BNP proof.

The stock is very clean and well finished in walnut. The finish resembles Tru Oil more than linseed oil. The bore is very good 5 groove rifling. There are two drilled and tapped mount holes 3/8" apart on the centerline of the receiver ring top. These are a bit baffling to me. There are no d&t holes anywhere else for the rear of a scope mount or such.

I'm guessing either this was a factory refurb for the civilian market or a private initiative, opinions? The BNP stamps were definately added after the polishing work however. Pictures are not available due to camera problems. Ever wish modern electronics were built like a Lee Enfield!

I am glad this affects its historical value as it is not an as issued No.5 and the stock wood has no military markings. I would not alter an as issued Lee Enfield out of respect. Now I can make minor improvements to bedding and action.

Information

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[Thunderbox]

There were no factory refurbs for civilian sale, so your rifle will have had a (at least one) makeover by a civilian owner or gunsmith.

The holes on the receiver ring are almost certainly for a very common type of Parker Hale scope mount - the BA 20/21, as used on many sporter rifles and the Enforcer sniper rifles:

[Canuck Bob]

No question you nailed that one. Thank you. Are these mounts available to a guy in Canada?

[Mk VII]

They are no longer made, but still turn up on the second-hand market.
P-H refurbished many rifles for foreign sporting markets. They often used a rather dark shiny bluing process.

[Peter Laidler]

A bit of advice CB. Don't replace the mounts that have been taken off with similar mounts. That front mount that is very luckily missing on your rifle is, in my humble and limited experience of No4/5 rifles and mechanical engineering, something akin to the proverbial chocolate tea pot. I won't go into why but it's been discussed here before.

Go for one of the steel Fulton picatinny railed mounts that is machined well, well thought out to take into account the mechanical complexities of whip and recoil and engineered by the people who built stonehenge.......... built to last!

I'm sure others will have other ideas though!

[Canuck Bob]

Thanks Captain, I'll be staying with the battle sight most likely. I'll follow your advice if a scope is tried in the future.

I certainly prefer engineering to a stonehenge standard rather than the ISO9000 sticker on almost everything I throw out after a years use.