Another "treacle rifle" - FTR No.1MKIII*

[Patrick Chadwick]

Up to now, the only No.1MKIIIs I have seen here in Mauserland were very worn objects, and I never gave any of them a second look...
...until today.

It is what I call a "treacle rifle" - a rifle which has been smothered in varnish, apparently applied with a brush last used for painting the fence.

I eagerly await the comments of the experts on what seems to be a complete arsenal rebuild of a No.1MkIII before stripping off the varnish, which I cannot imagine was ever applied in a British arsenal.

The buttplate is practically mint. It has certainly never been exposed to square-bashing, where the first things to be spoilt are the screw heads.
Attachment 36072

The butt has been expertly lengthened from a "B" (bantam) 12" length to a full 13". The spliced-on piece adds about 1 1/8" in length, with a 5/16" dovetail.
Attachment 36071

The butt markings also appear to have been overstamped. Not clear, because of the varnish.
Attachment 36069

There is another repair just in front of the buttstock ring.
Attachment 36070

The receiver has been renumbered. Old number X-ed out and new number applied above.
Attachment 36066

I am not sure if the "P", which is somewhat detached from the number (above and to the left) is a part of the number or indicates something else. And note the outlined F on the top of the receiver ring.
Attachment 36068

Bolt handle and nosecap have the same number, with the oddly separated P. Note the "low-mileage" bolt face.
Attachment 36349

The backsight appears to be practically new.
Attachment 36073

And the muzzle is perhaps the best I have seen on any military rifle, bar none. Darker areas are shadow from the roomlighting, not rust or dirt. If you hold it in your hands and rotate in under a watchmaker's eyeglass, it looks spotless - new, in fact.
Attachment 36067
That was the "unique selling point" for me. Old bangers are plentiful, but this one appears to have had a complete makeover, including a new barrel, and then gone into storage, only emerging for a misguided owner to pour varnish over it. But as ghastly as that looks, experience has taught me that the wood on treacle rifles is often excellently preserved underneath the gunge, so when the dealer named me a price that would be two-figures in pounds, I only hesitated long enough to be sure that my ears were operating correctly.

First - a clean-up, custom-made ammo, a shooting test, and then - off with the varnish!


Patrick

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[saddler]

nice - it'll be interesting to see the follow-up pics

[breakeyp]

I have seen the separated P before--I might even have one in the pile. Memory is going and not enough curious to dig. I think Springfield Sporters had some and they were attributed to a far east police dept. The heavy varnish was done to preserve the rifle in the damp climate. Another do I remove the wrappings quandry!

[Patrick Chadwick]

Memory is going and not enough curious to dig.

Oh please, please dig for it! If the varnish really was "official", maybe I'll leave it (but it still looks horrible).

[Mk VII]

Looks like an Irish Free State rifle, from the nock's form.

[jmoore]

Looks like an Irish Free State rifle, from the nock's form.

That was my initial impression as well. But you are referring to the "circle FF" on the receiver body just behind the barrel, yes?

About the barrel- how about pulling the rear handguard to reveal the hidden markings- like the barrel date for one!

[Frederick303]

It is definitely an Irish rifle. My guess is based on the markings that it has a replaced 1938 or possibly 1937 barrel date. The barrel will be most likely an Enfield barrel and will also bear a FF in a circle mark.

If the barrel does not bear such a marking, then the barrel will be a post war replacement barrel, which may have no marking at all, or a BSA marking. If BSA it will be dated before 1954.

The above is based on observed markings on Irish rifles; with this rifle I have 78 rifles in the SMLE database.

The varnish is a post service modification.

It seems to have a European proof on the barrel; this is the second one I have in my database. These rifles were all from the final sale of Irish SMLE rifles, which occurred after 1985 and before the end of 1988.

[Mk VII]

It's probably a West German proof mark, though it's not very clear

[Patrick Chadwick]

Sorry, I should have said that the small mark below the E on the knoxform is indeed a German nitro-proof mark, applied when the rifle was imported. It is the hollow/doubled F in a circle that must be a clue. And the P, of course. According to Skennerton, the P signifies a replacement barrel.

Resisting the urge to pull up the plant to see how the roots are growing, I do not wish to dismantle the rifle before a firing test, and thus disturb a setup that may be just right, merely from impatience to satisfy my curiosity about its history.

P.S: Frederick303, would the FF stand for Fianna Fail?

---------- Post added at 05:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:13 AM ----------

It is definitely an Irish rifle. My guess is based on the markings that it has a replaced 1938 or possibly 1937 barrel date. The barrel will be most likely an Enfield barrel and will also bear a FF in a circle mark.

Thanks again! That was the key info. The FF is identical to the one shown here:

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread....ht=Fianna+Fail

And I have observed that the front trigger guard screw is not original. So any arsenal setup has already been disturbed. So I AM going to pull up this plant to examine its roots (or rather, barrel markings).

[Peter Laidler]

We used to practice our woodworking and patching skills as apprentices on old (and new!!!!) rifle butts and would occasionally come across these butts where the rear 1" or so was dovetailed in place to extend the length. Mr Riley, one of the two woodwork teachers at Carlisle told us that this was done on contract by the gun trade for the Ordnance Depots in the UK before and during the war, pre No4 rifle era, in order to utilise the vast stocks of unused Bantam butts by effectively making them into 'standard' sizes.

I have to say that I never saw it on a No4 butt. In any case, instructions were issued that needy No1 rifles would be fitted with No4 butts