My best No. 5

[jmoore]

I'm willing to bet that that painted "FR" is brother to the "FR" stamped in woodwork, and is nothing to do with FTR/factory repair at all.....

Better stated than my earlier post, but given the overall good condition of this example, I begin to wonder if it isn't posibly the marking applied by a post-service arms dealer. Hence the "Fred Roberts". Odd that it hasn't shown up in the EMERs or other official documents.

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[Thunderbox]

Better stated than my earlier post, but given the overall good condition of this example, I begin to wonder if it isn't posibly the marking applied by a post-service arms dealer. Hence the "Fred Roberts". Odd that it hasn't shown up in the EMERs or other official documents.

Its exactly what I think:

I am sure that "FR" was an identification mark used by some surplus dealer or agency - or a disposals inspector - during the late 50s to 1960s. I think its a designation of new and used rifles, and new contract woodwork, that were set aside for export orders and surplus sales. Probably the mark was used to differentiate items selected out from the mountains of surplus in the various government depots. This would explain the "FR" on all that Pakistani wood that appears to be UK-made, and the many, many apparently mint or un-repaired rifles that appear with "FR" stamped or painted on the butt.

I wonder if there is anyone still around from UK Interarms who might be able to shed light on this?