Did Holland & Holland use recycled scopes?

[Roger Payne]

That's an interesting point jm. I've often had people ask me for 4T's & they want a 44 or 45 rifle, 'not an early one'. Yet, in fact, from the batch that we bought, it was almost invariably the early rifles; the 41 BSA's, Savage's & Maltby's that were the tightest, with the least worn bores. This may sound odd, but I suspect it is explicable on the basis that the late rifles are the examples that would have seen most use in the post-war era as they would be the weapons fitted with Mk3 scopes. The early kit may have seen some action during the war but is then most likely to have been disposed of (by whatever means) after 1945. (No doubt some would have gone to India & seen further heavy use, but not all). Hence, the service lives of most of the early conversions were probably a lot shorter than the later rifles. I have several 1941 & 42 rifles with tight-as-a-drum headspacing & razor sharp lands........