Confusing Enfield No4 Mk 1 (T) markings and look

[Roger Payne]

Paul,
You just struck oil! It's an Enfield made Trials rifle part. A standard common-or-garden fabricated type would be more appropriate for a rifle of your vintage & if you put this band on 'that auction site' it'll probably bring you enough to buy 20 of the standard pattern..........

ATB

[zak2013]

Thanks Roger, Can I ask why its called a "Trails" rifle part? Whats the story behind them? If I do sell it it might go some way toward paying for restoration of my No4 (T).

[Roger Payne]

Paul,
During the 1920's & early 1930's Enfield looked into the replacement rifle for the Mk3 SMLE & engaged in quite a bit of development work to this end. You may have heard of the Mk5 SMLE which appeared in 1922 & was produced in some quantity for issue to the troops for evaluation purposes ('Troop Trials'). After the unsuccessful Mk5 came the Mk6 (predictably) & by 1931 this had been subject to a few more mods culminating in the Rifle No4 Mk1. Approximately 2,500 of these rifles were produced by RSAF Enfield for Trials purposes & in the early days of WW2 many of them were converted to No4 T specification as production of the No4 rifle did not get under way at Maltby, Faz., BSA., Savage & Long Branch until mid 1941.

In other words, the Trials rifles can be thought of as a fairly small run of pre-production rifles made for evaluation purposes in the hands of the troops. This principle served to allow any hitches to be spotted & ironed out before full scale volume production went ahead. Obviously these days they are scarce & highly sought after amongst collectors. That is why your band is valuable......!

ATB