1980 dated L42A1

[shoe303]

Well, I am currently in possession of one. Here is picture of the receiver markings.

Attachment 51034

Here is a picture of the non-hammer forged barrel.

Attachment 51035

[Badger]

Saved Imperial War Museum information for posterity and future member research ..

Catalogue number: FIR 10547
Display status: IWM London
Production date: 1980
Alternative Names
FULL NAME: Rifle 7.62mm L42A1
SIMPLE NAME: rifle, bolt action, fixed box magazine

Creator:RSAF Enfield
J Stevens Arms Co, Chicopee Falls, MA, USA

Category: weapons and ammunition

History note: One of final batch of conversions carried out at Enfield. Produced at Enfield 1980

Attachment 51036
(Click PIC to Enlarge)

Physical Description: rifle, chest, sight L1A1, case, rail fitted with MKII sight, slight damage to slide

1. stamped on left of body: S No4 MK1*

2. overstamped on Savage inscription: L42A1

3. stamped on left of body: T, Enfield ED mark, 80

4. stamped on receiver ring: ENGLAND

5. stamped on left of body (partially obscured by rail lug): US PROPERTY

6. stamped on left of butt socket: B TR

7. stamped on receiver ring, bolt handle and chamber: modern Birmingham proofs

8. stamped on chamber: CR 1470, Enfield ED mark, FB351

9. stamped on butt: 25163

10. stamped on base of magazine: AH2812

[DanL96a1]

Shoe303 very nice rifle and very rare!! Can you post more photos of the rifle, and transit chest? I wonder does it have an L1A2 or L1A1 scope? I understand that some of them had Mk.2 converted L1A2 mounted; due to the reduction in numbers of the Mk.3 converted to L1A1.
many thanks danl96a1

[shoe303]

Hi Danl96a1. Scope is an L1A1. Here are some more pictures of the rifle and chest.
Attachment 51335Attachment 51334Attachment 51336Attachment 51337

[Surpmil]

I was looking around the internet as one does, and I found this intresting link. The imperial war museum webpage, lead me to the following link of an 1980’s L42A1.fficeffice" />>>

Rifle 762mm L42A1 (FIR 10547)

Odd that it has a MkI or MkII scope fitted.

Funny that the MoD had no Mk3 scopes left, having sold off thousands. You'd think it might have been simpler to buy some on the open market.

[Peter Laidler]

Why go out and buy Mk3 scopes to supplement the dwindling reserves when there were already plenty of Mk1, Mk2 and (already partially converted?) Mk2/1 scopes in the system. Remember that lots of these later converted L42's were rifles culled from Police Forces who were required to hand them back to the MoD to receive Enforcers in return. It has been said that many of these were in poor condition, having been issued on loan to Police Forces in the 50's

[XL39E1]

Peter, can you remember who converted the later L42's, was it Enfield themselves or a base workshop somewhere? and any idea on how many later converted rifles there were?

[Alan de Enfield]

............ Remember that lots of these later converted L42's were rifles culled from Police Forces who were required to hand them back to the MoD to receive Enforcers in return. It has been said that many of these were in poor condition, having been issued on loan to Police Forces in the 50's

Two sides to every story :

It almost looks as if the MOD sorted out the 'scrappers' to be sent to the Police, and the pOlice were paying £310 each per year to 'hire' the rifles.

"......In the meantime, the 'borrowed' L42A1 Rifles had not impressed the Met. Twenty of the first batch to be 'hired' were returned straight away after being inspected by the force armourer. Another five were sent to the Royal Small Arms factory during the first year. Following an inspection by the Weapons Branch, Technical Group, Woolwich on 2nd August 1972 it was found that 17 out of the 30 rifles needed workshop adjustment and of those 9 were unsafe to use! The defected rifles were sent to the REME workshops at Donnington.

[Peter Laidler]

We aren't comparing like for like here....... There was NO charge up until the 70's ish for any weapons loaned from the War Dept or the MoD. It was a tacit agreement between the Home Office and the War Dept. to counter the fact that some Police Forces didn't have anything to combat increasing Armed cime while others were using old hand-in stuff. It was deemed that there would be sufficient officers trained in the old .38" revolvers and No4 rifles for any force to equip a reasonable group of men to take on armed criminals. And as a general rule, it worked. Different now of course.

How do I know this............. I was charged with overseeing the return of the on-loan revolvers some No2 Brownings and No4 and T rifles to Donnington in the later 70's and early 80's.

As for the L42's.......... Army snipers seem to be happy with them. So far as I was aware but Police snipers weren't eh!! I call it the 'Land Rover' syndrome. The Army have been happy with their well used and easily maintainable land rovers since the late 50's. Show me a Police Force that IS happy with Land Rovers

[Surpmil]

Why go out and buy Mk3 scopes to supplement the dwindling reserves when there were already plenty of Mk1, Mk2 and (already partially converted?) Mk2/1 scopes in the system. Remember that lots of these later converted L42's were rifles culled from Police Forces who were required to hand them back to the MoD to receive Enforcers in return. It has been said that many of these were in poor condition, having been issued on loan to Police Forces in the 50's

I wasn't aware that there were Peter. I think we all assumed that the MoD in its wisdom would have sold off the MkI and MkII sights, (and rifles equipped with them) before selling off the Mk3 scopes or rifles equipped with them.

But if they didn't that's not surprising as one hand rarely knows what the other is doing; it can be seen happening here to this day.

So those as-new-in-the-chest No4(T) and "T less Telescope" rifles would have come in handy after all it seems.

Probably it would have been too politically embarrassing to be seen buying up rifles and scopes on the civilian market however, though they were cheap and plentiful enough in the 70s and 80s here, and I assume there too.