[QUOTE=Alan de Enfield;311510]An extract from an article by some old Brit guy who was something to do with REME

[I]If your butt has a letter R over the word REME, either painted or stamped, it means REJECTED BY THE REME EXAMINER. It doesn’t mean repaired or repairable, it means, listen to me – REJECTED. It’s marked with the REME logo to show those back in the Base Ordnance Depots that it is a REME reject as opposed to an Ordnance reject. Only the highest level of REME in-inspector will mark this and the REME overrule the Ordnance in all things engineering. That’s why we are called engineers.

Now, the next thing………. The R-REME or ZF is painted or stamped onto the butt because there’s nowhere to paint it on the rifle body. Imagine a Bren with a jammed-up solid gas cylinder needing a FTR to replace it (and they do jam solid too…..). Would the examiner paint the ZF on the gas cylinder? OF course not! Look and think logically those forumers who think and write otherwise………… When we write off vehicles, we paint the word CAST in yellow paint on the bonnet, even if it’s a well worn out Bedford with a cracked and buckled chassis. Is that clear enough?


Crystal! One last question. If a rifle is "rejected" for whatever reason, should there not be a stamp on metal somewhere obvious? I've seen the "DP" stamp on firearms and they're not hidden. They're stamped large where a cursory look is all that's needed to find it. Considering the stamp on the butt is lightly struck, and a butt can be replaced in a matter of moments, it doesn't make any logical sense. Understand, I'm not questioning your obvious knowledge, just asking for clarification. One would think the REME mark on the wood would have a corresponding rejection stamp on the metal. I tried to find Britishicon Ordnance or Engineers rejections stamps on Google and no joy. Ian Skennertonicon's book is excellent, but a little thin on marks and stamps.