FAT 73 means that the rifle was given a complete inspection and overhaul by Terni in 1973.
"4. There are two tiny stamps just above the trigger on the wrist/rear band....does anybody know what these are ? These might also be on the very end of the barrel...it’s hard to tell because they are tiny."
I see 3 stamps
a) The first appears to be the proof stamp of the Gardone proof house (see Wirnsberger P.147)
b) The second appears to be CIP over N. Which probably means nitro-proofed to CIP values.
c) The third is CN. This is the date code for 2015. (Thinks: can that be true? Proofed this year?)
CIP over N is also the second stamp on the muzzle. The first ought to be the Gardone stamp again, but it really is illegible.
This all seems to indicate a reproof when the rifle was released by the military for sale on the civilian market.
- Take a microscopically close look at the bolt to see if you can find anything there as well!
So you have a No.4 Mk1* that was not only fitted with a replacement receiver post-1955, but was given the
Italian equivalent of an FTR in 1973, and was proofed again this year after being "civilized"! There cannot be many No4s that have been so thoroughly tried and tested. It
really ought to work flawlessly. Just check that the headspace is not wildly out of spec because of a possibly mismatched bolt!
(Of course, if I have misinterpreted the stamps, the whole glorious theory falls flat on its face.)