an unissed L42a1.....

[sd4f]

I know for a fact that some were sent to Australia, and were used in trials. My understanding of those examples was that they were new rifles when they arrived here, and unissued as the rifle was never adopted by Australia. The story I've heard is that by the time they were sold off, only three rifles remained with their scopes, one of which is at the Australian War Memorial. The other two which had scopes are in private hands, but they've definitely been shot. Their condition though, would probably be some of the best around.

Link to AWM page for their L42A1

[CINDERS]

8.5K in the end prices are going up

[Beerhunter]

I don’t understand what’s so great about unissued. To me it would be worth more if it had some history.

It's because some people want brag about owning something that no one else has; which more likely if the item is clearly impossible. For example the "Spandau" Lugers. (Only found in the US.)

[Gil Boyd]

The Charlie G cleaning bottle alone makes £200 here in the UK with the brush inside it making £100+.
Amazing when I think of how many I fell over in my time and never gave them a second glance.
So in short if the rifle stacks up and numbers tally, it could make £9000 GBP with the chest/case/strap etc.
Chamber sticks are fairly easy to find still, as they had a variety of jobs..........mine marking etc

[Peter Laidler]

SDF4 ought to realise that even when the L42's were issued to units as 'new/factory fresh' on the initial rotating replacement programme starting in 1972 (after Ordnance stocks has reached a certain level),while the mechanical quality was good, the quality of the woodwork was always best described as what we Armourers of a more delicate disposition described as '......pi55-poor'. The Australian rifles were supplied not from Enfield, but from UK Ordnance as shown by the Donnington tag on the chest

I seem to recall writing a short paper on the dire quality. And even if you ordered replacements to replace the poor original, the replacements were just as bad.

[Gil Boyd]

Peter,
For my interests sake...........was that because there were too many fingers in the pie, and subsequently standards on Q&A were not carried out properly??

I can only speak for what they are like now when I drop off stuff to Donnington, each item is inspected individually, each has to be bar coded/boxed NSN all in the right place and order etc before they accept them, and as one of my age group who always assumes things were done better in our day, surprised the L42A1's got through in such poor condition especially in the 70's

[Peter Laidler]

To not put too fine a point on it, it was done on the cheap. Some time ago I mentioned a method where the telescope could have been turned 90 degrees right to make it more in keeping with right handed users. But this would have meant not only a new 7.62mm metric range drum but a new 'reversed' deflection drum too. But nope..... the drums were too expensive, both as actual 'drums' and especially so as drum assemblies. More to it than that of course. New M backight was required but trials team told a converted slide that would read M was the answer. It wasn't. It was a fraud if not a complete lie! Woodwork was done on the cheap. I could go on and on but as every woman knows, it's like shopping at Waitrose. You get what you pay for!

[tankhunter]

Mmmmmmm, 'Unissued'?.......Take a good look at the top handguard. If it WERE unissued, the machined grooves in it. WOULD be deep & WELL Defined!
It has been sanded back, when the furniture was 'struck off'. To a point where they are almost sanded smooth!!!

AND there appears to be few items missing from the transit chest too! Telescope scout regiment, Chamber stick, CES Book and a few others just for starters!.......

[Gil Boyd]

Clearly correct then................... "unissued" most of the kit to go in the chest along with the rifle, maybe thats what he meant