So it is a bit of a mystery, as it seems the Savage scope-less trifles are not that uncommon. I do not recall if the rifles I saw had walnut forends or not, the one I have has Birch. I would expect that the once a UKicon barrel was installed, the forend fit was no longer correct.

I am pretty sure the one I have has a Savage marked I rear sight, which is kind odd considering that it is a 14C rifle. I wondered if they were perhaps not a batch of supposedly accurate US rifles, but that would not explain the UK 1945 dated barrel.

The other thing puzzling is that the Savage rifles at that time were supposed to be still US property and accounted for in some unique manner.

Skennertonicon mentions these rifles being sent to SA or Rhodesia for use as marksman's rifles(?) but does not give any details. When the big SA import came in around 1994, there were a lot of like new SA 32C and 33C series rifles that came out. Could it be that the Savage rifles were distributed as part of the post war settlement of accounts, and that as pat of the that the UK MOD was going to supply some number of sniper rifles, and that portion of the contract transfer was canceled?

From researching UK transfers to Ireland I have found examples where requirements were "indented" to the colonial office and by the time the items were ready for transfer, the Irish Parliament/finance department had decided not to spend the money. This appears a in a few cases on Vickers MG parts such a spare barrels and locks. Could it be something like this.

Total speculation on my part no evidence of it, the only other explanation could be some of the rifles are restored sporters, but that would not explain why the preponderance of 1945 5 groove barrels show up.