Surface Finish on Wartime No 4 and No 5 Rifles from ROF, ROM and BSA

[22SqnRAE]

Thanks, Peter, that is extremely helpful and not too far off what I had expected. I appreciate your kind response.

So, the No 4 and 5 were, in fact, parkerised? I have learnt something and have been quite misguided in thoughts until now.

The task I have now is to determine the most effective way to remove the current coatings and refinish this rifle, taking care to preserve its markings. Preserving the engraved markings is proving to be a conundrum, but I'm sure some one else has done it. I've been toying with the idea of bead blasting the rifle, then applying molten wax to the engraved area to protect from a repaint. Once painted, remove wax from (hopefully) preserved engraved substrate.

To everyone: Any comments or suggestions on this course?