No.5 Mk.1 11/44 Identification Question

[mmppres]

Great looking rifle enjoy it

[browningautorifle]

It would be a great deal of work to convert a No.1 butt

I agree, couldn't see it. Still, never before seen the butt disc in a #5. Wonder who and why?

[Peter Laidler]

Nope, butt marking disc on a No5....., me neither and I have seen one or two No5's towards the end of the 60's in Malaya a lot of the new replacement woodwork was simply converted No4 woodwork. It was difficult to tell the fore-ends and handguards but you could see converted No4 butts bu the recessed patch covering the old lower sling swivel

[Roger Payne]

Funnily enough Peter I bought a NOS No5 butt at The War & Peace show today. It is a converted Herbert Morris HM/N49 butt, with the butt swivel recess very neatly patched as you indicated. Didn't find anything scintillating, but did also pick up a very nice set of Canadian walnut No4 wood. Only saw one No32 for sale & that was quickly snapped up by a fellow forummer from the Welsh valleys...

[Zorba]

Get a new buttstock pad from Numrich - your shoulder will thank you.

[Peter Laidler]

That was an interesting comment DRP, thread 14. Makes you wonder where all these odds and sods have been stored or hiding for the past 50 years. You'd have thought that if the UK Ordnance ordered, say 800 No5 butts in 1967, then approved a converted pattern, had them wrapped, packed and sent to where they were needed, the maufacturer would have been pleased to get rid of the lot!!!!! My memory was that they were all converted on contract by Westley Richards. I assume that they were still in business in the 60's......?

[Mk VII]

I remember them putting out a price list of No.4 parts in the '80s, I even bought the charger bridge convertor clip from them.

[Roger Payne]

Hi Peter, MkVII et al; I think Westley's are still in existence now......one of a rapidly diminishing band. I can remember in the early 1980's when I'd not long been granted my dealer's ticket going along there as they had a load of nice Kar 98k's. I bought four, but I couldn't afford to buy any of the pile of scopeless No4 T's they also had in stock at 50 quid apiece! You can't put an old head on young shoulders; I'd've pawned my grannie to buy the lot nowadays!

I wonder if they still have the old contract details for their work for the MoD?

[Mk VII]

I suspect they are one of those names that have moved from one buyer to another like pass-the-parcel in recent years. Not much more than the name and the goodwill - no records or service obligations.

[shortusaf]

I really appreciate everyone's insight. It's been a busy week, but I plan to take it out this weekend and see how it shoots. I did take time to pull it apart and everything looks correct. Looks like the butt disc may remain a mystery for a while.