1942 BSA No4 stamping question

[Roger Payne]

The rifle has been refurbed at some point as it appears to be suncorited. (It also has a Savage cocking piece). The original finish on a 42 BSA would have been blued, if I am not mistaken. The bolt could be an ordnance replacement. BSA produced bolts bear a letter 'B' stamped onto the rear flat (the same flat that the s/n is stamped into but right up where the bolt handle meets the bolt body). Later on, the B changed to M47/C. This was probably when the butt socket markings changed in the same way, during 1943. We can just see some markings in this area but they go off the edge of the photo. The other way a BSA made bolt can sometimes be determined is if the bolt handle is hollowed out or not. Other manufacturers may have started out like that but generally tended to revert to the solid knob. BSA never did, so if the bolt handle knob is solid it ain't factory original.

Hope these few pointers assist.....though none help with your original question. Looks like 1946 to me. I suspect it is a date, as one sometimes sees odd components, or perhaps odd batches of them, that were not generally dated, but which were on occasions.........but I have no proof of this, just speculation having seen a few spares over the years!