Early No. 4 Mk.I Trials scope brackets

[Surpmil]

The very early brackets, wherever they were made, were very well smoothed from what I have owned (2) and seen in various books and posts online. The rough file marks were definitely not a feature of the early production.
The same trend is visible in the No32 scopes: the early production were very well finished cosmetically, later on features such as the casting and smoothing of the turret block became more and more sloppy.

Those who own Trials No4(T)s with brackets that are not definitely original may want to loosen off the rear "thumb screw", tighten the front one well down and in a darkened room shine a light back towards their eye from the forward side of the rear pad. I suspect they will see some light they did not expect to see if they look down along the mating surfaces, even with the early pattern brackets. Look carefully at the angles.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Roger Payne]

Nice looking rifles Lance. Are the brackets on rifles 1 & 2 'original matching'? The second is definitely oil finished. Can't be sure about the first.

[RobD]

Roger, can you talk me through the term "oil finish"? Assume total ignorance on my part.
Thanks!
Rob

[Lance]

Nice looking rifles Lance. Are the brackets on rifles 1 & 2 'original matching'? The second is definitely oil finished. Can't be sure about the first.

The first Trial is m/m with scope #1319 on it now; the rifle is all matching with Trials wood, found the original scope can but scope #1186 has yet to cross my path. Trials #2 could be considered matching as the numbers match but the rifle has been reworked a few times and now has later wood, scope can is missing so I cannot confirm it is the mount that left Enfield with the rifle, scope is a Vickers #113

[blurrededge]

There's what I think is a Maltby T on Gunstar at the mo' and I've never seen a bracket with so many serials all over it.

[Roger Payne]

Hi Rob. I think precise methods favoured probably vary a bit from person to person, but essentially it involves heating the bracket & dousing it in engine oil or similar. The oil adhering to the surface is then burned off with a flame, & once burned off a further dunking/application is carried out. This, in turn is burned off, & so the process is repeated several times until a nice reasonably uniform finish is obtained. The best oil is the nastiest filthiest old oil you can find, not new stuff. I've treated a few brackets like this over the years with quite pleasing results. I couldn't get it right at first, until someone gave me some dirty old well used oil.

[Brian Dick]

It looks to me like #1 and #3 have had rifle serial numbers removed.

[rayg]

Dang Your scope #1319, got me excited and had to check my Trials scope number couldn't remember but it sounded familiar, but alas, too bad mine is #1374, close but no cigar, Ray

[rayg]

Oops screwed up, and got mixed up, serial number of the rifle is 1374. Original scope was 6041. Sorry old age taking over, Ray

[Peter Laidler]

Oil blacking or carbon blacking. We were taught to hand the items on wire and get them to a deep cherry red colour and dip into dirty old oil. The oil will flash over when you do it again - and again and again and again. It usually takes several times and then let it hang to dry off. There is another method I learned in NZ and that was blanket blacking. Cherry red again and wipe over with an old wool blanket a couple of times. That was just another method of 'carbon blacking'