Fultons No4 MK1/2

[Roger Payne]

No, Peter's referring to the engraving of the markings on the receiver side wall as applied at ROF(F) when it was FTR'ed. Look carefully at the letters. I think they had the YTS trainee doing this one on a Friday afternoon. He obviously didn't know you have to keep the engraving point moving all the time or it grinds bloody great craters in the steel.

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[Peter Laidler]

No, I mean the poor quality of the engraved numbers and letters on the body. If one of our Armourers had turned out that sort of work, he have his ars......., er........., his bottom kicked severely

[CINDERS]

Peter did Armourers have a template for engraving you know like the Jewelers of today that use a tool like a pantograph with letters of the required sizes so they only have to trace and no free hand.

[CINDERS]

Nijal the only reference I could find on the circle with a D in it was from Skennerton's Broad Arrow = Draw Lapped Barrel (So do not know if that is correct for the No.4, probably for a MkIII besides the location is wrong as well) anyway worth a try.

[nijalninja]

Thanks anyway Cinders, its just another one to add to the every growing pile of things they did with these rifles we can't yet explain.

Peter it seems I have a special one then! Not some super neat you-beaut but special haha.

Its basically ready to shoot as soon as I get the chance, but in time I'll get another bolthead to fit up and new trigger. Someone has also ground down the extractor screw. I suppose to make it more of a single shot rifle. Looks excellent now anyway.

[Peter Laidler]

Nope......., sorry, the D within a circle indicates the method of manufacture of the barrel. Being threaded first to eliminate the problems of indexing the thread AFTER the other parts have been machined. Thread first and THEN machine the bayonet and foresight lugs and nocks form/breecxhing up flat. This prevented a LOT of waste

P{ersonally I don't think that is a D within a circle on your rifle. The mark is usually on the barrel as an indicator

[Roger Payne]

It's difficult to be sure from photo's but I'd agree about the D/circle. I think it might even be a ground off spot weld where the charger bridge insert has been 'tacked in' with weld to stop it from coming loose.
It seems to have been a common practice at times of refurbishment as you see it a lot on rifles that have been 'through the system' post war, including L42's.

[CINDERS]

I think RP has it right it now fits the pic, Roger gets the cheese, Peter gets the wrapper......!

[nijalninja]

Well there you go, that is quite interesting. Was it common practice to replace your worn charger bridges in refurbishments and so on?

Even so, thank you very much for the insight as this is somewhat outside of my usual scope of old SMLE's. I'll make some loads and run some shots through it sooner or later. Merry Christmas.

[Roger Payne]

I don't know if it was standard practice at FTR or whether it was just done in cases of perceived need, although it seems to be quite a common finding. Peter or one of the other ex-armourers might be able to give us more info here.