Is This Original Wood For A Maltby?

[oldfoneguy]

This is seemingly beech wood with a grooved lower handguard. It's what came with my 1941 Maltby and appears to be all matching. The only other than broad arrow marked pieces are the handguards. Thanks for any help.

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[Brian Dick]

The woodwork looks honest and correct to me. ROF Maltby used many different British contractors for both wood and metal parts. You'll find them with Savage metal parts installed too mid to late war. Many either don't know or have forgotten that Savage sent many spares that were placed into pooled stores and drawn from during production. I always shake my head when someone gets an honest rifle like yours and has to start changing parts around to make it "correct". We've talked about these things extensively over many years but those folks are still out there! I recently lost a sale because the 1918 Enfield Mk.III* had an early BSA cocking piece installed and the potential buyer didn't like it. God forbid it'd actually been worked on in service and the parts are not all "factory" correct. I decided to let him go and leave the rifle alone. He has a couple of those lovely Royal Tiger Import Ethiopian rifles that are much better! Yes, I'm being sarcastic but it's the truth. I could have changed out the part but the rifle is honest as the day is long and perfectly in spec as is.

It's too bad someone, (not you I'm sure), shagged the draws in your forend by prying/rocking it off from the front. They look bad and need to be repaired. The purchase of a $10 Small Arms ID Series booklet before getting out the tools would have been a worthy investment but I digress.

[Roger Payne]

Concur with Brian. In fact, off the top of my head, I can't recall seeing an unadulterated 41 Maltby that was stocked up in anything other than beech, though birch is also a possibility. The imported North American black walnut didn't come on line in quantity until 1943.

[Brian Dick]

They did early on Rog. I have two ROFM 1941 in pretty much factory original condition with walnut. I also have '42 date in the same condition and it's in beech.

[Roger Payne]

Aha! Quite possibly it'll be English walnut left over from the Trials era.....

[Brian Dick]

Hmm, I never thought of that. They both have the low machining at the right of the body for the Trials cut off.

---------- Post added at 04:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:06 PM ----------

An additional observation is the deep crater or void in the forging of the body on the left side of the butt socket on one of the '41 date rifles. It's ugly as Hell but doesn't impede function. They were trying to get them out in circulation pdq for sure and weren't too worried about cosmetics.

[Warren]

I have shipping records of Canada sending boat loads of rough sawed hardwood blanks and most of it is walnut.
It does not specify what it is for so I am assuming it was for rifle furniture.
From the company supplying it and knowing their location, there could also be some beech.
We also shipped boat loads of pine and fir.

[browningautorifle]

boat loads of pine and fir.

I'd venture to guess the pine and fir might be for crating, such as small arms chests and such?

[Warren]

Ammunition boxes was my guess.....
Artillery and as you said, small arms chests for arms and ammo.

[Roger Payne]

Any dates on the documentation, Warren?