Questions about №4 MK I*

[dimon]

Good Day.

I've got a few questions about 1942 Savage №4 MK I* rifle.
First of all, it looks like that the rifle has been FTRd at some point, however it's not marked anywhere on the rifle( shouldn't really say that, since the rifle bears a post-1954 Birmingham Nitro proof mark). Also, the butt plate doesn't seem to be of the correct size (see pics)...The rifle is stamped with a letter "B" on its: forestock(also marked with "C" with the arrow inside and "KB" by the magwell, rear sight, barrel bands, fore sight...Question No1: What does "B", "KB" and C stand for? A British proof marks? Also, what does the arrow in a diamond shape stamping on a rear sight mean?
Is the bolt matching or force matched, since its missing letter "C" in between the numerals?
The rifle is also marked as "US Property" and has a 2 groove bright and shiny bore.

The main question: what's the value of this rifle?

Thank you.

Information

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[tiriaq]

I don't know if the rifle was FTR'd somewhere (probably not in the UK), or if is just a parts gun. The wood would seem to be Canadian. Neither Savage nor Long Branch used brass buttplates. The proof marks were applied after the rifle was surplused.

[Badger]

Well, it appears to me to be a "parts" gun....

The "S" in a square box is the Savage maker's mark and the butt should not be brass, but rather made from a gray material (I forget the name of this stuff).

Examples:


************* (Click PICS to Enlarge) ****************

Are you sure that's a B on the underside of the stock rather than an L stamped over a B which is the marking for Long Branch (Canada). It's often mistaken for just a B, but look real close.

Although this is stamped on a rear sight, does the B look like this?


(Click PIC to Enlarge)

If you want to compare your Savage Enfield against an "all correct" as originally issued one, go to the England - Milsurp Knowledge Library (click here) and view the 82 picture photo gallery montage for the 1943 Savage No.4 Mk1* Enfield Rifle (click here).

As to value, I'd say she'd be classified as a "shooter" and not a "collectible", so if you got anything over 300 Cdn (including bayonet) for her, you should be very happy.

Hope this helps...

Regards,
Badger

[dimon]

Now I can see, that what I thought is "B" on forestock is actually "LB". But "B" on the rear sight is definitely a "B"...

[Badger]

Now I can see, that what I thought is "B" on forestock is actually "LB". But "B" on the rear sight is definitely a "B"...

Roger that ...

In the interim, I found a better pic of the forestock with the L stamped over B....



It's definitely a Long Branch part ....

If it's definitely a B on the rear sight, then it could mean it's a BSA (Shirley Plant) manufactured component. This mark was used by them from 1941-1955.

Regards,
Badger

[dimon]

Thank you, Badger. Excellent info!

[Badger]

Question No1: What does "B", "KB" and C stand for?

BTW, the KB stamp appears on a LOT of Long Branch wood, even the .22 caliber training rifles and also N0.4 Mk1(T) sniper rifles. The plain C also appears on some metal components and if you check out the photo montage of the 1943 Savage mentioned earlier, you'll see that marking on a few components. Personally, I believe these are Long Branch inspector's markings.

As a side note, you find a lot of these kinds of extraneous inspector markings on pre-1942 K98k Mausers as well. Inspector's marks without any further information being discovered as to who they actually were. Their names lost to history ...

Regards,
Badger

[stencollector]

I would guess that by the flat spot under the serial number, this rifle has been renumbered at one time. As such, the bolt may well be "force-matched", although I don't really like this term. Mind you, the serial on the bolt doesn't look very factory either. Satisfactory shooting can be achieved with a mismatched bolt provided the headspace is brought to specs.

Interesting marks on the rear sight. I don't recall seeing the broad arrow in a diamond before.

[Claven2]

Looks like a restored parts gun based on a barelled action that was arsenal renumbered to begin with. Has shooter value though, say, $250?

[tiriaq]

As such, the bolt may well be "force-matched", although I don't really like this term. Mind you, the serial on the bolt doesn't look very factory either.
Interesting marks on the rear sight. I don't recall seeing the broad arrow in a diamond before.

I, too, don't care for the term "force-matched". Its renumbered. Re-arsenaled is another of my pet peeves. The darn thing wasn't "arsenaled" in the first place. Factory refurbished, rebuilt, etc.
Whoever stamped the bolt either forgot the C character after doing the figures, or didn't have a set of letter stamps. Not likely in an institutional situation.
The diamond broadarrow is interesting. Would like to know its significance.
I would agree with Claven2's valuation.