1941 Fazakerley No.4 Mk.1 missing pieces - questions, questions, questions....

[tlvaughn]

Here is some info from Stratton:

Upper Band

First Variation:
"This upper band is hinged at the top, with the two halves being connected by a joint pin. The halves are milled, and each half has a lug at the bottom through which the swivel screw passes. It is found on very early Mk I rifles (and conversions)."

Second Variation:
"This upper band is milled from a solid forging, with the hinge and joint pin being eliminated. The lugs are integral parts of the band. It is found on early Mk I and Mk I* rifles (and conversions)."

Lower Band

First Variation:
"This lower band is milled from a solid forging, with the lugs being integral parts of the band. It has a noticeably rounded contour, similar to the lower band on the Pattern 1914 (No. 3) rifle. It is found on very early No. 4 MkI rifles (and conversions)."

Second Variation:
"This lower band is milled but the lugs are milled separately and welded in place. It has been observed on earlier No. 4 Mk I and Mk I* rifles."

Cocking Piece

First Variation:
"Used on early No. 4 Mk I rifles, this cocking piece has the distinctive round button-like rear portion characteristic of SMLE (No. 1) rifles (although it is not interchangeable with them). This cocking piece is designated the Mk I."

Second Variation:
"Used on later No. 4 Mk I rifles, on Mk I* rifles, and on No. 5 rifles (and conversions), this cocking piece has a rectangular, or slab-sided, rear portion with three vertical grasping grooves on either side. The most commonly encountered cocking piece, this variant is designated the Mk II."

The backsight section is a little longer, so I will not type it all, but he states that the Mk I backsight was used from 1941-42 by all of the factories before changing over to the Mk 2.

Using Stratton's terminology, I would assume that the following would be acceptable for a 1941 Faz restoration: A "Second Variation" upper band, a "First or Second Variation" lower band, a "First Variation" cocking piece, and a "First Variation" backsight.

[spinecracker]

Above and beyond the call of duty, tlvaughn, and very much appreciated.

[spinecracker]

Another question - is the serial number 259XXA correct for a 1941 Fazakerley No.4 Mk.1 (I couldn't remember the last 2 numbers)? I went back to the gun shop today to look around (I hadn't been there for a few months since being told the rifle had been sold), and the rifle was sitting in a rack in front of the counter - go figure! Whoever was interested in adding this rifle to their collection - please message me. I deleted a bunch of messages and my memory was up the creek due to Vicodin, so I have forgotten who I was chatting with regarding this rifle.

[tlvaughn]

If the serial number does not have a prefix letter, my guess would be that it would be correct for a 1941 Faz. The serial number would make it rifle number 5,9xx and if I remember correctly, Faz made more than 6,000 rifles in 1941 (not sure exactly how many).

I looked at my 1941 Faz (20330A) and the date is a simple "41" on the butt socket. Do you recall if that is where the date was located?

[spinecracker]

Yep, tlvaughan, and it was stamped "41", but I wanted to make sure. I was confused as Stratton's book says that only 3000 or 4000 rifles were made by Fazakerley in 1941, but you have obviously disproved that.