Couple new No 4 Mk 2's

[Slater]

Picked these up in a recent trade. Both are "UF 55" series rifles, and are in unissued condition with mint bores. The original owner said that they both came with bayonets and he will attempt to locate them. Would this be the No 9 bayonet?

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

Don't waste too much time with the bayonet story Slater. The UF55A series of rifles were an RAF requirement and bayonets didn't come with rifles. In the UK Military, bayonets are always issued separately. As regards what type, the unit just got issued what Ordnance issued them with. And the woodwork was always plain old unpolished/varnished wood, dunked in linseed oil

[RJW NZ]

B e a yoo tee full, what a nice pair, well done.

[Brian Dick]

All of the new No.4Mk.2 rifles I had directly from the importer in the early 1990's had unnumbered No.9Mk.1 bayonets and No.5Mk.1 scabbards in the wrappers. Get the guy to cough 'em up if he has them.

[NRA]

some of the best shooters I own, gotta love em!

[Frederick303]

The UF55A series of rifles that came in in the early 1991 to 1997 packed with a bayonet in grease came out of Irish sales. According to one of the soldiers that was present when the rifles were shipped out of Clancy barracks, 5 rifles were packed to a wooden crate, each with a Enfield made bayonet packed beside it. The dates on the UF 55A series all had D-54 dated bayonets, at least on every rifle I have seen that has still been in the wrap. Non of the UF55 A series of Irish sales rifles had the bayonets serial marked to the rifles that they were packed with, at least on the un-issued rifles that I have had a chance to examine. I have heard, but have not seen, at least two D-54 bayonets serialed to rifles around A68xx series. On the previous PF serial range of rifles that came out of Ireland, issued rifles have the bayonets (D-53 and D-54) serialed to the rifle.

The surplus rifles that came out of the sales at Donnington circa the same period were put up for sale without any bayonets attached. These were stored separately, or so I was told by someone who represented one of the Importers at pre-1998 sales. He said the bayonets were packed in a separate building to the rifles, or at least that is where they were stored prior to the sales when inspections were allowed. Graham Priest, who is the authority on these, says that the bayonets were not serialed to the rifles in UK practice post WWII.

Now the first paragraph I am quite sure of, the second paragraph is based on a memory. Yes I know that most folks doubt any of the UF55 A series of rifles went to Ireland, but there is documentation to the effect that between 15,000 to 18,000 of the UF 55A series of rifles between serial number A152 and A 21266 were sold to Ireland and were sold out of service from there.

[Peter Laidler]

Here we go again........... Sorry if I sound slightly exasperated Fred. But lets's ask a couple of yes no answer question. Are you saying that the (some?) of the UF rifles came from Ireland? And that the soldiers who packed the crates remembered this fact? If they do, then they must equal Doris Stokes (a 60's TV medium with a good memoiry for all you foreigners out there without access to 60's English TV!) Where is this documentation might I be so bold as to ask?

The UF rifles were an Air Ministry contract with the old Ministry of Supply before the AM was gobbled up into the now Ministry of Defence. It has been said that the contract was shared by the Admiralty as well, fearing that it would be many, many years before they even got a sniff of the 'new' L1A1 rifles. Indeed it was, even after BSA took over the destiuned to fail Fazakerley L1A1 contract, the RAF and Navy was still equipped with No4's in the mid to late 60's to my knowledge

All the RAF rifles were in RAF storage at the old RAF Ordnance Depot Stafford (correct me if I'm wrong someone) and were disposed of when the Ordnance services were combined. The generally good RAF No4's, including thousands of new UF's were used to augment....... I won't go on but the UF serial numbers issued at Fazakerley were specially numbered with the new type serial numbers for the Air Ministry. The Ministry of Supply that ran the factories just did and supplied what the Air Ministry (or War Department or Adsmiralty) told them. And that included the special serial number range That's why we would still see ex RAF UF No4's in Cadet Forces until the day they were withdrawn

This reminds me of a thread some time ago when someone was saying that AM on ex RAF .22" No2 rifles didn't indicate Air Ministry when we were still seeing them in RAF Cadet Armouries!

In fact, some in the US and on this site (not me you understand.........) even dispute the whole of the 'Irish connection', believing it to be a fantasy selling ploy. Anyone else out there heard that?

[XL39E1]

Surely all the so called Irish contract No. 4 Rifles were PF prefix between 309348 - 359347. Well thats what Official documents say anyway!

The UF Rifles were a batch made as Peter says For the Air Ministry, after the Uk changed the number system at the end of 1954.

[Peter Laidler]

And they weren't issued with bayonets either. They might have been SOLD with them!

[Slater]

On a somewhat unrelated note, was the No 4 Mk 2 assigned it's own NSN, or were all No 4 (non sniper) rifles lumped together under the same NSN?