M47C sportster recovery to T status?

[RobD]

Roger is correct - oak is seldom (if ever??) used for guns. Oak is full of tannins, and the wood develops a blue stain where it has been in contact with iron, esp. if it gets damp. In fact, blue ink used to be made in the past by mixing iron with tannin. I've been told that's why oak furniture usually has brass hinges, fittings, etc.

[Peter Laidler]

I agree entirely DRP. But if we only had light colour, say, top handguards, then we'd stain the light handguard to fit to the rifle. The EMER gives the stain formula for just that eventuality. Aren't the cheekpieces birch? It was a second choice wood as I seem to remember from the paperwork. Not generally considered suitable but as they had no bearing on the performance of the rifle, fully acceptable. It was originally sanctioned for cheek pieces permitted for and fitted to the No3T. The cheek pieces continued on to the No4 by default.

It would seem odd if there were original ex Ordnance cheek pieces on the loose out there simply because from the mid 70's on, replacement cheek pieces and bracket thumbscrews from Ordnance were like rocking horse manure and extensive patching was the norm. I remember finding a huge stash of spare ones in the Armourers shop of the Welch Guards (at Pirbright if my memory is corect). I say huge stash, but I actually mean three and old but unused/new they were all very light wood and birch too. I put one on my No7. So I can't imagine there being any available from ordnance disposals. But no doubt, some enterprising dealer will have magically unearthed those the were disposed of.................

[Roger Payne]

DPL,
I would agree with you re staining to suit.

I have seen a few birch cheekpieces but most have been beech, with the ash/oak being second most numerous. I have never (though they may be out there) seen walnut cheekpieces on UK 4T's, unless a replacement from a Canadian rifle (& I've only seen this once - though it's perfectly acceptable practice I'm sure).

The trouble with most of the repro cheekpieces is that they are only approximations. The late Graham Smith had them spot-on. He used a pantograph 1:1 using one of my originals as a pattern. It was so good we had to fill in the little dings with milliput or similar as the pantograph would even replicate them. There must be other people out there who can do it properly, but I've not as yet found anyone......
I'm obviously not looking in the right place.

ATB

[bigduke6]

Roger,

This may be of help item No 130768634427, on ebay.

[jmoore]

Guess it's time to find those two!

Can't remember the source, though.

L42a1 with birch stocks and probably birch cheekpiece:



Another L42a1. Wood type of cheekpiece???:

[Peter Laidler]

There's a good example of a well patched cheek piece. One of the old Armourers told me that they always split at the front left side not because the wood was naturally thin there but because the underside was profiled for the No3 rifle butt. So as soon as you tweaked the front screw down, it pulled the cheek rest against the greater curvature of the No4 butt and there was a click as the bugger split!.

There's a rare bit of kit in that chest. The 'container, pullthrough'. I suppose everyone is familiar with the why's and wherefores of this bit of kit and WO2 Steve Sxxxxxx input into this addition to the kit

[Roger Payne]

That cheekpiece on the cased rifle looks to me like one of the Colin Moon post-War replacements. Can't remember now if they were beech or birch, but of the ones I've seen all were very light in colour as supplied. The one shown has clearly been stained. The whole kit looks very nice indeed.

ATB

[Peter Laidler]

Bottom picture: Is that the one you're referring to DRP? The two slip patches look typical of an old well used one to me.

[Roger Payne]

It's called character.............

[jmoore]

It's called character.............

That package DOES have about the most "character" of about any L42a1 I've seen. Starting with the flashy transit chest markings, the well figured buttstock with patchwork, etc.