1943 No. 4 Mk. 1 mystery rifle

[Texassmelly]

A couple of weeks ago I bought a No. 4 Mk. 1 . Beyond its basic designation I don't know what some of the markings mean. I found some of the markings' explanations on another site. If anyone knows what any of these markings mean, it would help a lot.

On the left side of the receiver it is stamped:

C.I.A. GEORGIA VT.
CAL. .303 ENGLAND
SER. MK415217
(the serial number might mean it is ROF Maltby, What does the CIA Georgia VT mean?)

On the band between the trigger and the bolt, left side, it is stamped:

(M topped with arrow pointing up)1943
A
15629

On the top of the receiver near to the wood handguard, it is stamped in small letters:

(crown)
N
55

On top of the metal piece directly behind the front sight, it is stamped: S.M.
(probably means Singer Manufacturing)

On top of the band directly behind that stamp, it is stamped: S126
(probably means C.E. Welstead, Croydon)

On the lower rear right side of the bolt, it is stamped: N 67 MK II
(probably means Singer Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Clydebank)
but what does the MK II mean?
On the forward end of the bolt there is a B overlaid on an L, which might mean the bolt is Long Branch.

On top of the front sight, right side, it is stamped: 015

The rear sight is the flip 300-600 peep sight. No holes drilled anywhere for a scope.

No unit disc on the buttstock. Four grooves on each side of the upper handguard. Nothing on the potmetal buttplate, nothing inside the buttstock storage except a couple of 'original cleaning rags'. ;-)

What have I got? A mishmash of parts, or something interesting?

I'll not do any shooting with it until I know more about it and after a gunsmith checks the headspace and general condition. To me, the bore looks fairly clean. The wood looks good, very few dings.

Any help on identifying these marks would be much appreciated. I looked through this fine forum and didn't see anything useful.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-- Texassmelly

Information

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[Warren]

Century International Arms...
The markings you are questioning are the markings required by the US government and applied by the importer..Century International Arms..

[Texassmelly]

Ah! That makes sense. Century International Arms is much better than Captured In Action. I checked their website, they are in Florida. Why would the stamp say "Georgia VT"? There is a town in Vermont by that name, near Burlington, but why is that town stamped on the rifle?

There are just a few other things left that I'd like to find out:

1. On the band between the trigger and the bolt, left side, it is stamped:

(M topped with arrow pointing up)1943
A
15629

What does this mean? Unit designation? And why is this number different from the receiver number?

2. On the top of the receiver near to the wood handguard, it is stamped in small letters:

(crown)
N
55

What does this mean?

3. Still wondering about the bolt. What was the difference between a No. 1 bolt and a No. II ?


Thanks in advance for any enlightenment on these marks.

I was able to decipher the marks on my No. 1 Mk. III, but these No. 4 Mk. I marks are a lot harder to track down.

Thanks!

[sakorick]

They were in Vermont in the old days and have since moved their operation to Florida. Regards, Rick.

[tiriaq]

Cocking pieces: Mk. I was a round knob style, Mk. II the much more common flat grooved type.
The serial on the buttsocket is the original Maltby applied serial.
Could be a LB bolthead. This could have been installed at any time over the last 65 years.
.015 on the front sight is the height of the sight. These were made in a number of sizes, and interchanged to properly zero for elevation.
Mk. II, 300/600 sight would be standard for '43 production.
No. 4 rifles did not have unit discs in the butt.

[bradtx]

Texassmelly, The band between the trigger and the bolt is called the buttsocket. A '43 Maltby will have a two alpha character prefix. The 'A' is just one of them.

The crown/N/55 is likely an inspector's mark, not on either of my '43 Maltbys.

Not sure about the bolt question Mk.I vs Mk.II. Boltheads are numbered from 0 to 4 to designate length. Maltby bolts will have a 'M' stamped in the channel and generally have a flattened knob (later production).

Brad

[LeeEnfieldNo.4_Mk1]

The arrow pointing up is the British ownership marking, that's all i can tell you, A really good website i go to for markings is The Lee-Enfield Rifle It has lists of markings, exploded views, ect.