Group Comment -Which No 4 Should I lean towards?

[henry r]

If the conditions are equal i say go the longbranch.

I came across some pics of the same rifle 22sqnrae is looking at, while tire kicking. To my untrained eye there was one possible minor issue but it is in the first half of the 2L series. For me that makes it interesting enough to lift it above the others.

[capt14k]

If all three are equal and your point is investment and you lived in America the Savage. However I believe OP is in Australia.

Me personally I would go with the one with the most history if condition and bores are equal. Which may very well turnout to be the Faz.

If the Long Branch was a MkI there wouldn't be a decision if they were all the same price. Which would be unlikely.

If you have none of those types OP and they are all good to go try to make a package deal for all 3.

[22SqnRAE]

[QUOTE=

If you have none of those types OP and they are all good to go try to make a package deal for all 3.[/QUOTE]

capt14k, an interesting challenge, as I have 3 vendors, all separated by around 200 km each!

[S-A-M3]

If you want a shooter ,go for the 1/2, if you are more of a collector, I would go for the Longbranch[which probably came from NZ]. The Savage rifles in this part of the world are quite often rather second hand!!. At the end of the day you really need to see all of them, and pick the one you like the best!!!. Stuart.

[22SqnRAE]

Dear Fellow Enfielditis Sufferers,

Thanks to all of you whom responded and offers your thoughts on my question of which of the No 4's on offer to buy. Thought I'd finish off this conversation with the results.

I looked hard at two in my hands (and via borescope) and could only see photos of another. This time, the North Americans came second to a former BSA, finally Fazakerley Mk 1/2.

Thinking about the comments regarding better shooting, retained heritage and that I was pretty interested in securing a BSA specimen, I chose the Mk 1/2. I spent a little while cleaning and re-oiling the timber and doing a thorough clean of the steel under the furniture. To be fair, this rifle is quite new, done little work since its FTR and was victim to some long-term harsh storage. She's looking a lot happier now.

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[CINDERS]

Is that the famous "Ishy screw" on the bottom fore wood 22Sqn the head could do with some very judicious file work and cold blue to make it look smicko nice looking rig of course a range report is next well done.

[22SqnRAE]

Is that the famous "Ishy screw" on the bottom fore wood 22Sqn the head could do with some very judicious file work and cold blue to make it look smicko nice looking rig of course a range report is next well done.

Cinders,

A good point and yes, there is still reconditioning to go. The range report should have been prepared, but circumstances saw me missing out on the Service Rifle prac on Saturday, straight to TR shoot.

Am thinking that I'll read up on the Canadian pams on preparing a No 4 for competitions, and do the minimum bedding as recommended by the good book. Might even read Roger Wadham's Complete Book on Lee Enfield Accurizing to pick up some ideas. Slowly, slowly on this one. I'm going to use this one as my main comp rifle, it's a pearler.

[Peter Laidler]

You could safely remove that screw and replace it with a wood plug in the hole. If the fore-end isn't cracked, it really serves no useful purpose. And in any case, if the fore-end IS cracked a hardwood/oak taper-to-suit wood peg will secure it as well as anything. There is a note of how to do it all properly somewhere.

When it comes to setting up rifles for competition, I'm a bit old fashioned or of the what my mum used to call 'from the bleedin obvious school'. The sniper rifles were pretty competitive as their targets were prone to shoot back. So what about using the No4T method of fore-end fitting.

[22SqnRAE]

You could safely remove that screw and replace it with a wood plug in the hole. If the fore-end isn't cracked, it really serves no useful purpose. And in any case, if the fore-end IS cracked a hardwood/oak taper-to-suit wood peg will secure it as well as anything. There is a note of how to do it all properly somewhere.

When it comes to setting up rifles for competition, I'm a bit old fashioned or of the what my mum used to call 'from the bleedin obvious school'. The sniper rifles were pretty competitive as their targets were prone to shoot back. So what about using the No4T method of fore-end fitting.

Peter, thanks for the advice, I believe I will take up that option when I find the appropriate stain to match some Tasmanian Oak, which we have easy access to in Aus. I believe I'm lucky enough to have scored a fairly new beech set of furniture, as I've compared it against the birch of the brand new "Irish" (... yes, I know...) No 4 Mk 2's I have recently acquired. The beech is magnificent in the quarter sawn components in its 'fish scale' texture.

I'll not be hasty in making any decisions, and will study carefully. I may have to ask some questions of those of you with more than a modicum of experience and knowledge to guide me along the way. So, study, understand and appreciate what I currently don't know first. Then I'll be better prepared to admit the rest of what I still don't know.

[Peter Laidler]

On the shop floor we always found that it was easier to refit the existing fore-end than fit a new one from scratch!