.22 No4 Mk1

[Buccaneer]

This rifle started life as a .303 1943 dated ROF Maltby rifle and still has matching numbers to the action, barrel & bolt. It has spent some part of its life in the US as indicated by the "MK406514" number on the action sidewall and the "C.A.I. GEORGIA VT" and ".303 ENGLAND" that is stamped under the muzzle.
The rifle obviously arrived in the US in .303 but whether it was converted there or when it returned too the UK is not possible to tell although the fresh London proof marks under the muzzle would seem to indicate that it was done here.
The barrel has been sleeved as you would expect but instead of the normal empty magazine box used to collect the spent rounds it has been fitted with a magazine from a Canadian CNo7 rifle.
For those unfamiliar with the No7 and CNo7 rifle, the No7 was the only British training rifle to be fitted with a five round magazine as standard. The Canadian CNo7 rifle was a single shot with a spring loaded platform fitted to the magazine to assist in chambering the round.
In addition it also has a Canadian marked rear sight very similar to the CNo7 rear sight but without the ability for windage adjustment which is standard on the Canadian rifles, I have attached a picture of the Canadian rear sight for comparison purposes.
The sight is a straight replacement for the "Singer" style rear sight and on close inspection appears to be a marriage between the base of a "singer" sight and the top of the Canadian sight, if this is the case it has been very well done.
Has anyone seen a sight like this before?
All in all a very nice a professionally done conversion, whether it was a attempt to "Clone" a CNo7 or just to make a very good .22 No4 we will probably never know but as any Enfield Rifle in .22 is now becoming very scarce and expensive this has been a good find.

Information

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[Roger Payne]

Hi Paul. Nice looking rifle. Many years ago I bought five .22 No4 conversions from a school. They had been professionally converted but not by the military, although they were in effect N9's without the provenance. They only had standard No4 rear sights fitted when I picked them up, though I suspect they'd been used with AJP or Parker-Hale target sights by the school.

When Dave T & I bought the batch of 4T's also at around the same time there was a few with serviceable bodies but pitted or shot out barrels. We had around 6 to 8 of those sleeved to 22, creating essentially a N9 T! We left all original markings intact so that they could be retro-converted back to .303 easily enough if anyone wanted to. I kept two for years, but eventually succumbed to the usual vice, money. IIRC I had one built on a regular BSA Shirley & one on a 41 Maltby. I sold them through a well known Wiltshire based dealer friend not so long ago, so they're out there somewhere.......

[Gloworm]

I was lucky enough to have owned one of Rogers “wee diddy 4(t)s and can attest to the quality of the work. It was mated to a superb No 32 Mk3 scope and was always a talking point when I took it to the range.
Sadly, a rather large (and unexpected) tax bill came in one year and I had to downsize my collection to placate the taxman.
I have a pristine No7 in its place now but will always regret having had to part with that particular rifle.
GW

Sorry Paul, I meant to say that you have a nice rifle there 😜👍

[browningautorifle]

Nice catch on the #4/.22. One I've always wanted too. I had a couple of #8 rifles and they are great for tack driving, would love a #4T in .22 also. This one sure looks like everyone had hands on it one time or another...