No1 MkIII... I think?

[Brit plumber]

I used to think that such damage was unthinkable but as I’ve got older I’ve realised that most of this surplus was regarded as cheap and disposable in the past. They were regarded as tools by most and got treated as such.

My 42 jeep was a reasonable restoration project but I couldnt figure out why someone would do the mods they did. But, those mods meant it was being used and is probably the reason it exists today. I hate to say it but sometimes bubba is needed to keep some of these veterans going.

[mrclark303]

It's a Santa Fe Arms 1960's conversion of an SMLE to a so-called "Jungle carbine". They used a modified Mk.2 rear sight from a No.4 and the axis pin/screw is a sear screw from the SMLE. They butchered tons of them.

Did the Santa Fe arms examples originally come from the huge Parker Hale/ Interarms buy Brian?

[Brian Dick]

I really don't know but since it was well prior to 1968, there's a pretty good chance the majority were imported by Interarms. They managed to buy the vast majority of the war reserve No.4's in the 1980's from both the UK Mod and South Africans. I used to get a chuckle listening to all the exspurts at gun shows poo-poo them because they were import marked, (post 1968). The fact remains that the majority of No.4 service rifles released prior to 1968 were culled because something failed the gauging standards. They usually sported British commercial proofs too which no one ever complained about. Go figure.