Another Variant of the No4 Mk1???? ;)

[CoatiMundi]

Attachment 108424Attachment 108425

For your consideration, the No4 Mk1" (Quote). The picture on the left is my No4 Mk1 (T). The picture on the right is a No4 mk1 (T) that was for sale on GB recently. They are only 117 serial numbers off, I'm sure they were built at BSA on the same day. Both were advertised as No4 Mk1* (star).

Does anyone know the reason for or has seen the " at the end? In my (very) limited experience I have not seen that symbol used except these two instances. Lets call it my quarantined curiosity wanting to know.

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[Roger Payne]

I've seen a fair few, but now only have one BSA 1943 4T marked with the two little 'speech marks' as you indicate (AS prefix). I checked a couple of standard BSA 1943 No4 stripped bodies (not 4T's) & they are not so marked. I'm speaking from memory now but I think I've only noticed it on 1943 BSA's - definitely on some T's but I honestly can't remember if I've noted it on standard rifles. I have doubts as to how significant it is.......quite likely just an idiosyncrasy of the engraving machine, (or person using it), in use at the time, though I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any ideas.

[GeeRam]

I have doubts as to how significant it is.......quite likely just an idiosyncrasy of the engraving machine, (or person using it), in use at the time

I agree, especially remembering the stories I heard from my Aunt, and my Grandmother from their time in WW2, working in the munitions factory that was at the end of their road......!!

[Bindi2]

There was some No4 Mk1s incorrectly marked as Mk1*, There was a thread about this some time back.

[Alan de Enfield]

There was some No4 Mk1s incorrectly marked as Mk1*, There was a thread about this some time back.

Them wos 'Maltby's'.

That was my first thought, but when Roger said he had one and it was a BSA, that quashed that idea.

[Roger Payne]

Thanks chaps. Yes, I remember that thread, but this seems to be slightly different in that the marks definitely look like two little speech marks, & so far as I can recall from limited personal observations, only noted on 43 BSA rifles. I suspect it will turn up on non-4T rifles as well, if we look hard enough, as it looks to have been part of the (BSA) factory engraving of the rifle's designation.

[Buccaneer]

They were probably put there just to confuse all of the collecting world nearly 80 years later...

[CoatiMundi]

Master gunsmith to apprentice: Engrave this exactly, "No4 Mk1". Apprentice does as instructed.

Master gunsmith returns and says: I didn't mean for you to engrave the quotes!

[GeeRam]

Master gunsmith to apprentice: Engrave this exactly, "No4 Mk1". Apprentice does as instructed.

Master gunsmith returns and says: I didn't mean for you to engrave the quotes!

40 years ago, I trained as a technical draughtsman, and I certainley wouldn't bet against that being exactly what happened as I've seen exactly that with back in the drawing board days, when an Engineer would mark up a drawing with notes and comments, and the trainee would add ALL the markup's to the drawing, including comments like "Check dimensions"

[Lee Enfield]

I have had and seen a number of rifles marked with this variation. No one seems to know if or what this might mean.

I suspect that it was intended to indicate some variety of change, but obviously it wasn't a significant change.

Similarly I have always wondered if the No4MkI* Maltby marking "error" was in fact a specification / production change which was later deemed to be insignificant.