Chest for n°4 T

[Surpmil]

I have often wondered by what mysterious process the front shapes of the cheekrest were arrived at. I defy anyone to make sense of it, and then they were put on so far up the butt that the hand could not get around the wrist and the damn thing digs into the side of your thumb...

The Long Branch cheekrest is much simpler.

[Roger Payne]

Agreed! I've noted three different patterns of LB cheeckpieces, & others may have noted more. I suspect the early (non-sequential conversions, or at least at their outset) had cheekpieces closer to the UK pattern, but in walnut. Then there are the two commoner but subtly different patterns seen on 71L & 90L rifles. Perhaps Warren, Lee Enfield or others with a particular interest in Canadian kit could clarify/refine this further??

But forgive me as I see I've wandered off topic somewhat!

[Warren]

At long last, the picture of the P14 cheek piece.
It MIGHT be beech by the grain and hopefully someone can ID the wood
We had a huge book on wood species at the wood club but someone needed it more than us.
Attachment 117120

[tr63]

Looks very much as a beech wood .

[rgg_7]

Hi Warren - looks like "Beech"....maybe "Maple". Steel screw countersunks are plugged - what material was used? Do you think this was typical? what is hole spacing? Ron (Canada)

[Roger Payne]

IIRC from what PL has mentioned in the past, assuming I understood him correctly, the cheekpieces were originally intended for issue on the No3 (T) early in WW2, but were also approved for the new (as it was then) No4 (T). I'm not sure if they required any modification to fit the No4 butt, but if they did it can't have been much. I must try offering a 'standard' UK 4T cheekpiece on a P'14 (W) stock, & see how it sits...

Of the modest number of 4T cheekpieces that I've seen that were or had been fitted to early production No4 snipers' rifles, a lot of them differed slightly in the contour of the inletted 'notches' at the front, especially the one on the left (safety catch) side, & most were made from stained birch, similar in colour to typical Savage woodwork. Having said that Warren's doesn't look like birch...... The trouble with these things is we don't know at what point the cheekpiece was fitted to the rifle. Is there provenance for the rifle Warren??

[waco16]

IIRC from what PL has mentioned in the past, assuming I understood him correctly, the cheekpieces were originally intended for issue on the No3 (T) early in WW2, but were also approved for the new (as it was then) No4 (T). I'm not sure if they required any modification to fit the No4 butt, but if they did it can't have been much. I must try offering a 'standard' UK 4T cheekpiece on a P'14 (W) stock, & see how it sits...

Of the modest number of 4T cheekpieces that I've seen that were or had been fitted to early production No4 snipers' rifles, a lot of them differed slightly in the contour of the inletted 'notches' at the front, especially the one on the left (safety catch) side, & most were made from stained birch, similar in colour to typical Savage woodwork. Having said that Warren's doesn't look like birch...... The trouble with these things is we don't know at what point the cheekpiece was fitted to the rifle. Is there provenance for the rifle Warren??

IIRC from what PL has mentioned in the past, assuming I understood him correctly, the cheekpieces were originally intended for issue on the No3 (T) early in WW2, but were also approved for the new (as it was then) No4 (T). I'm not sure if they required any modification to fit the No4 butt, but if they did it can't have been much. I must try offering a 'standard' UK 4T cheekpiece on a P'14 (W) stock, & see how it sits...

The form of the cheekpiece that Warren has shown matches the original one fitted to my '33 dated Trials 'T', backing up Roger's comments

[Roger Payne]

You moved me to check my '31 Trials rifle waco, & the CP on that is of the same pattern, too. My '33 Trials has a replacement later war 'run of the mill' example on it.

[Warren]

In looking closely at the cheekpiece and the grain I think it is beech.
The plugs look a bit like maple or poplar.
The only provenance on it is that I have had it since before dirt was invented and the chap I got it from had it for almost as many years as well.
Apparently the reason that we find so many variants on the cheekpieces is that it was the ONLY item on the rifle that a sniper was allowed to modify.
Touch anything else and you were on charges or dead meat, but with the cheekpiece you had free reign.
I cannot say if or if not it is typical as all my other Pat.14 snipers do not have cheekpieces.
The one I showed is the only one with a cheekpiece in both the P14 and the trials.
I do however, have a trials rifle with a lace on leather cheekpiece and I have had it since the early 70's and have no reason to believe that the chap I got it from added it.
He had trouble even doing up his shoes .....

[Daan Kemp]

A picture of the lace on cheekpiece please.