Interesting life of a FTRd Trials 4T

[Jacob]

I recently acquired this Trials T and its markings and parts tell an interesting story of its life.

It started life as a 1933 dated Trials rifle, which was then converted in to sniper spec at Enfield.

Oddly, it did not retain its original butt with brass disc which was replaced with a beech one, presumably before the conversion to sniper specification as the original MkI telescope number is barred out on the wrist with the new MkIII number below as well as Enfield inspectors marks being present on the underside of the wrist. Beech woodwork was also common on early rifles to me implying the change was made just before the conversion to sniper and not early in its life as a non sniper trials rifle?

It managed to retain its original magazine cut-off through the FTR process although it unfortunately lost its button cocking piece, trials front sight protector and hinged barrel band as part of the FTR process or service replacements.

Thankfully though it has managed to retain its service matched MkIII scope and canvas scope case baring the scope and rifle number which is a nice to have item!

I would be very interested to know if anybody recognises any of the additional (non-enfield inspectors) markings on the action above the wrist as I am unfamiliar with some e.g. the H marking on the left side or any of the seemingly jumbled markings on the right side.

Information

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[husk]

Excellent rig!

[Roger Payne]

Looks a nice rifle Jacob. Most if not all of the Trials T's that I have seen seem to bear a prodigious number of examiners/acceptance stamps to the rear of the bolt way. I couldn't say off the top of my head what they all indicate precisely (most are hard to make out), but they are generally applied during the manufacturing stages of the rifle & once it is completed & accepted into service.

[Surpmil]

The extra examiner's marks are interesting - they might suggest the maintenance on the No4(T)s was done at Enfield during the war? It would make sense.

IIRC Peter gave the date when those No.8 cases went out of service, so the FTR presumably predates that?

The butt could easily have been damaged in service during the war and replaced while the original scope was fitted; of all the No.4(T)s these saw the most service.

Personally i wouldn't think the butt was replaced before conversion as the rifles seem to have been in store after their use in troop trials, and had the butt been damaged/replaced in the 30s the only butts in existence were those made at Enfield for the trials rifles, which were AFAWK all walnut and all featuring the marking disc.

Long ago I acquired from a generous person a beech butt with scope number 5354 on it which had provision for the marking disc, so perhaps some other woods were used experimentally as part of the trials program, or in 1941/42 when production was being moved to BSA Shirley and Maltby?

We do see "Mk.I" style forends with provision for the cutoff made other than at Enfield, but AFAIK, none of them have the same very straight-sided profile of the trials forends made at Enfield, so some minor design changes occurred when production moved from Enfield or very soon afterwards. In fact that forend also looks like beech to me.

Bearing in mind the buttstock numbered 5354 having the marking disc recess, that probably makes it even more unlikely this is a pre-conversion buttstock. Not that it matters of course.

I see the backsight and safety have also been replaced. It's a bit of a trick to get the plunger to fit under the backsight where the captive ball detent was before.

The "retroactive" TR marks we see on many trials T's were added at some later point; sometimes the "T" was added also.