Mystery Savage No.4 Mk1* - pics

kjohn

kjohn

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Recently scooped this old Savage No.4. It is marked US PROPERTY, complete with flaming bomb proof.


It has a lightly stamped crown on the right side of the butt stock. It would be upsidedown if carrying the rifle with one hand.

It has an interesting wood repair on the left side forestocl, right above the trigger.

It appears to have two different serial numbers on the wrist socket.

It has an odd non-matching serial on the bolt handle.

It has a "Viners Ltd" VNS rear band.

Rifle has lots of character.

Would appreciate any input. Thank you in advance.
 
The stamp looks fairly crude... Maybe even just etching.

Here's a theory: British soldiers serving for the Crown were issued "lend/lease" rifles marked U.S. Property. They're then sent across the Channel to fight Jerry. Pretty quickly one of the blokes in the Company carved up a stamp to "mark" the rifles for the Crown. Remember, there was a fair bit of venom towards the Americans as they were "neutral" for the first two years, and only provided material support to the Allies.

Just a theory!
 
Phat Eagle said:
The stamp looks fairly crude... Maybe even just etching.

Here's a theory: British soldiers serving for the Crown were issued "lend/lease" rifles marked U.S. Property. They're then sent across the Channel to fight Jerry. Pretty quickly one of the blokes in the Company carved up a stamp to "mark" the rifles for the Crown. Remember, there was a fair bit of venom towards the Americans as they were "neutral" for the first two years, and only provided material support to the Allies.

Just a theory!
Click to expand...

I would think not, the RSM would have ripped a troop for damaging the kings property.
 
You forget: these were US Property!!!!

That and the RSM usually slows his roll when the lead starts flying... Bigger fish to fry when you're not languishing in garrison.
 
Does nobody else have one of these rifles with a crown on the stock? This is the only one I have noticed, but there is plenty that escapes me.
 
Crown

Lend lease rifles were not only for the Brits but also for the commonwealth. AL indicates that the rifle was issued from the Allahabad armoury in India. Serial number is in line with the no4 mk1 AL that I use to own.

Crown could be the Imperial crown of India.
 
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The rifle is a bitzer with a mismatching bolt that has an A suffix serial number. Meaning non standard receiver or parts, which means an early, early production rifle. That is a post-war replacement bolt probably.
Some authorities say the A suffix rifles were pulled out and sold off or scrapped postwar, which might explain why the bolt got separated from the matching receiver.
The AL3089 number is plain weird as that belongs on a 1943 M47 (BSA) rifle, and the fact that the original 79C Savage serial number (1942 or later without checking) was not barred out when the second number went on is even more weird.
I've never seen that butt stamp before, could be Norway or Denmark since their crowns are very similar. It might have been a temporary or improvised marking during or just after the war.
 
It seems that the old thing was issued from a military establishment in India, thus the AL serial. Definitely a mixmaster, but a keeper. I love these old rifles. I often think of my uncles, cousins, and the old veterans who carried them.
 
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