ALF PARKER BIRM on Lee enfield No 4 Mk 1

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gerardjohnson

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ALF PARKER BIRM is stamped on top of the receiver of a No.4 Mk 1 F(FTR) 47 that I bought at the Irishtown Gun Show on the weekend. It has what I believe is a target type sling swivel in front of the magazine that is the only thing different from my other No.4's. It looks like an older serial number has been replaced with a new one on the butt socket under the safety. The rifle is in excellent condition with a new stock and butt plate. There is a broad arrow, F, and 49 on the forestock and butt stock. ENGLAND is stamped on the butt socket. What I would most like to know is what ALF PARKER had to do with the rifle. Any comments will be appreciated. I'll start another topic about my other LE purchase to avoid confusion. It was, by the way, a great gun show. No registration had a lot to do with it.
 
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Target rifle accurized by Parker. The "England" is an export marking, and there should be commercial proof stamps on the barrel. The new serial number is the Parker Factory number, and I believe there is still a list of the original purchasers according to these serial numbers. You might have to dig a bit on the Internet to find out the information, but there is a British National Rifle Association website that could probably give you the information.

Nice find. Possibly a rifle that a Bisley Team Member used.
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That BNP stands for Birmingham Nitro Proof. The rifle you have is I believe the same as one I own. All I have been able to find out was that Parker used to offer these rifles pre fitted for Service Rifle shooting, back in the late 40's-early 60's. The package name was Service Rifle 'B'. This meant that the rifle could compete as a standard service rifle and was not considered modified. The the receiver was selected and check for true, barrel was ball burnished, and the bedding was carefully set up, feeding was hand tuned and then they fitted them with a Tz 4/47 rear sight. Unfortunately, when Parkers closed down, all of the order books, drawings and other documents were put in a pile in the yard in front of the shop and set alight - there are virtually no remaining records of the business, it's history, or it's customers left. Note that what you have is an AJ Parker, not a Parker-Hale - there was a split in the company in the 1920's, and while they paralleled each other, the names remained seperate. Finding info on some AJP stuff, or the earlier AGP stuff (which can also be found bearing simply Alfd Parker B'ham) is virtually impossible. That said, these rifles shoot superbly, being set up to shoot the long ranges (by todays standards) that were common from the turn of the century through the late 1950's. Incidently, try pushing upward on the muzzle, seperate from the sight band and releasing - you should hear a 'click' as the barrel sets back down onto the front bedding patch - the rest of the barrel is floated back to just in front of the receiver, also there'll be a piece of thin gasket material between the action and the stock - don't disturb it.
 
Thanks for the information folks. This is a great forum. I can't wait to get to the range but it doesn't look like I will get the chance for a week or so.
 
Have a L39A1 built by Ma Parker. (Alf Parker's daughter) Looks better than my original L39A1
"It's a hard business and I'm only a woman"
She would have made Saddam Hussien soil his pants!:D

Met her once. I had ordered some parts but had not recieved them for over a couple of months because she was waiting for one more part to fill the order!
So when got to the U.K. and picked up the bits, she charged me VAT! (something I would not have had to pay if she had shipped the stuff on time)

She had FIVE wharehouses filled with parts and the
dealers descended on that like vultures on a fresh kill after the funeral took place and the relatives sold up
 
John Sukey said:
Have a L39A1 built by Ma Parker. (Alf Parker's daughter) Looks better than my original L39A1
"It's a hard business and I'm only a woman"
She would have made Saddam Hussien soil his pants!:D

Met her once. I had ordered some parts but had not recieved them for over a couple of months because she was waiting for one more part to fill the order!
So when got to the U.K. and picked up the bits, she charged me VAT! (something I would not have had to pay if she had shipped the stuff on time)

She had FIVE wharehouses filled with parts and the
dealers descended on that like vultures on a fresh kill after the funeral took place and the relatives sold up
Click to expand...


As a non-resident, there was a form you could get from the Inland Revenue to claim a refund of the VAT after you took the parts out of the country.
 
scan from a catalogue of about 1967

standard.jpg


http://www.fototime.com/A67F859A63BCACE/orig.jpg

In 1989 her price was £280 (plus VAT, so just as you were reeling at the size of the sum you were being called upon to pay you had to mentally bolt on another 15%)
 
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