Impossible mission - finding the stock for a BSA No 4T sniper

myenfield

myenfield

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Here is a frustrating story. Many years ago I picked up a BSA No 4 Mk I(T) sniper rifle. My brother actually found it for me at a gunshow. It didn't take long to realize that the wood on the rifle was all Longbranch. This puzzled me until I was finally able to track down the previous owner a few years later. It seems he had bought 2 No 4 rifles from a milsurp dealer, probably back in the 1960s. One was a complete, correct BSA No 4 T and the other was a very pretty Long Branch No 4 Mk I* (not a sniper). The guy thought the Long Branch wood was much nicer looking than the sniper rifle, so he swapped the stocks and sent the Long Branch back to where he bought it.

The impossible mission for me is to see if anybody out there happens to have, or know about, a Long Branch No 4 rifle that has rougher, BSA wood on it. The butt stock will have two holes drilled in the top of the comb for the cheek piece and it most likely will have a big "S51" stamped on the bottom. Again, I realize the chances of finding this wood is hovring right about 0%, but it seemed like it was worth a shot posting on a quiet Labour Day Monday morning.
 
You never know. I bought some Lee Enfield parts about 2 1/2 years ago with some Canadian bolts. 6 months ago I bought a 1941 Long Branch to rebuild. About a month ago I went through my parts and found the matching bolt So I owned the bolt long before the rifle.
 
I have a database that I maintain on No. 4 (T) sniper rifles, scopes and other serial numbered parts/accessories. I have been able to find matches for over two-dozen. Sometimes those owners work out a win-win deal, but not always.

If your BSA is all matcing (scope/bracket/rifle) then the ideal would be to find THE butt with the scope number on it. It would also have the rifle serial number, less any prefix letter(s) stamped on top on a ledge that is hidden when the butt is in a rifle socket. The scope serial number would be stamped into the top, on the flat area just below the cocking piece. If your BSA sniper was all matching, this would be the serial number of your scope. The fore-end may well have the rifle serial number stamped into the underside near the muzzle. On the snipers this was usually lengthwise and often omited the prefix letter(s).

The second choice would be a sniper butt off of a British conversion with the S51 mark but a different scope serial number. There are the occasional No. 4 Mk. I (T) butts floating around that have the British S51 marking on the underside. I shall send you a private message.

As for me, I am still looking for two of the Long Branch "Canadian Special Butt" (Monte Carlo style) military issued butts to restore two very rare Canadian Long Branch sniper rifles. They have a scope serial number on the top (e.g. 26-C or EXP-0144) and a stadium shaped stamp [think of stadium racecourse for Ben Hur - flat on two long sides and rounded at each end] stamp on the underside of the pistol grip.
 
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