LE No.4 What's going on here?

[Grizzly Adams]

I recently rehabilitated a sporterized No. 4 with one of those Sarco wood sets. all went well till I looked at the rifle today and realized something wasn't right. The stock appears to be cut for a Mag. cut off, but I don't think No.4s ever had such a gizmo. Cut is very well done, doesn't look like sombody's hammer and chisel job.

Grizz

 

[canuck98k]

It's right. Some early mk I's had the provision in the wood. Is it Savage wood? Seems to me one sees this more often with them.

 

[vinver]

1941 and early 1942 No 4's would have the wood cut down like that. Factory supplied, the No 4 never adopted the cutoff (except the early 30's trials rifles I believe) but wood must have been produced based on that design feature. I don't expect anybody would have modified later forends to the earlier cut-down side. What year is your rifle?

 

[smellie]

Only one I ever saw with a cutoff was a Trials rifle, 1931 IIRC.

It also was marked on the butt socket, same as an SMLE: Cown, Royal cypher, factory, date, designation.

 

[Blastattack]

If that low cut stock, or any other wooden part is Savage marked, please shoot me a PM.

Looks like a beauty rifle, BTW.

 

[John Sukey]

They sure as heck were not going to scrap all the stocks in the inventory just because the cutoff was not adopted. Plus the machinery was already set up to produce the timber. That would have delayed production until the changes could be made and there was the current disagreement with hitler at the time

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

They sure as heck were not going to scrap all the stocks in the inventory just because the cutoff was not adopted. Plus the machinery was already set up to produce the timber. That would have delayed production until the changes could be made and there was the current disagreement with hitler at the time.

It was not so much that the machinery was set up one way, as the drawings were sealed. The design approval process was not flexible enough to allow for changes mid-stream. Peoples' minds were fixed once the decisions were made. For instance the No.32 telescope was intended for the BREN gun but wound up on the No.4T sniper rifle, but the scope base cutouts were never removed from the BREN gun drawings for a couple of Marks.

The British insisted on doing things to a very specific standard because so many of their parts were made by subcontractors who weren't really knowledgible of the gun business. They were in the chair leg or tennis racket business (ie Slazenger tennis rackets) doing war work, and for someone from the government to come and change things would have undermined the whole directed production process. The Canadians and Americans strongarmed the inspectors into letting them change the bolt release, stock profile, back sights and other small changes. It must have made Mother England (for the Canadians at least) cringe but they were in no state to disagree.