No.4 Mk2 contract rifle

[kjohn]

I am in the process of re-doing my inventory records of my firesticks. I picked a nice old No.4 off the rack and decided I'd better re-check the serial number. I have presumed that it was an "Irish Contract" rifle. Oh no. I checked my data bank of information and find that it is either the first or second (depends on which list ) in a batch made for "Anglo-Egyptian Sudan".

Now whether the rifle made it to its intended destination is another matter. The rifle has seen use, but is still all matching, including the magazine, bayonet, and scabbard.

 

[kjohn]

Another take on this:

Ireland did purchase a total of 50,000 No 4 MK II rifles. This is verified by the letter sent to Graham Priest, of which he was nice enough to share a copy of the letter with me, dated 11 April 2000. In the letter a Colonel of the Irish army verifies that a total quantity of 50,000were purchased. He lists the following serial number ranges. The rifles were distributed in these ranges, by no means were they complete through all the ranges :

PF301548 to PF354999
PF360000 to PF 405415
UF55A 152 to UF55 A21266
Frederick Salberta (known as Fritz on Gunboards)


PF301548 is in my pile. It would seem that the rifle didn't make it to the Sudan.