So I picked up one of the Brit No.4's Jean is selling at P&S Militaria. When I ordere it, I told Jean I didn't care what manufacturer he selected, so long as it had the nicest possible 5 groove bore.
What arrived was a non-refurb 1943 BSA with a bore I would honestly rate as a perfect 10. The gun also had all its original wartime features including expedient parts like a smooth cocking piece. Apart from a few storage dings, the stock was in excellent condition and none of the screw heads were even slightly bunged-up. The rifle was, however positively GOOPED in cosmolene. A few of the parts has some finish wear, but those with visible wear appear to have been oil blacked, not blued, and those wartime finishes were never very robust. Frankly, I cannot believe these are not flying off the shelves at $400. It looks like they were sent somewhere as wartime aid but then never issued. In the case of the rifle I got, if it was ever issued, It wasn't shot or handled much, if at all.
Here are some pics before cleanup:
Although I replaced it with a proper BSA-made MkI sight, the rifle came with a 1943 dated Mk2 flip sight. Apart from the middle band (made by a miscellaneous sub-contractor), the only non-BSA parts are all Singer Manufacturing (SM) marked.
Post cleanup with MkI sight installed (lucky find in my parts bin!):
Note that the "B" on the receiver is slightly mis-stamped. It is a B though and the S/N is proper for a 1943 BSA, pre-M/47C marking.
Note the wartime oil-blacked mag. It looks finish-worn, but this is how they looked when new. You can see the part up inside the gun is no darker. Mags like this usually got a coat of suncorite post-war to prevent rust, but this rifle obviously was not in the UK at the close of the war or the gun would have been altered from its original state. Definitely the mag would have been painted, the cocking piece replaced with a grooved one, the front sight base would likely have been changed for one with a tension screw, etc.
All in all, I am very pleased. This gun is not very far off from a new in wrap post-war No.4MkII, but at only $400 it's a screaming deal. I would recommend anyone in the market give these a look - they are not the poor-fair bore No.4's at some of the other dealers.
What arrived was a non-refurb 1943 BSA with a bore I would honestly rate as a perfect 10. The gun also had all its original wartime features including expedient parts like a smooth cocking piece. Apart from a few storage dings, the stock was in excellent condition and none of the screw heads were even slightly bunged-up. The rifle was, however positively GOOPED in cosmolene. A few of the parts has some finish wear, but those with visible wear appear to have been oil blacked, not blued, and those wartime finishes were never very robust. Frankly, I cannot believe these are not flying off the shelves at $400. It looks like they were sent somewhere as wartime aid but then never issued. In the case of the rifle I got, if it was ever issued, It wasn't shot or handled much, if at all.
Here are some pics before cleanup:
Although I replaced it with a proper BSA-made MkI sight, the rifle came with a 1943 dated Mk2 flip sight. Apart from the middle band (made by a miscellaneous sub-contractor), the only non-BSA parts are all Singer Manufacturing (SM) marked.
Post cleanup with MkI sight installed (lucky find in my parts bin!):
Note that the "B" on the receiver is slightly mis-stamped. It is a B though and the S/N is proper for a 1943 BSA, pre-M/47C marking.
Note the wartime oil-blacked mag. It looks finish-worn, but this is how they looked when new. You can see the part up inside the gun is no darker. Mags like this usually got a coat of suncorite post-war to prevent rust, but this rifle obviously was not in the UK at the close of the war or the gun would have been altered from its original state. Definitely the mag would have been painted, the cocking piece replaced with a grooved one, the front sight base would likely have been changed for one with a tension screw, etc.
All in all, I am very pleased. This gun is not very far off from a new in wrap post-war No.4MkII, but at only $400 it's a screaming deal. I would recommend anyone in the market give these a look - they are not the poor-fair bore No.4's at some of the other dealers.
. The two weeks before update suspense nearly kills me.
