What did I find? MK 4 #1?

If you decide to restore it, look for a very well used forend that will look right with the well used look of the metal. A couple for sale on the EE right now! You'll need replacement "pads" that sit on the body and onto which the scope mount screws. Your first challenge may be finding aftermarket pads (with pre-drilled holes) that line up perfectly with your holes. Used original pads occasionally show up on e-bay and these might have a better chance of going right on. After that you'll need a mount or bracket- there are lots of aftermarket ones available including some very good ones manufactured by a collector in England. The pads have to be machined or filed such that the axis of the mount rings is perfectly aligned with the bore as the original and replica No. 32 scopes have limited built in adjustment for windage and elevation. Note that original scope mounts by themselves often fetch $500+ and original scopes well over $1000.00. If you plan to take a crack at restoring it (which I would suggest you should) consider joining the Milsurps forum where there's loads of info specific to the No. 4T. I have two originals and one replica and they are a lot of fun to use.

milsurpo
 
cantom said:
It's definitely a No 4 (T). Nice score.

How's the bore? Do a good cleaning from the breech.[not muzzle]

First thing I'd do is pour a boiling kettle full of water down the bore from the breech end (using an offset funnel like an Enfield funnel) to dissolve any corrosive salts in there, followed by a careful cleaning. (from the breech)

A gent I know is good at removing screws broken off in holes like you have there...he uses left hand drill bits. Start small, dead centre on the broken screw and drill to the left, progressively bigger until...suddenly it should spin out...you need a propane torch licking on the screw as you are drilling as they were soldered in with soft solder.

You won't find the completely correct wood set but still have a nice score there.
Click to expand...

Were the scope mounts soft (lead) soldered, or silver soldered? If silver soldered, it would take more heat to remove the screw stubs, as silver soldering is much harder and hotter melting than lead based. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you may be able to cut a slot in the screw stub with a Dremel cut-off blade, if enough is sticking out, then heat, and back it out with a screwdriver. Possibly the screws broke off originally as the Bubba that removed the scope pads didn't know they were soldered in place too.
 
So the cleaning begins. So far the corrosion is just surface rust with minor pitting. Little bit of elbow grease and liberal amounts oil is taking it off just fine. Here's what I discovered under all that gunk. In all the articles and research I read so far I have found no mention of these stamps on the barrel at the 3 and 6 o'clock positions. They were hidden under the stock and years of crud that accumulated there. Do anyone have any ideas?
imagejpg3_zpsffa380e3.jpg

imagejpg2_zps40009224.jpg

In case the photos are not great it appears to be a crown with a blocky w under it followed by 6t. As well as the broad arrow mark I think. The other looks similar with the same crown as well as the T stamp.


And here's one of the trigger action just to show the condition.
imagejpg1_zps9dd375e7.jpg
 
...there's no rush with this. This is a great find. You may not have the $$$ right now, but give it time. You will not regret taking this project on over several years. And if your rifling is crisp, you may have a nicely accurate rifle to boot! DON'T sell it to anyone. If you are pressed for $$$ on other purchases, you really need to take your time. If you set this aside, it's not going to sprout legs and run away from you. Think long term...you won't regret it later in life...
 
I always like a clean rifle. Rags are free oil isn't that expensive either.

Sorry I'm wife tells me that was a bit sarcastic and snappy. I want to stop any further deterioration with this rifle and get it cleaned up. I'm still only researching and planning yet. Plus I have the other two rifles that came with this one to clean and evaluate. This is a long term project for me. I made that decision already. As for funds it just means I might like too do this one over some other purchases I have saved up for.
 
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