IditarodJoe
06-08-2013, 07:26
that I bought about five years ago. I haven't fired it for some time, but Rick's post about "Ol' Number 1" prompted me to pull it out for a little quality time.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/IditarodJoe/No%204%20Mk%201/157_5733_zps3d31e27c.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/IditarodJoe/media/No%204%20Mk%201/157_5733_zps3d31e27c.jpg.html)
It was a CAI import that was built at Fazakerly in March 1943 and, as far as I can tell, never went through FTR. The s/n, BA264xx, is also stamped on the bolt handle, but anything that was ever stamped on the stock is now long gone. The magazine is an unmarked replacement.
I'm puzzled by a few things and thought I'd see if anyone here might be able help out. First is the serial number. Stratton (the only Enfield reference I have) states that Fazakerly was assigned the range 20000-29999 but only prefixes HA through PF. Supposedly, BA would have been a Maltby prefix. Is Stratton wrong?
The rifle came with a gray, pewter-looking buttplate that's probably what Stratton refers to as "Zamac", as well as a flip-type rear aperture sight. Both of these were supposedly characteristic of Savage and Longbranch Mk1* rifles. Would these have originally been the cast brass buttplate and stamped, leaf-type rear sight?
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/IditarodJoe/No%204%20Mk%201/156_5697_zpscc56370d.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/IditarodJoe/media/No%204%20Mk%201/156_5697_zpscc56370d.jpg.html)
Finally, this old boy has a grooved rear handguard with what appears to be a bit of heat damage at the chamber end. Is there any chance this was original to the rifle?
All in all, it's a fascinating piece of history and now has me wondering if maybe I should start looking for a No. 1 Mk. III to keep it company!
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/IditarodJoe/No%204%20Mk%201/157_5733_zps3d31e27c.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/IditarodJoe/media/No%204%20Mk%201/157_5733_zps3d31e27c.jpg.html)
It was a CAI import that was built at Fazakerly in March 1943 and, as far as I can tell, never went through FTR. The s/n, BA264xx, is also stamped on the bolt handle, but anything that was ever stamped on the stock is now long gone. The magazine is an unmarked replacement.
I'm puzzled by a few things and thought I'd see if anyone here might be able help out. First is the serial number. Stratton (the only Enfield reference I have) states that Fazakerly was assigned the range 20000-29999 but only prefixes HA through PF. Supposedly, BA would have been a Maltby prefix. Is Stratton wrong?
The rifle came with a gray, pewter-looking buttplate that's probably what Stratton refers to as "Zamac", as well as a flip-type rear aperture sight. Both of these were supposedly characteristic of Savage and Longbranch Mk1* rifles. Would these have originally been the cast brass buttplate and stamped, leaf-type rear sight?
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/IditarodJoe/No%204%20Mk%201/156_5697_zpscc56370d.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/IditarodJoe/media/No%204%20Mk%201/156_5697_zpscc56370d.jpg.html)
Finally, this old boy has a grooved rear handguard with what appears to be a bit of heat damage at the chamber end. Is there any chance this was original to the rifle?
All in all, it's a fascinating piece of history and now has me wondering if maybe I should start looking for a No. 1 Mk. III to keep it company!