1945 BSA No4 Mk1 "T" sniper with Transit Chest

[Miller Tyme]

Picked this one up from a buddy late last year and being I already have a shooter "T" this one will remain a safe queen in the man cave. It's 1945 BSA produced No4 Mk1 Enfield converted to a "T" sniper by Holland & Holland. The rifle is all numbers matching with a honest mismatched scope mount with the correct model No32 MkIII (1945) scope, possible done during Arsenal repairs. What really sets this one off is the original matching Transit Chest that came with it, something that is quite hard to find.

 

[longebow]

That is a beautiful T!

It is my understanding that the TR was stamped at the time of conversion (telescoped rifle). If you don't already have a copy, I strongly recommend this book by Peter Laidler:

An Armourer's Perspective: .303 No. 4 (T) Sniper Rifle and the Holland and Holland Connection.

Amazon.com

longebow

 

[GrumpyOleFart]

Picked this one up from a buddy late last year and being I already have a shooter "T" this one will remain a safe queen in the man cave. It's 1945 BSA produced No4 Mk1 Enfield converted to a "T" sniper by Holland & Holland. The rifle is all numbers matching with a honest mismatched scope mount with the correct model No32 MkIII (1945) scope, possible done during Arsenal repairs. What really sets this one off is the original matching Transit Chest that came with it, something that is quite hard to find.

That is an iconic sniper rifle.
Congratulations, hope you enjoy it.
My first real rifle was a Lee Enfield.

 

[vascular]

Very Nice Walt! Nothing beats a T !

 

[Miller Tyme]

Very Nice Walt! Nothing beats a T !

No sir, except maybe a ZFK and wings @ Double Dogs.

 

[Lange Carabine]

That is a beautiful T!

It is my understanding that the TR was stamped at the time of conversion (telescoped rifle). If you don't already have a copy, I strongly recommend this book by Peter Laidler:

An Armourer's Perspective: .303 No. 4 (T) Sniper Rifle and the Holland and Holland Connection.

Amazon.com

longebow

The "T" on the action side wall after the No.4 Mk.1 designation was stamped at the time of conversion to indicate the rifles new designation of telescopically sighted, not the "TR".
The "TR" wouldve been stamped at the factory(BSA Shirley) during accuracy testing to indicate the rifle exceeded the standard accuracy requirements and had been selected for sniper conversion at Holland & Holland. Once at H&H it wouldve been subjected to more stringent accuracy testing and if it passed it went on to the conversion process. If it failed it was returned to stores to be issued as a standard infantry rifle. They are rare, but there are known examples of standard infantry rifles that bear the "TR" on the butt socket that were never converted.
The "S51" on the underside of the butt stock is the wartime code for H&H.
The last stamp to be applied before it left H&H was the " crown over D6E"Enfield final inspectors stamp on the rear of the action body to the left of the cocking piece.
FWIW, if the scope had been replaced in service it would have been collimated to the rifle and the old number on the bracket and wrist would have been barred out and the new rifle/scope numbers stamped.
Rifle and matching scope likely got separated by the importer.
Nice rig, nonetheless.

 

[Lange Carabine]

No sir, except maybe a ZFK and wings @ Double Dogs.

Or maybe an L42a1...from an accuracy stand point.

 

[diggler1833]

I've got a No.4 Mk1 T myself, and it too is mismatched.

My rifle is a 1945 model, but the scope is a No.32 Mk1 from Kodak LTD in 1941. It is in a Dalglish (sp...I'm not looking that one up at the moment) mount with a 1943 serial number.

Great example you have there to put up in the man cave!

 

[Miller Tyme]

Thanks everyone, this is my shooter, it is a 1941 Fazakerly No4Mk1"T"

I have been told that it is a legit No4 Mk1 (T) that was produced in early in the production run either by Enfield or H&H before the markings' system to become standardized. The rifle went through a arsenal repair indicated by the "FTR /Factory through Repairs" stamp on the butt socket ring and the new Canadian Long Branch barrel dated 44/45. The scope mount is a Rose Brothers and was stamped matching to the rifle during the FTR , (old S/N being AP3754) and is stamped with a "GF /Gujarat Forces-India State forces" indicating the rifle was at some point used in India at some point after the FTR. The scope is the latter model No 32 Mk3 and the front scope pads are properly staked to the receiver. The stock has no markings to denote either Enfield or H&H conversion and has been refinished with an Oil finish which may have been done during its days in India. The rifle has the "BNP" mark (indicating the it was proofed in UK) and "ENGLAND" mark suggesting very strongly that it was so marked for sale as surplus to America pre 1968.

Being as the rifle has been heavily refurbished it's value as an early example of an Enfield "T" is diminished, but that doesn't stop it from being fantastic joy to shoot.

 

[Mlewis33]

I've got a No.4 Mk1 T myself, and it too is mismatched.

My rifle is a 1945 model, but the scope is a No.32 Mk1 from Kodak LTD in 1941. It is in a Dalglish (sp...I'm not looking that one up at the moment) mount with a 1943 serial number.

Great example you have there to put up in the man cave!

Just joined and come across this post! Hope you don’t mind me commenting. I myself have a 1945 T with a mk1 KL 1941 scope. Mine all matches though. Scope mount matches the rifle number and the scope number is on the collar. Maybe they ran out of mk3 scopes at the time of building and they had mk1s left? It’s a mystery to me!

 

[diggler1833]

Just joined and come across this post! Hope you don’t mind me commenting. I myself have a 1945 T with a mk1 KL 1941 scope. Mine all matches though. Scope mount matches the rifle number and the scope number is on the collar. Maybe they ran out of mk3 scopes at the time of building and they had mk1s left? It’s a mystery to me!

Maybe. In early 1945 I'm sure things were pretty tight, but I've never heard of this happening (1941 optic on a 1945 T) until you mentioned it. Mine still has a different rifle's serial number on the mount, and that number put that rifle being made somewhere in 1943. In my case I'm sure that when everything got mothballed into storage before being pulled a decade later and sold to Americans...that they just slapped a scope on a rifle and shipped it out. The rifles and optics were kept separate in storage.

There are probably still a couple pretty knowledgeable folks who whote a book or two on the T over at the Milsurp forums. They might be able to help give a definitive answer to your question. https://www.milsurps.com/forumdisplay.php?f=72&s=75a52a6a8a9a9025664885d7948c986f