ROF Fazakerley No. 4 Mk I

Description

No.4 Mk I’s were made by several factories during World War 2. The bulk of these were from the Royal Ordinance factory Maltby, Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Fazakerley, BSA Shirley, with smaller quantities at Long Branch in Toronto Canada & by the Stevens-Savage company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, USA. By the late 1930's, the need for new rifles grew & the Rifle, No. 4 Mk I was officially adopted in 1941. Unlike the SMLE, that had a nose cap, the No 4 Lee–Enfield barrel protruded from the end of the fore stock. For easier machining, the charger bridge was no longer rounded. The iron sight line was redesigned & featured a rear receiver aperture battle sight calibrated for 300 yd (274 m) with an additional ladder aperture sight that could be flipped up & was calibrated for 200–1,300 yd (183–1,189 m) in 100 yd (91 m) increments. This sight, like other aperture sights, proved to be faster & more accurate than the typical mid-barrel open rear sight elements sight lines offered by Mauser, previous Lee–Enfields or the Buffington battle sight of the 1903 Springfield. This example was produced by ROF Fazakerley & underwent the FTR (Factory Thorough Refurbishment) program in 1948 as noted on the receiver. This FTR program started after the last production of new No. 5 rifles had ceased. The Cold War was uppermost in the minds of the establishment, ROF Maltby had closed & it was important to keep the large Fazakerley plant on stream. Fazakerley & not Enfield that had the expertise when it came to No.4 rifles. While some were upgraded & FTR’d at Enfield, it was very few & even then, this was only to ascertain engineering principles & viability. During the FTR program the rifle was stripped & any parts which were worn were replaced before it was either stored or sent back to the field. This is often a major benefit as what you are buying here has been 'reconditioned'. We don't know what the Z on the butt stock is but I am sure it means something interesting, (perhaps it served with 'Z-Force'!) Most likely it was a racking, unit or armoury marking. Overall it is in good condition although there is a chip as can be seen in the photos. Bore is good so will make a fine service rifle comp shooter, plus it actions smoothly. Please view all of the photos carefully as they form the main description & override all others so feel free to ask for more as we have taken plenty. Sold on consignment on behalf of a collector.  

Specifications