.303 british Mk1 or MII

[cocopolo]

I have purchased a .303 british marked « S no. 4 Mk 1* » ( I am not sure if it says « Mk1* » or « MII *» the first (I )apears broken like a small (k) but it is not clear but really I think it is the ( Mk1 *)
Serial number 56C 5336 on left near thumb
Also maked « U.S. PROPERTY »

The wood forend has been cut halfway down the barrel

It looks like it has the origninal front site.

The barrel is 25 inches long

A « 4 » is stamped on the right hand side of the receiver below the bolt.

A « 3 ? » is stamped on the bolt’s right side and a « T » on the front part of the bolt.

Is this the right thread to get some historical information and discuss this rifle.

Any information would be welcomed such a manufacture place and years , reputation etc… I’d like to confirm that this is a Mk1 and not a Mk 2 (II) via the serial number or some of the other markings I described if someone has that information.

Since the gun does not have the whole original stock I was considering putting a sporting composite stock on it to use for hunting. Would that be an insult to the gun? It is taped for scope and I have the scope mounts.

I have shot it with and without the scope and find it to be as accurate as any good hunting rifle I have ever shot.

 

[wjkuleck]

You have a Savage-manufactured No. 4 Mk 1*. The "*" indicates the simplified bolt-head catch adopted circa 1942. Savage made only the Mk1 and Mk 1* variations of the No 4. The Mk 2 is a late '40's variation, though a lot of Mk 1s and Mk 1*s were converted to Mk 2 in the late '40's and early '50's during Factory Thorough Repair (FTR).

"US Property" indicates that the rifle was paid for by the US Government, though for Lend-Lease to Britain rather than for US military use. There will be a number from "0" to "3" stamped on the bolt head, indicating a dimension relating to headspace. British military rifles can be found covered in numbers and markings whose meaning is now lost to history.

You have a very common rifle with no evident particular collector interest. Since it's been drilled & tapped for a scope, I'd go ahead and put a commercial sporting stock on it. These can be good shooting rifles; the .303 British military cartridge is in the .308 Winchester class at the least, making the rifle suitable for all manner of American big game.

I"m particularly fond of Lee-Enfields, and have more of them than I do Garands (shhhh!!!).

Best regards,

Walt

 

[cocopolo]

Thank you, all this information is really interesting and I will probably take your advice and put a sporting stock on it. I imagine it will take a bit of weight off it too.
Looking forward to bagging my first deer with it. I reload using 150 gr hornady bullets and the gun hardly kicks, it will be even nicer with a good recoil pad.

Is there anything tricky about putting a factory sporting stock on? I can get a Ram-Line Syn-Tech stock for about $70.00 that fits Tear drop buttstock models only. Is this what I would be looking for?

Tid bit..I bought this for $50.00. The previous owner says his dad got it for him as his first hunting rifle in the mid sixties and the first thing he did was throw away the bayonette. What a shame.