Rare Holland & Holland Enfield No. 4 Mk 1 .303 British Bolt Action Sniper Rifle, Scope, Case & shipping Crate
Sold For Undisclosed Price
Make: BSA Shirley (Birmingham Small Arms Factory, Shirley) Converted by Holland & Holland
Model: No4 Mk1 T
Serial Number: 37783
Year of Manufacture: 1944
Caliber: .303 British
Action Type: Bolt Action with Removable Magazine
Markings: The import mark on the end of the barrel reads “C.A.I. GEORGIA VT. / NO.4 MK1 .303 UK”. The right side of the receiver is marked “S”. The left side of the receiver is faintly marked “No4 Mk1” and deeply marked “T”, a sniper designation. The left side of the stock collar is marked “M47C” for BSA Shirley, “1944”, “37783”, “V” and “TR”, the final inspection proof prior to being upgraded by Holland & Holland. The rear of the receiver is marked with two inspection stamps. The safety is marked with an “arrow / C”. The top of the receiver is marked with an “*”. The rear of the bolt handle is marked “37763”. The bolt head is marked “3”, “M”, and “arrow crossed swords d”. The rear barrel band is marked “POF / 57” and with a “V” shaped mark. The front band is marked “POF 58” and “YY / arrow”. The face of the front sight is marked “1’; the rear is marked “5232”; the top is marked with faint marks. The magazine well is marked “A” and “M/47C”. The left side of the butt is marked with a faint “332 in a circle”, a stamped “79”, “17” and “CL / 9” both in paint. The right side of the butt is marked “1 / 88 in paint. The top of the grip is marked with what appears to be “15570 / 3719”. The font of the bottom forearm is marked “37783”. The magazine is marked “37783”, “arrow”, “B” and with crossed out numbers on the rear. The magazine follower is marked “B in a circle”. The scope is marked “TEL. SIGHTING / No 32 MK III / W / No 14884 / OS 1650A / arrow”. The top knob is marked “0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9”. The side knob is marked “16 12 8 4 0 4 8 12 16”. The two scope ring tops are marked “61” and “62”. These marks line up with similar marks on the mount.
Barrel Length: Approximately 25”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a dovetail set bladed post set between two protective ears. The rear sight is a flip up sight ladder with a sliding aperture. It is marked from “2-13”. The scope is a fixed 3 power with a post reticle. It has clear glass and appears to function correctly. The tube and knobs show scratches and wear. The scope is attached to a one piece mount with two rings. The mounting screws are integral to the base. The scope is in about Very Good Condition. The mount is in Very Good to Fine condition.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The three piece, oil stained stock has a straight grip, raised check piece, nose cap, two barrel bands, three sling loops, a metal screw for support and a brass buttplate with hinged door for storage. The stock has various compression and handling marks. There are two thin repairs to the top forearm. There are scrapes and compression marks on the wood, some have removed the surface of the wood. There is a repair at the top rear of the buttplate as well as small chips of wood missing from the same area. There are small chips of wood missing from the grip next to the stock collar. The LOP measures 13 1/8” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stock rates in about Very Good overall condition.
Type of Finish: As Military Applied
Finish Originality: Refinished During Sniper Upgrade
Bore Condition: The bore is gray and the rifling is deep. There is light erosion.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 90% of its metal finish. The nose cap, barrel bands and buttplate show wear. The buttplate also shows deep scratches and oxidation. The stock collar shows scratches and wear. The left side of the receiver shows a deep scratch and other light scratches from the scope mount. The receiver has a few very small areas of pin prick surface erosion. The trigger guard shows small scratches. The screw heads show use. The markings are light, some are very faint. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good to Fine condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle.
Box, Paperwork& Accessories: The rifle comes with a scope and mount; see above. The rifle comes with one magazine that shows some wear and scratches. It is in about Very Good condition. The scope comes with a green metal case. The mount screws into the mounts in the case to protect it. It is marked with a tag on the inside. The outside markings include “CASE, STG.TEL, No8 MARK.I”. The case shows wear, scrapes, some erosion and welding burns. It is in about Good to Very Good condition. The rifle also comes with a draw tube telescope and leather case with carrying strap. The fixed power telescope has brass tubes and a leather exterior. Its glass appears clear and it appears to function properly. It shows wear, scratches and oxidation. The leather carrying case shows wear, scrapes and surface loss. Both are in about Very Good condition. The rifle and the included items come in a green wooden case. The case is unmarked and the internal tags are missing. Some of the internal wood and padding is missing. The exterior of the case is worn with scrapes, scratches and paint loss to the wood and metal hardware. The case is still solid with internal and external canvas for carrying the case securing items inside. The case is in about Very Good condition.
Our Assessment: This rifle started out as an Enfield No.4 Mk1 made at the BSA Shirley factory in 1944. It was selected for its inherent accuracy and then sent off to Holland & Holland to be upgraded to a sniper. This rare rifle comes with a scope, mount, scope case, draw tube telescope (spotting) with case and a wooden carrying case for everything. This is a nice one to add to your collection. Please see photos as there are more markings on the accessories than listed above. For a great article on the process of taking a No4 Mk1 and making it into a sniper, please see: http://www.allaboutenfields.co.nz/links-resouces/articles/from-no4mk-i-t-l42-ai/. Good Luck.
