I have just taken ownership of a rifle that has been in my family for some time.
This Savage No4 Mk1* was purchased by my Dad years ago in Melbourne. We used it for 'heavy plinking', you know what I'm talking about. Punching big holes in things and destroying stuff that before hand seemed indestructible.
It remains to this day the largest calibre rifle I have owned and shot.
Despite its mild recoil, it's a heavy bugger and my dad's ailing arms are no longer up to the task of shooting it enjoyably.
After applying for the Permit To Acquire, sending the permit to Dad for him to sign, Dad sending the permit back to me, having Dad take it to the gun shop in Melbourne, having the gun shop in Melbourne send it to the gun shop in Queensland and me picking it up from the gun shop in Queensland all up costing $204 in postage and brokerage fees - it is here and now its mine.
I remember a time when you could walk into the post office with a gun in a box, hand it over the counter, declare it was a gun and send it straight to the buyers house for him to sort out. Anyway, times are a changin'.
More about the rifle - It was purchased by the original owner as military surplus. That unknown gentleman then proceeded to commit sacrilege and had the receiver drilled and tapped for the Millett scope mount that is still on it today. We were told he used it for military target shooting but I don't know if that's true. Is there a modified military rifle category? Regardless, my dad thought it was a good buy and we've had it ever since. Of course, that was when surplus military ammo was available for next to nothing. Now days it's not cheap to fire. I was told I was getting a good deal when I got 50 FMJ rounds for $65.
It's a 1942 model but as already mentioned, has never seen action. The condition is as close to new as a second hand rifle from 1942 gets. I was contemplating shooting the 50 rounds through it and then selling it. What I really want is a Winchester 73 in 38/357.
Now that I've got it home and I've cleaned it up I remember how much fun my dad and I had with this old gun and I think I'll be keeping it.
The el'cheapo scope on it is a Bushnell Sportsman 3-9x32. It's cheap but not nasty. It's held up to the use we've put it through but I'll be able to make a better assessment once I take the rifle to the range for some group work.
I hope you like it. I know there are a lot of military rifle enthusiasts that will enjoy the photos. It's clear now that I see the machining up close, that fit and finish were not on top of the list of priorities when they were banging these out for use in the war.
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