I am aware that the magazine is wrong, the rifle was missing a magazine and that's all I had to put in it for the picture.

 

so is is 875 or 8757?

 

The bolt,barrel, and stock all say 875 so im not sure what that extra 7 is about.

 

The first preproduction 1000 (or 9999) Fazakerley No5s had a FE prefix made Feb/Mar 1944 then no prefix 1 to 9999 then A1 to A9999 & so on
The date on this appears to be 3/44 so 875 could be either preproduction (but why no FE prefix) or actual production but then 875 is a few hundred too high, had a 4/44 serial number 524

 

Maybe some bit of info was lost or mistranslated during the FTR?

 

Not sure, there is also an "FMP" stamp on the butt socket.

 

Federal Malaysian Police 👍

 

I suspect its normal production serial number 7 that got allocated serial number 875 during the FTR going by the date & the location of the 7 compared with the location of 524 on the 4/44

 

It might have been given an extra digit during FTR? It is still an early ROF Fazakerley Rifle No. 5!

 

WOW and here i thought my 10/44 was cool

 

Information provided by forum member MKVII from documents showing from 'Goods Received' into the military stores.

Non many were received in the 1st half of 1944 (This is not production numbers but MOD receipts)

 

I just turned down a 1944 dated carbine because I already had a 1945 dated one......maybe I should see if it is still available.
One of the few, Frank USMC RET

 

And we don't like seeing rifles cocked....

 

Maybe it's cocked because he was going to shoot a coyote right after taking the picture. You know, multitasking and such.

 

9 out of 10 times it’s probably not easing springs prior to photographing and after checking to see if it’s loaded.
At least I’d like to think that’s all it is.

Otherwise we don’t exactly have a gun savvy group around here. Yikes!
Where’s my body armor??? Can’t post here without body armor!

 

Yeah, they keep trying to eat my chickens, i was about to get one.