Hello Ken,
Thanks for being so prompt with your reply and picture of the foresight insert holder. Definately a BSA item as are, apparently, the front and rear sights.
Interestingly, mention of the rifle being made expressly for the use of
H.P.S King's Norton '22 Long Rifle Smokeless ammunition is also revealing. Kings Norton is a suburb of the city of Birmingham (the home of BSA).
The Kings Norton Metal and Ammunition Co (formed 1890) was a subsiduary of Kynoch.
See :-
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) So we now have a rifle looking suspiciously like a BSA product, fitted with BSA sights front and rear and a BSA foresight insert holder. Proved in Birmingham, and the ammunition recommended for use in this rifle is also Birmingham made.
Would the fact that it is possible that the whole rifle was made in Birmingham effect the value? I think not, the association with Stevens and their address, makes this rifle (if the alleged numbers produced are correct) almost, if not quite, unique, and certainly worth a lot more than a similar BSA marked rifle of the same period.
If the rifle should prove to be BSA made, then you will have two sets of collectors wanting to relieve you of it. If your a young man, that rifle is your Old Age Pension investment
Does anyone know if the BSA Factory Records exist? It shouldn't be too difficult to run down a small order from Stevens.
As for checking out the Bisley 'Ban' rumour, I live at the opposite end of England I haven't been to Bisley since 1978 and I was pistol shooting at that time. I'm not in touch with anyone who may know either. However, Fred may know someone. It does appear to be a little rediculous that any rifle should be banned as 'too accurate', after all, the smallbore sport was set up to develope shooting skills and rifle accuracy. I wonder if it was a publicity stunt? American gun makers have done that sort of thing since the early days of Sam Colt.
Harry