What do you make of this?

[Niner]

I have a No. 4 Mk1 that I bought from a gun show years ago. It has a SAN number on the butt which I have taken for a South African number. I shot it today as one I just picked up in a hurry to try some 303 loads. Oldironsights noted that the metal band didn't show where it had came from. I got to wondering about it after the fact. I took a snap of the only marks. Got me wondering who the importer was or what the writing really might mean.

[Woftam]

IIRC correctly the IAC is something like Interarms Company, Alexandria, Virginia. Were in the firearms import business but went out of busines in the '90s sometime.

[dromia]

Yes top one is US import stamp and the bottom one looks like refurb marks although I can't read much of the bottom one.

Any other marks on it, if not they have been scrubbed and its likey to be total rebuild at Fazakerly.

If it says PF 34018 after the date then that is the likely source

[Niner]

Thanks gents. The serial number has 8/48 in front of it. Guess that would be the month and year it was refurbished?

I only paid $100 for it and hardly ever shoot it. However it shot a pretty respectable group at a range I coulds see the target well enough to shoot at.

[krinko]

That's not a Fazakerley rework mark, it's a Fazakerley build mark. A straight-up 1948 No4 Mk1, as sold to the South African government in large quantities.
Yours is a South African Navy rifle---which gives it a boost, as far as I am concerned.
Have you checked the butt trap?
The two SA No4s I own, both IAC imports, came with brass oiler and a pull-through in the butt. Had one for about two years before I opened the trap and found the booty.
-----krinko

[Niner]

Butt trap empty.