Originally Posted by
Mauser308
I've never understood why the No4Mk2's in a wrap get a premium price over anything else.
The wrap was simply the storage method of choice when the rifles were in humidity and oxygen level and temperature controlled warehouses in armouries in the UK.
Once the wrap was broken to confirm the serial number when they hit NZ the usefulness of the wrap became nil - and cosmolene is hydroscopic so under all that pretty tar paper and under the grease next to the steel you could have water pooling and forming corrosion. So, you're +$500 wrap fee actually = an unuseable $0 rifle once the wrap is off. I've seen this happen once, complete with tears.
I can only guess it's like a gift that you never unwrap because you either like surprises, or you don't want to ruin the possibilities by actually opening it. The wrap is worth NADA...