Longbranch Identification

[seabee11]

Receiver marked No. 4 MK1*, Longbranch, 1943, Left side of butt socket, 37L02060, F16. On the bolt, 37L0260, Small, S marked, first var. cocking piece, lb marked bolt head. BarrelF55, gr, s23, u73, import stamp, .303 Can. CAI st. al. v. Sear marked F. Trigger marked S. Force marked magazine. All birch stock pieces marked with a broad arrow in a C. There is no FTR any place. Is this a parts gun?


Thanks,


Bill


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[bradtx]

Hi Bill,





Sounds like a FTR'd rifle. Is yours Parkerized? I've learned recently that LB/CA Parkerized their FTR'd rifles. My FTR'd '43 LB has no FTR marks or dates either.





Regards,





Brad

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[dromia]

It could also be an armourer level replacement/repair as opposed to a proper FTR when the rifle is taken out of unit and sent to an arsenal for FTR.





Unit armourers could do most work and the replacement/repair of parts at a unit level was common.





I am assuming that the bolt matches the receiver and it is just a typo.





CAI is an import stamp I think so they could have fiddled with it as well.





The important thing is that the bolt matches the reciever, less so on the No4 however, and that the headspace is OK.





It is very unusual to get an all matching Enfield nowadays, unless it is one of the No4 MK2s in wraps, infact if someone gave me an all matching rifle especially of WW2 date I'd be suspicious.





Most No4s are now "bits" rifles and this has been done in service, a reflection of their long and continued use, and is all part of their history.

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Adam.





Why don't you visit .

[seabee11]

Thanks for the replies,


The receiver, bolt and barrel are parked. Yep, I put an extra "0" in the butt socket number, sorry. The thing I wonder about is the barrel being a 55 and having the correct head space with the original bolt It looks like I should buy a set of gauges. Also found the barrel to be a two grove. Haven't fired it yet, we'll see how it shoots in comparison to the No. 4 MK11, I have.





Thanks Again,





Bill <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :ms --><img src=http://x9eralpha.home.comcast.net/smile5.gif ALT=":ms">;

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[Amatikulu]

37LXXXX is consistent with an early 1943 date of manufucture at Long Branch. CAI ST ALB VT is the Century Arms International import stamp for the USA.





Birch is interesting. I have a 1943 LB and its furniture is American Walnut - the serial number is 48Lxxxx. Doing some reading, I see that while birch is less common, it was used in the later years of the war. Perhaps it was replaced when the barrel was changed.





If the 's' marks you refer to are the squared 's' then this would indicate a part manufactured by savage. It is not uncommon for the North American made Enfields to have mixed parts between Long Branch and Savage.





My guess is that this is not a parts gun as I would define it, but has been "overhauled" probably as Adam has suggested at a unit armourer level.

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