1940 Canadian sling and DCRA serial number questions

[cantom]

A friend of mine just got a 1950 Long Branch DCRA 7.62 rifle out of Quebec. The buttsocket has been renumbered to SC and 4 numerals.(4 digits)

The s/n area was filed or flattened out considerably in the process of renumbering. The bolt serial number matches.
The DCRA number is on the bolt handle, receiver and barrel. He's never seen another DCRA with the 4 digit DCRA number on the barrel.

Any ideas about why this s/n was changed from the normal 95L etc LB number? Was this a club gun and the number changed for that reason?

Also, he brought a C Broad Arrow marked sling with W MFG CO LTD 1940 on it.
This predates Small Arms Limited as far as I know. Were we making slings for SMLE rifles in Canada at that time?

 

[Lee Enfield]

A friend of mine just got a 1950 Long Branch DCRA 7.62 rifle out of Quebec. The buttsocket has been renumbered to SC and 4 numerals.(4 digits)

The s/n area was filed or flattened out considerably in the process of renumbering. The bolt serial number matches.
The DCRA number is on the bolt handle, receiver and barrel. He's never seen another DCRA with the 4 digit DCRA number on the barrel.

Any ideas about why this s/n was changed from the normal 95L etc LB number? Was this a club gun and the number changed for that reason?

Also, he brought a C Broad Arrow marked sling with W MFG CO LTD 1940 on it.
This predates Small Arms Limited as far as I know. Were we making slings for SMLE rifles in Canada at that time?

If he's never seen a DCRA with the conversion number on the barrel, then he's never seen a DCRA.

ALL DCRA's are marked with the conversion number in 3 places:

1. right side knox form (reinforce) of the barrel
2. right side receiver ring of the action (sometimes this can be under the edge of the stock)
3. top side of the bolt handle

I have seen DCRAs which had the conversion number stamped on the left receiver side and/or the butt socket; however I've only seen this in British actions which had the original serial faintly engraved & then lost during the refinish process.

 

[stencollector]

All proper DCRAs I have seen had the conversion number on the barrel as well as the bolt handle and the receiver.

The sling sounds like it was made by Woods mfgr co. Canada was in the war and producing webbing for both soldiors and equipment. The sling for the no1mk3 would be no exception. If you were sending a million men over, you were going to need a million slings. After the fall of Dunkirk, it was pretty obvious the Brits were going to need both men AND material.

 

[cantom]

All proper DCRAs I have seen had the conversion number on the barrel as well as the bolt handle and the receiver.

The sling sounds like it was made by Woods mfgr co. Canada was in the war and producing webbing for both soldiors and equipment. The sling for the no1mk3 would be no exception. If you were sending a million men over, you were going to need a million slings. After the fall of Dunkirk, it was pretty obvious the Brits were going to need both men AND material.

I can't remember from my 43 DCRA whether the bbl was numbered as well.

I thought the 1940 date interesting as I haven't seen one before. All I've seen were 41 or later.

 

[Lee Enfield]

I can't remember from my 43 DCRA whether the bbl was numbered as well.

I thought the 1940 date interesting as I haven't seen one before. All I've seen were 41 or later.

Remember that Canada had @200,000 No1MkIII and Ross MkIIIs in stores and on issue in the 1927? ordnance returns.

By 1940 we had "boots on the ground" in England and were mobilizing for other places...

One reason for not seeing one previously might have to do with the markings being ink, and having early stuff serve the whole war and the 60 years of "peace" since

 

[Lee Enfield]

snip... This [1940] predates Small Arms Limited as far as I know. Were we making slings for SMLE rifles in Canada at that time?

While production at SAL did not begin until 1941, the preparations were begun before the start of the war (IIRC '38-39).

As far back as 1929 IIRC the Master General of Ordinance had suggested a requirement to build a war-stores of some 500,000 new service rifles to be manufactured in Canada.

 

[#4mk1(T)]

I don’t have much info to offer regarding your sing question however many years ago I had a surplus Long Branch receiver. When it was sold for scrap the serial number had been ground off and the action re-parked. If someone found one of these unused receivers and bought all of the needed parts one could, in theory at least, have sent it into Canadian Arsenals and had a rifle built up on it. Having no serial number the owner would have been able to choose what serial number he/she wanted.