1942 Longbranch, what is correct- All Finished, Pics Pg 4.
- Thread starter greyman441
- Start date
I have Skennerton's book "A century of Lee-Metford & Lee Enfields" It is a great book on the history of the type. Strattons book is more of a tech guide to type. Skennerton goes as far as quoting Stratton in his work. So I don't know if he was that far off. Skennerton does not go into who and when a certain variation of part was used.
Someone earlier had mentioned that Long Branch never used brass butt plates. I was an armourer in the Canadian army and some of the #4Ts had brass butt plates. So you see, a lot of the data out there can be little more that educated guess work.
Someone earlier had mentioned that Long Branch never used brass butt plates. I was an armourer in the Canadian army and some of the #4Ts had brass butt plates. So you see, a lot of the data out there can be little more that educated guess work.
Lee Enfield
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
"Stratton" was a survey of ownership, ie) my Maltby FTR'd Long Branch No4 does in fact have a brass butt plate - which means nothing to the posters question of what is original condition for a 1942 Long Branch No4Mki*.
Lee Enfield
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
Were those sniping rifles with brass butt plate Long Branch's?
I have never seen a picture of a Canadian sniper in the ETO during WWII with an (identifiable) Long Branch sniping rifle. All of the wartime pictures which I have seen where you can identify a LB T were taken during training in Canada.
What time period did you observe them?
Had they been rebuilt?
That was in 69 and 70 that I worked with them. I was 19 at the time and had the attention span of a,,,,, 19 year old. I had no idea of the make of the Ts but recall that they did have brass butt plates. I also recently got a package of parts for LB #4 mk1*. All unissued parts. Everything but the barrel and receiver. All parts that had a mark were LB and the butt plate was brass.
So, I guess I am guessing based on a lot of loose data. I am willing to be wrong but will stick to LB having brass untill I find out different.
To add my NZ-marked 1942 Long Branch to the mix, it has the early button cocking piece, the low wall at the receiver on the right of the forend, grey "Zamak" type buttplate, and the early bands. The rifle is all-matching, except for the magazine, which got switched at some point, and I have no reason to belive that anything else has been changed. The scope mount is a no-gunsmith type from Fulton's. It is expensive, but it is bomb-proof, and this Long Branch is the most accurate Lee Enfield (heck, most accurate WW2 rifle) I have ever owned.
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stencollector
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- shilo MB, the armpit of Canada
Nineteen years old and working on no4Ts. Lucky bugger.
I have a Cdn marked (C/l\) no4T with a Brass buttplate, but it's British made. Pretty sure someone showed a Cdn marked brass buttplate (Cantom perhaps?) a few years ago so they do exist, but they certainly weren't common.
Nope, not me. Never seen a Canadian brass plate. Only seen brass on (Brit) FTR'd LB rifles or mixmasters in my experience.
Let's face it, it's only 2 screws. Even a moron could figure out how to take it off, even if they still managed to bung up the screw heads. Anyone could have changed them out over the 70 or so intervening years.
Had tons of LB's and most have the black steel plates, while some of the early ones like 41 and 42 have Zamak. The 50's went to black/green parked steel.
Let's face it, it's only 2 screws. Even a moron could figure out how to take it off, even if they still managed to bung up the screw heads. Anyone could have changed them out over the 70 or so intervening years.
Had tons of LB's and most have the black steel plates, while some of the early ones like 41 and 42 have Zamak. The 50's went to black/green parked steel.
Lee Enfield
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
I really really want to see the markings on one of those.
I suspect that a wartime LB with a No4 brass butt plate might have existed in the earliest 1941 LB No4s, or be a pre-war SMLE butt plate retasked to use on a No4 butt stock.
Lee Enfield
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
1944 appears to be when LB started using steel butt plates as standard on No4s.
greyman441
CGN Regular
- Location
- Wasaga Beach, ON
So I got it all finished tonight, Someone in previous years painted all the metal, Took me a couple hours with some steels wool and it took most of it off. Suprising the bluing under it wasnt that bad. My plan was to make it look like it was issued and I think that happend. After I took a look at the bore, I found it was MINT, 6 groove longbranch barrel. Looks like it just came out of the factory. Also had a chance to check the headspace, turned out to be very good on a 0 bolt head. Found myself a 1942 C broad arrow sling in my misc. box to finish off the build.
Anyways, this is what she looks like now, I havent had a chance to look for heavy bands so I through on a set of smaller ones that I had laying around.
I have a S&K mount I may through on it and turn it into a sniper kind of thing. I think with the 6 groove, it would very accurate.
Anyways, this is what she looks like now, I havent had a chance to look for heavy bands so I through on a set of smaller ones that I had laying around.
I have a S&K mount I may through on it and turn it into a sniper kind of thing. I think with the 6 groove, it would very accurate.
Looks very nice and period! You're going to hate me when I tell you that you missed a milled Long Branch Mk 1 sight in the EE a couple days ago (so did I) - it was attached to an AIA rifle, and I nearly crapped a square red rock when I looked at the photos and saw the early LB marked sight! Alas, the ad was marked SPF so somebody will get a surprise when the find out the sight is something special!
