1945 No 4 Mk 1* serial number question...
- Thread starter ledfut
- Start date
Definitely 1945. The 90L snipers were 1945 as well, and they're obviously higher numbers.
I'd think pretty late as the 90L snipers were completed after the war was over...but what do I know?
If you own a No.4(T) Longbranch, there's a lot of good research background in the the Canada - Milsurp Knowledge Library (click here)http://www.milsurps.com/forumdisplay.php?f=10
1945 Enfield No.4 Mk1*(T) Long Branch Sniper Rifle (click here)http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=7
Regards,
Badger
1945 Enfield No.4 Mk1*(T) Long Branch Sniper Rifle (click here)http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=7
Regards,
Badger
Lee Enfield
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
Um, if the receiver is dated 1945, then the receiver was manufactured in 1945, I really don't understand what the question could be???
Having said that, 1945 serials are kind of confusing, because they often seem to overlap 1944 and 1949 dated receivers.
This is explained by a few truths:
1. Serials were (according to workers at INGLIS & LB) assigned after the rifles were completed, so there would have been 1944 & 1945 dated receivers mixed in the bucket & on the assemby line for a while.
2. There were spare "replacement" receivers manufactured. Some of these were final date stamped, others were finished and marked with "
194_" they had the final date digit hand stamped in.
These were receivers which were completed for future use but not assembled c. late '45-46. This is also especially apparent in early production 1949 dated LBs. Spare/replacement actions produced in 1950 after the @50,000 which were assembled in 1950-51 also show this feature. Occasionally they are seen dated 1953-56 with much earlier serial numbers (these are replacement actions assembed with salvageable parts from the serial donor gun). This is also true of the 1945 dated receivers.
They were unserialed until assembly. We know this because in the fairly recent past these actions were "commonly available".
3. The Long Branch sniper serial "blocks" can't be construed as meaning anything date wise as the blocks were assigned to be outside of the normal production serial ranges.
4. The only way to be "sure" of production date is to look at the "breeching date" on the barrel knox form reinforce. I'm not sure how this would have worked on a replacement receiver with a salvaged barrel.
The question is whether or not the serial number gives me any information as to when in 1945 the rifle was produced. I am trying to determine if it was producted during the war, or just after the war. VE day was May 8th.
Apparently, wartime production of the No4 Mk1 ceased on August 17th. I posted the same question on another forum and got the following reply:
"Per Skennerton, Long Branch wartime production of the No.4 Mk1* ceased on 17 Aug 1945. The s/n range of 1945 rifles is shown by Stratton to be 84L to 90L, with a total of 90,902 rifles produced that year."
This would seem to indicate that my rifle (s/n 89L86XX) was completed quite late in 1945, after "wartime production" had ceased. This would probably explain the absence of a C broad arrow anywhere on the original wood.
As a militaria collector and not really a "gun guy", I am just trying to determine if my rifle is a legit WWII rifle which may have been issued to a soldier during war time. It appears to me that it is probably a post war rifle, although only by a couple of months...
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Lee Enfield
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
VE-Day really had nothing to do with stopping WWII production at Long Branch (or anywhere else). Canada was slated to be in on the Japanese invasion planned for @1946.
Canada declared war on Japan on December 7, 1941; Shortly BEFORE the US did.
Canadian troops were involved in the Aluetion invasion and several other skirmishes of WWII.
Japan surrendered shortly after the second of the atomic bombs were dropped. The day popularly known as "VJ-Day" ~ August 15, 1945 ~ making your rifle a "legit WWII rifle".
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