LB No4 with "C" serial number

Vimy Ridge

Vimy Ridge

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My question is why do some Long Branch No4's have a "C" serial number instead of an "L" serial number? As in 00C0000, as opposed to 00L0000. It is stamped Long Branch and has nothing to indicate it could be Savage other than the "C". (all parts are LB marked) Are these Savage made receivers but built by Long Branch?
 
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green said:
Replacement body for a Savage that was beyond repair.
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The serial number is 51C###X which would make it a 1943 Savage, so this is a possibility. If so, it was fully refurbished and stamped 1945 at LB.

Interestingly, it seems LB liked to fully scrub down their refurbs and mark them as their own. Not the case with other factories who seem to have just added their own stamps to the original ones. Perhaps a LB policy or maybe a point of pride, who knows? Does anyone own a LB reburb that has origins at another factory? If so what factory, and did they scrub it down complete minus the serial number, or do any have LB markings added to the original markings?

Out of interest, does anyone know when LB purchased all of Savage's stock of No4 bits?

It seems as if LB refurbished a lot more Savage rifles than rifles from other manufactures and I'm guessing that ties in with the purchase of Savage parts.
 
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On gunboards an Italian guy had a 1955 Long Branch with a Savage serial number. It's not unheard of. I'm sure as was said they rebuilt rifles and substituted in a new LB receiver where needed while retaining the previous s/n.
 
Vimy Ridge said:
The serial number is 51C###X which would make it a 1943 Savage, so this is a possibility. If so, it was fully refurbished and stamped 1945 at LB.

Interestingly, it seems LB liked to fully scrub down their refurbs and mark them as their own. Not the case with other factories who seem to have just added their own stamps to the original ones. Perhaps a LB policy or maybe a point of pride, who knows? Does anyone own a LB reburb that has origins at another factory? If so what factory, and did they scrub it down complete minus the serial number, or do any have LB markings added to the original markings?

Out of interest, does anyone know when LB purchased all of Savage's stock of No4 bits?

It seems as if LB refurbished a lot more Savage rifles than rifles from other manufactures and I'm guessing that ties in with the purchase of Savage parts.
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No, sorry you have missed the point, it is a replacement new un-numbered Long Branch receiver which has had the serial number of the original damaged Savage receiver re-utilized. To replace the damaged/downgraded Savage receiver without adding or losing existing rifles on issue.

To explain:
Pre-@1926 the controlling serial number in the British system was the serial number on the barrel. It was common during rebuild for a salvaged barrel, bolt & stock to be re-utilized on another salvaged receiver. At this time the actions existing serial was barred out and replaced with the serial in the replacement barrel.

At the end of WWII Canada ended up with large quantities of completed and partially completed Inglis Hi-Power componants (slides & frames), Brens & Small Arms Limited (SAL) Stens & No4 actions and barrels.

During the Canadian Arsenals Limited (CAL) follow on production of No4 rifles and C1-FNs during the 1950s we continued with this practice to the extreme of producing un-numbered receivers into the FN-FAL era.
 
Lee Enfield said:
No, sorry you have missed the point, it is a replacement new un-numbered Long Branch receiver which has had the serial number of the original damaged Savage receiver re-utilized. To replace the damaged/downgraded Savage receiver without adding or losing existing rifles on issue.

To explain:
Pre-@1926 the controlling serial number in the British system was the serial number on the barrel. It was common during rebuild for a salvaged barrel, bolt & stock to be re-utilized on another salvaged receiver. At this time the actions existing serial was barred out and replaced with the serial in the replacement barrel.

At the end of WWII Canada ended up with large quantities of completed and partially completed Inglis Hi-Power componants (slides & frames), Brens & Small Arms Limited (SAL) Stens & No4 actions and barrels.

During the Canadian Arsenals Limited (CAL) follow on production of No4 rifles and C1-FNs during the 1950s we continued with this practice to the extreme of producing un-numbered receivers into the FN-FAL era.
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Thanks for clarifying!

It's a newly made LB rifle that replaced a destroyed Savage rifle, which was already in the system, so they kept the Savage serial number. Got ya! That's neat. :)
 
Vimy Ridge said:
Thanks for clarifying!

It's a newly made LB rifle that replaced a destroyed Savage rifle, which was already in the system, so they kept the Savage serial number. Got ya! That's neat. :)
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I'd add something to that...I'd expect all the Savage parts to still make up the rifle. Unless something was out of spec...LB wood is often seen on Savage receivers too.
 
cantom said:
I'd add something to that...I'd expect all the Savage parts to still make up the rifle. Unless something was out of spec...LB wood is often seen on Savage receivers too.
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I stripped it down. The only Savage part is the striker, the bolt itself being LB. The striker has the "S' stamp and might have an "LB" beside it although it isn't perfectly clear. Everything else is LB or CA marked. The barrel is mint 1945 LB. The bolt head is 0 and head spacing is good.
 
Vimy Ridge said:
I stripped it down. The only Savage part is the striker, the bolt itself being LB. The striker has the "S' stamp and might have an "LB" beside it although it isn't perfectly clear. Everything else is LB or CA marked. The barrel is mint 1945 LB. The bolt head is 0 and head spacing is good.
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Interesting. You know, nothing wrong with leaving that S part on it...it's completely correct. With the C s/n it might even be more correct to have an S part or two. Lots of LB's have mags with S on the followers too.
 
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