Any of you Lee Enfield guys out there have an opinion on what years of manufacture Long Branch rifles are most desireable from a collectors standpoint? Are post war rifles less common than war years or vice versa? Are refurbished rifles a notch below original finish rifles in value? I'm new at Enfield rifles and would appreciate any input on the subject.
Long Branch Info
- Thread starter Mike Webb
- Start date
- The rarest is the No.4 MKI (no star) usually dated 1941.
- The second after that are the C no.4 MKI* 1949 dated ones
- Snipers No.4 MKI*T are higly sought after
- C No.7 .22 trainers are always popular also
- A few experimental Models like the lightened versions, but those are rarely seen on the market since only a handfull were made.
- The second after that are the C no.4 MKI* 1949 dated ones
- Snipers No.4 MKI*T are higly sought after
- C No.7 .22 trainers are always popular also
- A few experimental Models like the lightened versions, but those are rarely seen on the market since only a handfull were made.
You'd be lucky to get one for 10K, not that there are any for sale.
Thanks for the feedback. Is it unusual to find 1950 LB's in pretty much mint condition? A friend of mine has one. I thought those rifles may have seen service in Korea but I guess Canada had plenty of WW2 production Enfields on hand as well.
1950 dated LB rifles in Exc. or better condition are fairly common, most were exported to Greece and Belgium. A large number were re-imported back into Canada from Belgium by the late Importer Districorps of Montreal. The rifles were still in their original shipping crates and mostly in unused condition except some had a few storage bruises and minor scratches.
Lee Enfield
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
- It is true that in numbers produced the 1941 should be more common, but surviving specimens of the LB No. 4 MKI are quite rare. Most were sent to England, a few to Australia and naturally a lot of these early rifle were lost or destroyed in combat. A large part of the rifles sent to England that survived the war, were modified into No.4 MK 1/2. So in conclusion, finding an original un-modified Long Branch No.4 MKI with all its original parts is quite a major coup in the Enfield collector's circle !
P.S. Most LB C No.4 MKI* rifles ended up in storage, so even if numbers produced are small, the survival rate is quite high. That is why I feel the LB No.4 MKI is the rarer of the two.
P.S. Most LB C No.4 MKI* rifles ended up in storage, so even if numbers produced are small, the survival rate is quite high. That is why I feel the LB No.4 MKI is the rarer of the two.
i had a consecutive pair of mint 1949's as well as a 1951,1955 and a 1956...all were mint all are gone to new owners ...i used to work in Clarkson which wasnt far fro LB CAL we had quite a few customers that had worked at LB one fella was on the steering comitee for the C1 series FN ...some of them gave me little bits and peices of various guns made or repaired at LB ..i even walked around inside the building when the post office used it...ahhh the good old days
Been doing some research and several sources claim that production of receivers ceased in 1950 and any dated after that were produced in 1950 but stamped in the year of completion. One article said none were completed after '55 but you say you had a 1956 marked rifle. Does anyone know the last year they were produced?
I was very lucky to pic up one of those for my wife's Enfield collection a few years ago from a member here on Gunnutz …
Beautiful wood and appears to be unfired. Still has original tissue paper on the sling.
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1950 C No.4 Mk1* Long Branch Riflehttp://www.milsurps.com/content.php?r=148-1950-C-No.4-Mk1*-Long-Branch-Rifle
Also …
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(Click PIC to Enlarge)
1949 C No.4 Mk1* Long Branch Riflehttp://www.milsurps.com/content.php?r=151-1949-C-No.4-Mk1*-Long-Branch-Rifle
All Matching Serial Numbers (Early DCRA Rifle)
Regards,
Doug
the ones dated 51 and 55 had the last digit hand stamped ..there was alot of rebuilding and make work projects not to mention R+D to keep the arsenal working until the FN started production ...i have seen a few 51's and 55,56 i know where i can get my hands on a 56 receiver .btw for your information and something i think is pretty cool if you have an early remington nylon 66 with made in canada on the barrel they were made at CAL also H+R had CAL make .22's and single shot shotguns for them as well ..i have a made in canada Longbranch ontario H+R .22 repeater and a cut receiver from a shotgun .
My 55 LB has a 1941 serial number...custom built DCRA gun.
