Longbranch #4 parts markings ?

SA85M1

SA85M1

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Hello all...need a bit of help here...have a Longbranch #4 coming and she's going to be desporterized..What specific markings can be found on the metal..?..description or pics would be useful,..or if you know a site that has 'em lemme know..

Cheers. .R..
 
SA85M1 said:
Hello all...need a bit of help here...have a Longbranch #4 coming and she's going to be desporterized..What specific markings can be found on the metal..?..description or pics would be useful,..or if you know a site that has 'em lemme know..

Cheers. .R..
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Proper markings and parts "types" will depend on the year of manufacture.
 
SA85M1 said:
Hello all...need a bit of help here...have a Longbranch #4 coming and she's going to be desporterized..What specific markings can be found on the metal..?..description or pics would be useful,..or if you know a site that has 'em lemme know..

Cheers. .R..
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Those LB parts, particularly forends, are not so easy to acquire anymore.
 
SA85M1 said:
Ok copy that...LB or CCA...thanks gents !!
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Nope, but you almost have it.

LB is for LongBranch. The little L over the B is found on just about all the WW2 Canadian parts.
CCM is for Canadian Cycle & Motor. During the war they made a few different parts for the Canadian army. Primarily you may find those initials on the front metal tip of the forward top stock.
CA is for Canadian Arsenals. In 1946 Small Arms Ltd (SAL or commonly referred to as LongBranch, which was their location) was disolved and reborn as Canadian Arsenals. You will find a little C with the A inside. It will often look like the C broadarrow until you look real close.
The C broadarrow can be found on many of the Cdn production parts. It is a combination of the British broadarrow, which denotes the Kings stores, superimposed into a C, for Canada. The mark was officially made obsolete in 47 or 48, although it hung around a bi longer.
Another mark you may find on Canadian rifles from the factory is the Savage "S" (three variations). At the end of the US production, the story is that their remaining spares were transferred to Long Branch. Usually found on 1945 production rifles, and the parts could also have the C/l\ on them as well.
 
Awesome, ..thanks stencollector. !..just got a mixed bag of #4 parts today and was quite happy to find some LB marked items in it,..they will be put to good use..
 
I had a pair of LB rebuilds out to the range today. They are stamped R/LB 11/46 and R/LB 12/46. The 11/46 is a 1945 dated receiver which has been re-numbered to a 20 L s/n with a different size of lettering that is larger than the usual LB s/n stamps. I conclude that the original receiver must have been unserviceable and replaced or that the original s/n must have been indistinct to the extent that it was obliterated and re-numbered.
 
On renumbering the old serials were not to be obliterated but rather merely barred out. That way it left a trail. To allow obliteration would also allow for some hanky panky with accountable stores. But of course, after 70 years who knows where the guns have been. Does the 20L serialled rifle have an earlier barrel?
 
stencollector said:
On renumbering the old serials were not to be obliterated but rather merely barred out. That way it left a trail. To allow obliteration would also allow for some hanky panky with accountable stores. But of course, after 70 years who knows where the guns have been. Does the 20L serialled rifle have an earlier barrel?
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The barrel is a 1946 dated LB replacement which is consistent with the LB 46 rebuild markings.

I bought both of these LB 1946 rebuilds a few years ago. They had both been to India as evidenced by the addition of the lateral forend screw. Both were in terrible cosmetic condition, covered with grunge, and both were a total jumble of all makes of parts. Bolts were numbered to match with larger than usual stampings and the omission of a number before the "L" in the s/n.The good news was that once they were cleaned up the barrels were immaculate and the metal finish was in excellent condition. I wondered if they had been fired at all and thought they might have been racked away in some scuzzy black hole armoury for decades.

I was able to restore them both to all LB configuration with a selection of LB parts. I enjoyed shooting them at the range yesterday using some of the excellent FN ball ammo that was available 25 yrs ago or so. Best groups from the bench @ 100 yds were .75" from one and 1.25" from the other. It was a sunny and calm day here in the Okanagan and I think that the range gods were smiling on me. Or maybe I was feeling extra confident after my eye exam last week. The doctor told me that I had the smallest pupils she had ever seen and I wondered if that explained why I could still shoot acceptably well with open sights as I move through the geezer years.:d
 
SA85M1 said:
Thank ya'll for the info..btw..is there a definitive book out there that would provide info, pics, history ..etc ??
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Use extreme caution if you continue to read this post: Enfields are highly addictive and can lead to breakdowns in relationships as well as contributing to disorders such as compulsiveness, and hoarding.

If you wish to proceed reading this post, then do so at your own risk.

It's not cheap, but nothing with the word Enfield is these days. The latest edition of the Enfield bible is "The Lee-Enfield" by Ian Skennerton. The book will run you around $80 or $90. Don't consider it an expense though, as in the long run it can save you from buying dubious or outright fakes, as well as spotting a bargain.

Otherwise, if you google "Enfield markings", there are sites that will provide the basics on the various proof and inspectors marks.
 
Unfortunately it is far too late for that. I have bits and parts coming from everywhere and a few nice actions to keep me busy till spring, oh and then there's that #4 T project....yahooo..!
 
SA, I'll look but I may have a LB fore end here and maybe a Savage or LB butt.

I have a '42 LB with the RB 11/46 rebuild date too. Mine has its original '42 barrel, Ishaphore screwed, and has the tropical green paint. It's all matching. May have a savage fore end (believe it's birch). Has all kinds of pats mixed in, Faz rear sight, Brit safety etc. Really nice unaltered since it left the service piece. My wife bought it for me our first Christmas together, it's going in the smelter with me when I expire
 
SA85M1 said:
Unfortunately it is far too late for that. I have bits and parts coming from everywhere and a few nice actions to keep me busy till spring, oh and then there's that #4 T project....yahooo..!
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Well you were warned.

Unless you have very deep pockets, find an area that interests you and stick to that. For me, it is rifles that were used by Canada from 1940 onwards. That way I don't have to collect all the variations of the no1mk3, nor the earlier Enfields that can be expensive. So I just have to worry about one from each year of production for the no4s and Cno7s, along with a couple Ts. And when you see a bargain, buy them all, and use them for trading material towards things that are not bargains. You will be amazed at how rapidly the prices of certain parts climb when supply dries up.

Treat yourself to Skennerton's book. I can pretty much guarantee you that it won't disappoint. There is more information in there than you will possibly absorb, so it becomes a staple in the reference library.
 
Yup..I was warned...not really picking any specific rifle, or time peroid..fp's post on the #4 T has me interested in a sniper clone..and then I found a few more actions, and then one was a 1945 Longbranch. ..so off to the races we go...I love farting around with a restoration or two..
 
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A repro will run you $1200-1500 to assemble at best. For a little over twice that price you can have the real thing.

When it comes to T's, my suggestion is get the real thing. A rifle with proper scope and mounts, mismatched, can still be found occasionally for around the $3500-4500 mark. Seems like a lot of money, but they have only gone up in value. If you put together a repro, you really only have something that is worth the sum of it's parts, and even that has been diminished.
 
Although I agree Sten, something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. My Repro T was right In the range you described for assembled cost, plus my time. I wound up selling it a few weeks ago for $2100. If it is done well they do seem to hold some value. Although I would buy a real one next time, definitely.
 
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