Longbranch C no 7

Rubikahn

Rubikahn

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I see epps has some c no 7 receivers for sale. I was thinking building one would be a fun project. Does anyone know where to get parts, especially barrels, for this rifle?
 
I am unaware of any sources for barrels. You see boltheads for sale. Apart from the rear sight, all other parts are essentially No.4 parts, and they can certainly be found. If it came to it, a No. 4 barrel could be adapted, sleeved to .22.
 
A C No.7 is a No.4 except for the barrel, bolt head (and extractor), back sight and magazine follower. I think the firing pin is different too. Marstar has a page advertising C No.7 parts. British No.7 rifles have a very different bolt.
 
If you cut the tip off a .303 firing pin, it will work. A No. 4 barrel can be easily sleeved to .22. I've done it. You will have to make a piece to fill the .303 chamber, and ream it out at the same time as you ream the bore for the liner. Anneal a .303 bolthead, solder the cut off firing pin tip in the hole, and drill a two diameter offset hole for the rimfire firing pin. Keep in mind that there is gap between the barrel face and boltface in a .303. You must eliminate this gap in a .22 conversion. The piece that fills the .303 chamber can be extended back to the boltface to fill the gap.
 
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Rubikahn, no offense intended, but you can pick up a new, very accurate CZ for a lot less than you can build one up on a C7 action for. If you can do the work yourself, MAYBE for about the same price, depending on the quality of the bbl or insert that you pick up. bearhunter
 
bearhunter said:
Rubikahn, no offense intended, but you can pick up a new, very accurate CZ for a lot less than you can build one up on a C7 action for. If you can do the work yourself, MAYBE for about the same price, depending on the quality of the bbl or insert that you pick up. bearhunter
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You're looking at it from the wrong direction. Assuming you already have a #4, for a couple of hundred $ you can build a poor mans #7 instead of spending a grand on one. I've got a Savage #4 and a JC that might become .22's some day.
I've got a bunch of trainers and it's a lot of fun shooting at the range with them - a lot different than a usual .22. That big bolt and long throw is just so cool with that little cartridge.
You can get .17 liners and it would work fine - but it seems a waste. The .17 is all about precision - the extra money they cost to shoot over .22 LR doesn't make sense with military sights and the so-so accuracy that commercial liners usually achieve.
 
For most of us, the Cno7 was the first rifle we ever shot, thanks to the cadet organisations. I have had several over the years, and the only one I haven't enjoyed is the one still in the preservative grease.

I see Epps has sold out this batch of receivers.
 
bearhunter said:
Rubikahn, no offense intended, but you can pick up a new, very accurate CZ for a lot less than you can build one up on a C7 action for. If you can do the work yourself, MAYBE for about the same price, depending on the quality of the bbl or insert that you pick up. bearhunter
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No offense taken! And I agree, I could get a much "better" rifle for less money and headaches! But then it wouldn't be unique and I wouldn't have the satisfaction of doing it myself!
 
Rubikahn said:
Well, there goes that project!!!
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Not for me...I picked up a couple. It will be interesting to see what they are. The guy at Epps said they were unnissued mint receivers. I am used to seeing recycled receivers which the army scrubbed the origional serial numbers from.

The biggest obstacle to making them into rifles again will be finding barrels. I may have to learn to do the sleeving thing.
 
Epps price is good. A friend had 100 of these receivers in grease 1944, C No7 1945 and CNo7 1946. I moved a couple dozen for the same price in the 1990's.
Over the years I only got 3 original barrels. Lots of the other parts needed are out there. Complete rifles are rare, just let a friend get a complete one for 200 bucks, I should have grabbed it.
The only credible story told to me was by an old DCRA competator who said most of the barrels were bought up shipped to a company in Australia, where they were converted to .22 Hornet.
There I let out one of my secrets everyone seems to want! I have contacts in much of the world, but I know no shooters personally Down Unda!
 
EPP's sent me an email stating the "few" they have been sold. A CNo7 barrel would be the way to go here however original barrels in any condition are tough to find and costly. Relines will work.....extractor cut would be a little too wide? Keep us posted on your project.
 
stencollector said:
The guy at Epps said they were unissued mint receivers.
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Well, so much for unissued mint receivers. The ones I got in today from Epps were in the grease, in their origional Cdn supply depot boxes (2 to a box) and wrapped in that waxy type paper. However, on examination, all are the typical supply system receivers with the serial numbers scrubbed off, and the area re-parked/re-blued. Although I haven't cleaned the grease off them (and likely won't until the time comes that I use them) they all appear in exc condition with the exception of the flat spot where the serial numbers used to be. Despite many saying they exist, I have yet to see a Cno7 receiver that is genuinely unissued, and without the scrub marks.

One pleasant surprise...I got all 3 variations that I know of for the 44 receivers. A normal, by the book, 44 receiver would have the following on the side:
22"
LONGBRANCH
1944​
One of the receivers has had the origional nomenclature upgraded to the 45 style, by engraving:
No7.22"IN.Mkl
LONGBRANCH
1944​
And one of the receivers has had the origional nomenclature upgraded to the late 45/1946 type markings by stamping:
C No7..22".Mk.l
LONGBRANCH
1944​
You can tell the receivers have been upgraded from the origional markings, because the " mark after the 22 is only used on the early 1944 receivers, and the remainder of the nomenclature does not quite line up with the .22".

I don't know if I am the only guy who is interested in these types of variations...if others are, just say so and I will dig out the digital camera and try out a couple of photos.

So my collection of LongBranch oddities grows. Now the tough part will be to find barrels. If anyone has spares, I could be persuaded to trade receivers for barrels.
 
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stencollector said:
stencollector said:
The guy at Epps said they were unissued mint receivers. QUOTE]

I don't know if I am the only guy who is interested in these types of variations...if others are, just say so and I will dig out the digital camera and try out a couple of photos.

So my collection of LongBranch oddities grows. Now the tough part will be to find barrels. If anyone has spares, I could be persuaded to trade receivers for barrels.
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Yup Rob.... :)

Thanks for the post... very interesting stuff for the collector...

Send me pics and I'd like to put them in the MKL with a write-up (from you)... :)

Thanks

Badger
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I'm shooting a Long Branch 1944 .22" and it is very good indeed with its PH rear sight and the Lyman front. Okay, not 101% original issue, but they often were set up this way by different cadet Corps.

Stencollector is quite right..... a LOT of us old farts used this as our first "serious" rifle, qualified for our rifles, rifles and crown and then went on to the Number 4 and later the C1, later still the C1A1..... but the No. 7 or its predecessor the .22" Long Branch, wasthe basis of it all. As such, they do occupy a place in our hearts.

Nice thing is that if you don't have an original receiver, you can make one almost entirely from No. 4 parts. Modding the bolthead is no big deal, but you can find them around already done. Hardest parts to get likely will be the magazine box (stamped ".22"" and the magazine platform/follower/spring assembly..... and a barrel.

By the way, by setting off the tailstock on your lathe, it is possible to make up a rimfire barrel for an otherwise centrefire rifle. You have to be careful and be prepared for some wierd sighting problems, but it can be done so that you can have your Number 4 and rimfire it, too! In the old days, lots of Martini rimfires were made up like this on centrefire actions.
 
Huh, sounds like your No. 7's are different from the ones we had at cadets 6-9 years ago. The magazine was just a shell, so the guns were single-shot.
 
No, we are talking about the same guns. The mag on a Cno7 were not supposed to be empty shells. There was a platform that aided in sliding the round (by hand) into the chamber, and the platform had a open area at the back so the empty cases would fall in to the magazine.

Because you pretty much had to remove the platform to empty out the empty cases, it is likely that your cadet unnit just left the platforms out.
 
stencollector said:
No, we are talking about the same guns. The mag on a Cno7 were not supposed to be empty shells. There was a platform that aided in sliding the round (by hand) into the chamber, and the platform had a open area at the back so the empty cases would fall in to the magazine.

Because you pretty much had to remove the platform to empty out the empty cases, it is likely that your cadet unnit just left the platforms out.
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Ah, thanks for that, you learn something new every day!

Yes, I don't remember any platform in there, and the empty cases that fell into the mag could be tipped out.
 
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