No4 mk1 paint
- Thread starter JasonGTA
- Start date
CanadaCollector
CGN Regular
- Location
- Grafton, Ontario
Your Longbranch was painted green either when it left the plant or when it was refurbed for use in a tropical climate. Many No4 Mk1s have this green paint including mine. Most of the paint on mine has worn away over time and is only really visible under the hand guards. If it's not too bad I would just leave it. I definitely wouldn't recommend painting it or rebluing it as you would have some very angry CGN'rs accusing you of being Bubba haha. Just leave it be. Someone else may come along and offer a gentle solution on removing the paint without ruining the bluing but that's beyond me.
Hope this helps
Hope this helps
Some of the Lithgow no1. Mk3's were painted od green as well, as said already for use in tropical climates. The replacement nose cap I received from a seller in Australia was blued on the exterior but still has a nice coat of green paint on the inner surface.
I'd be tempted to keep it painted but that would depend on condition of the paint and rifle.
I'd be tempted to keep it painted but that would depend on condition of the paint and rifle.
Before the war the Enfield rifles were inspected four times a year, three visual inspections and one complete tear down inspection. When the the Enfield was assembled the barrel channel and receiver area was packed with mineral jelly (Vasoline) to protect the metal parts under the wood line from corrosion. After Dunkirk ALL rifles had the mineral jelly removed and were painted with a green primer, and the troops were issued raw linseed oil to oil the stocks once per month. After the war the use of mineral jelly was resumed until the rifles were painted with suncorite black paint.
If the rifles were put in storage after the war and then sold off as surplus they would have green primer on them. If the rifles were kept in use and issued the green paint was removed and mineral jelly used until painted with suncorite paint. I have a South African marked 1950 Mk.2 and the mineral jelly had been removed and the barrel and receiver were painted with a semi-gloss black enamel that started to come off when cleaning the rifle with odorless mineral spirits.
So the green paint is part of its collectible history, if you are not a collector and plan to use it as your shooter then remove the green primer and repaint with high temp barbeque black and oil the stock with RAW linseed oil.
If the rifles were put in storage after the war and then sold off as surplus they would have green primer on them. If the rifles were kept in use and issued the green paint was removed and mineral jelly used until painted with suncorite paint. I have a South African marked 1950 Mk.2 and the mineral jelly had been removed and the barrel and receiver were painted with a semi-gloss black enamel that started to come off when cleaning the rifle with odorless mineral spirits.
So the green paint is part of its collectible history, if you are not a collector and plan to use it as your shooter then remove the green primer and repaint with high temp barbeque black and oil the stock with RAW linseed oil.
I have a No1mk3 with the olive green under the wood. I left it as is. It's authentic, shows mine hasn't been messed with since '47 (when it was refurb'ed) and frankly, did a great job, because the metal is immaculate. The visible metal shows no sign on mine.
Right from the horses mouth dated September and November 1940.
What this means is the rifles were not torn down once per year for inspection and were only torn down if repairs were needed under war time conditions.(if it ain't broke don't fix it)
What this means is the rifles were not torn down once per year for inspection and were only torn down if repairs were needed under war time conditions.(if it ain't broke don't fix it)
