Post war long branch

cantom said:
...Burn! Hahaha....:popCorn:
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Not a burn on me, I didn't have a table at that show. I've noticed a lot of those not too special 950-1200 Longbranch No.4's that are at every gun show, they never seem to sell... I wonder why?

I can't say I haven't overpaid for a Lee enfield, my 1950 cost me $750, 3 years ago! Despite this, over the past year I've picked up a nice condition 1918 SSA No.1 Mk.III for under $600, and a mint '42 Longbranch in a transit case for $750, with mint sling and bayonet. I bought a 44' Longbranch target rifle for $600. Maybe I'm wrong and I need to bite the bullet when Martin from corwin gets his next batch in (I am on a university budget though:runaway:) , I will admit the post war Longbranch rifles are among the best No.4's.

I guess what I'm getting at is that there are deals to be had if you look, and if you want one really bad, pony up. Just remember, just because it's listed doesn't mean it's gonna sell, and just because some excited new guy with $$ wanted it doesn't mean every one of them is worth a small fortune. It's why I'll never own an M1 Garand.

PS. I wonder what that excellent looking Dunkirk movie is gonna do to rifle prices?
 
Won't matter when the Cdns changed over. Whatever happens to the no1mk3, they just end up pushing up the no4mk1.

The no4s were generally always higher priced. All things WW2 really took a jump in price back in the 50th anniversary of D-day/VE day time period. I thought they would eventually come back down...never really did other than the drop for everything in 2008 due to the US housing collapse.

I thought the no1mk3 would maybe become more desirable with the 100th anniversary of the first World war. While they have gone up to a small degree, the no4s still command the higher (and higher and higher) prices.
 
Only a few had mismatched bolts, and even they sold within a few days. I bought a couple, and if more come up I might buy another. Money well spent in my estimate.

bearhunter said:
Martin at Corwin is pricing his rifles at what they are worth. Some feel they are expensive and some feel they are selling at a discount. I noticed they had mismatched bolts. That would put them right where they were fairly priced. Add taxes and shipping and the buyer pays out very close to $1000. The thing is, the numbers are extremely limited. No4 rifles of any mark in excellent condition are very popular all over the world and prices reflect those demands.

OP, you should be able to find an excellent post war LongBranch fairly quickly for that money. You may even be able to find a wrapped or unwrapped No4 MkII with accessories for that price. Prices on milsurps jump disproportionately with condition and rarity.

There is an old saying, You snooze or procrastinate, you lose.
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Is the overall build quality better in the post war rifles? I would imagine it should be. It would be interesting to compare them side by side.
If anyone knows of a nice post war example that is for sale send me a pm or post it here.
 
I had a 50 LB at one time. The chamber was much tighter than other No 4's I've had. The brass did not expand forward 1/2 inch or so like on others.

Other than that...pretty much every Long Branch I've ever seen, of any year, was of an equally high quality.

Some of the wartime rush em out guns had some slightly rough milling on the left side of the receiver.
 
PinkyPlinker said:
Only a few had mismatched bolts, and even they sold within a few days. I bought a couple, and if more come up I might buy another. Money well spent in my estimate.
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Martin was very lucky to get those rifles with matching bolts, especially in that condition. They weren't the majority from my understanding but whatever, if you got a few BE HAPPY. You pay for the little things once you start getting to the top of the most desirable pieces available.

This is where the You Snooze You Lose phrase applies.

Some folks who really aren't serious about their collections will look for DEALS and miss out on the best ones because of it.
 
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