Questions about my longbranch?

[Tinman204]

So I bought a longbranch last weekend, it's in great shape and is a superb shooter. Was wondering if afew of you guys could decipher the serial numbers which don't match. I'm leaning towards that the gun was FTR'd at some point. The barrel receiver and bolt don't match, but the bolt has a longbranch serial number.

Anyhow here's a few pics.

Here's the bolt.

Here's the receiver which reads "C 27" under the serial #.

And finally the barrel which reads "F 55" and has a serial of "173"

End of the barrel reads "Agp ball burnished" is this normal for longbranch manufactured enfields? Any thoughs or comments as to wether the gun was FTR'd at one point would be great!

 

[IronCanadian]

The L in the serial numbers indicate Longbranch so both the bolt and receiver are Longbranch, although not matching.

If you can take a photo of the left side of the receiver that will help identify if it was FTR.

Other more knowledgeable nutz will chip in soon.

 

[rgg_7]

Well then!!!! You've got a real mix master. Your Enfield is made up from parts. Long Branch bolt. Receiver has been linished of its serial number and a LB serial number reapplied. It's been rebarrelled with a Brit barrel. Most like lt was used for target shooting in the late 50's or early 60's. This is not an FTR'd Enfield. Should shoot well with a "ball burnished" barrel. Enjoy it...keep as is. changing it back at this stage is pointless. Ron

 

[IronCanadian]

I happily stand corrected.

 

[tiriaq]

It is rebarrelled with a 1955 made Fazakerkey barrel. The top of the breech has a sale mark on it.
As I mentionned in your other thread, this rifle was likely used for target shooting. The rebarrel supports this.
This is not a FTR.
Is the buttsocket serial number a restamp?
Does the forend bedding show any indication of hand work? Scraping, soot, etc?
If you want to set it up the way it was used, keep your eyes open for a PH5C or AJP rear target sight.

 

[Tinman204]

Thanks for the info. So the receiver was re stamped? The metal is shiney around the serial number which I guess could mean it's been restamped. Who/why would it be restamped, was this done at target conversion time. The wood is in pristine shape, the receiver mating surface is perfectly flat. I checked the clearance between the barrel and wood and it is perfect, infact I'd say you couldn't make this gun fit together better or shoot tighter. I shot it again this week and managed 1 moa groups @ 75 yards with factory loads with it. I've never shot this well with any gun, let alone a new gun to my collection. The reciever isn't marked FTR so I guess it's not an FTR.
I'm a shooter so I'm tickled pink at the thought of having such a tack driver in my first longbranch. The barrel is as new condition I'd say, looks like it has almost never been shot.
Hope to save up some money ASAP so I can buy a ph5c rear sight for it and put it back to the way it was. There's one for sale on the EE but I spent too much on toys this Christmas so I have to take a break for a bit.

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

"End of the barrel reads "Agp ball burnished" is this normal for longbranch manufactured enfields? Any thoughs or comments as to wether the gun was FTR'd at one point would be great! "

As has been suggested, your rifle was once built up as a target rifle. The 'ball' business was a low-tech method of polishing off the roughness of a chosen barrel. I think it should read AJP not AGP, for A.J. Parker, the preeminent rifle builder in the UK and based at Bisley. In theory there were so many barrels left over in 1945, that chosing a good one wasn't hard - getting a better one was harder. Off the rack quality varied, but the rifles were capable of better. So, AJ Parker decided that by dragging an oiled hard steel ball on a long rod through the bore to polish off the rough spots. Whether it really made a difference is debateable, but the idea made a certain sense and they sold lots of them.

The FTR process would be clearly engraved on the left sidewall in electro pencil.

 

[rgg_7]

The receiver could have been reserialized for any number of reasons...replacement of a registered receiver(prior to the registration abolition); to match another bolt; replace a damaged one (charger bridge cut off, holes drilled, custom contour) and so on. It's not really important to the build. The "ball burnished" barrel is the crown jewel as it is sized to the bullet diameter. Will be a consistant and tight bore...ideal target barrel. A real good 5C sight with mounting screws will cost you $350 - 400...lots of junk out there for less. Pay a little more and get a good functional sight. It will be a dream to shoot. Ron

 

[Tinman204]

This gun is ridiculously accurate for sure, I'm pretty happy with the fact that the barrel is a matcch grade unit. I will put the right sights on it one day soon, it's a target rifle and should be put back that way.