Just thought I'd share this with my other CGN'ers. Background: I've spent most of my adult life as a carpenter/cabinet maker, and I loved the trade. I've had the pleasure of restoring several older firearms and it's a joy to see some old artistry back almost as good as new. Though I appreciate the newer arms, being a staunch Canadian and amateur historian, I'm more about the older military arms.
Many moons ago, a whole pile of brand new 1950 Long Branch LE's came on the market. Well!! I had to have me one of those for 2 reasons. Firstly, it's the year of my birth, and secondly, they were made very close to my home. They were beautiful examples of the Canadian made Lee Enfields; 5 groove rifling, walnut stocked, beautiful blued metal & pristine condition.
To make a long story short, I lost the trade due to arthritis, and I had some awfully lean times before I got back on my feet. During the rough patch, I had to sell off most of my possessions that had any value and the one that most broke my heart was (you guessed it) my 1950 LE. A buddy bought it under the proviso that if he ever decided to let it go, he'd give me first crack at re-purchasing it. On my 60th birthday, my lady contacted him to see if he'd consider selling it back. Understandably, he chose not to.
A couple of months ago, a fellow CGN'er was getting out of the milsurp game, and put his stuff up for sale. Among the rifles was, guess what, a 1950 Long Branch Lee Enfield. I bought the rifles (sold one already) and started breaking down the LE. The wood showed the normal dings & divots that one would expect from a 60 year old rifle, but the big news was that it was UNFIRED!!! When I had it all apart, I found out why. At some point in its life, some doofus had broken off the tip of the firing pin.
I've had the firing pin replaced, refinished the woodwork, and done some other minor repairs and tweaks. It came with a short butt which doesn't work for my length of pull, so I put it away and put on a long butt. I also put the MkIII rear sight away, and got my hands on a Long Branch made Singer style micrometer sight, also new & unissued. If I ever get my old one back, I would put the original parts back on this one and sell it, but the new parts make it more shootable.
So I thought I'd share pics of my new toy with you guys. Most every shooter I know has a personal favourite firearm, and this one's mine.
Many moons ago, a whole pile of brand new 1950 Long Branch LE's came on the market. Well!! I had to have me one of those for 2 reasons. Firstly, it's the year of my birth, and secondly, they were made very close to my home. They were beautiful examples of the Canadian made Lee Enfields; 5 groove rifling, walnut stocked, beautiful blued metal & pristine condition.
To make a long story short, I lost the trade due to arthritis, and I had some awfully lean times before I got back on my feet. During the rough patch, I had to sell off most of my possessions that had any value and the one that most broke my heart was (you guessed it) my 1950 LE. A buddy bought it under the proviso that if he ever decided to let it go, he'd give me first crack at re-purchasing it. On my 60th birthday, my lady contacted him to see if he'd consider selling it back. Understandably, he chose not to.
A couple of months ago, a fellow CGN'er was getting out of the milsurp game, and put his stuff up for sale. Among the rifles was, guess what, a 1950 Long Branch Lee Enfield. I bought the rifles (sold one already) and started breaking down the LE. The wood showed the normal dings & divots that one would expect from a 60 year old rifle, but the big news was that it was UNFIRED!!! When I had it all apart, I found out why. At some point in its life, some doofus had broken off the tip of the firing pin.
I've had the firing pin replaced, refinished the woodwork, and done some other minor repairs and tweaks. It came with a short butt which doesn't work for my length of pull, so I put it away and put on a long butt. I also put the MkIII rear sight away, and got my hands on a Long Branch made Singer style micrometer sight, also new & unissued. If I ever get my old one back, I would put the original parts back on this one and sell it, but the new parts make it more shootable.
So I thought I'd share pics of my new toy with you guys. Most every shooter I know has a personal favourite firearm, and this one's mine.
AND waiting on MARSTAR for wood.....if your out there Johnone
