Unusual 1945 Longbranch

[purple]

Kindly pardon my intrusion here, but would not the "RB 11/46" mean "Rebuilt by Long Branch November, 1946". To me, that's the only explanation for the conjoined LB in the second punch; it is clearly not a simple "B", nor are the strikes consistent. Seems perfect for a rebuild mark, as has been pointed out previously.

Too bad more things aren't marked properly.... even if it does mess up the pristine "purity" of an "original" rifle. These things had long Service careers and underwent rebuilds and Views during those careers.

Many of the recently-released rifles are in FAR better condition than the pelters released in the 1950s and early 1960s. Reason is that they released the beat-up ones first, kept the best ones in war reserve...... and kept them up to date and in good condition for half a century or more.... and only THEN released them, the ones that weren't shredded.

I shall now run away and hide in the sock closet, having contributed nothing to this thread.
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Those are my thoughts on the "RB/date" marking. Also, this jives with the "46" stamp on the barrel. As you know, the barrel is the heart of it. You can overlook an "ugly Betty" No4 as long as the barrel is sound and tight and the lug recesses in the receiver aren't unduly worn.

I have an ex-Belgique LB44 that looked like a tomato stake on the outside and cost me $75 about 12 yrs ago. The barrel is great, and once the grease and crud were cleaned away and the wood and some non-LB parts were replaced, it looked like new.

I'm thinking this one may just work up to be a thing of beauty and a joy to behold once I get down to the metal and fit up some nice LB wood and other LB parts. I'm working away for the next while and will be interested to strip and clean the bolt and cocking piece to see what maker's ID I find on them.

 

[flying pig]

Could be, if it was P&S. I haven't done a Longbranch restoration for about 5 yrs and have some nice LB parts in the box, so decided to give this one a shot. It's got a 5 groove LB barrel with a "46" stamp. What's yours? Is the s/n on yours the original LB stamp size or is it done in larger characters? Also is the full s/n on the rear of the bolt handle? Mine only has the "L" and 4 numbers.

Yes mine is a P&S. Its a 5 groove as well. I'm not sure if the serial is original stamp or not, I won't get a chance to really inspect it well until Christmas, my fiancee bought it for me. The complete serial is on the bolt handle and magazine as well. I'm not sure if the barrel is stamped 46 or not, get a better look when I get to clean er up over Christmas. I think for the money spent its a pretty nice rifle though!

 

[dan belisle]

"This was quite an eye-opener for our Canadian mechanics who are often not much more than parts changers and seemed stuck without a big spare parts source."

That's because that's what we want and what we train. Rebuilding a part takes time, time that costs too much when you pay higher then slave wages. - dan

 

[desporterizer]

"This was quite an eye-opener for our Canadian mechanics who are often not much more than parts changers and seemed stuck without a big spare parts source."

That's because that's what we want and what we train. Rebuilding a part takes time, time that costs too much when you pay higher then slave wages. - dan

Dan speaks the truth! Mind you, this mechanic made an extractor for a kropatschek using nothing but scrap metal & a file.

 

[dan belisle]

Yeah, I work a lot in third world countries. It's always problematic because our supply systems aren't set up for folks who only want to buy the parts that they can't rebuild. Because most manufacturing is set up for western processes, we only want to supply rebuilt units or sub assemblies. Thye are faster to change, therefore the equipment goes back to work faster, which means it's making money. Hard to get the concept across to a shop full of people that work for a couple hundred dollars a month. - dan

 

[purple]

Yeah, I work a lot in third world countries. It's always problematic because our supply systems aren't set up for folks who only want to buy the parts that they can't rebuild. Because most manufacturing is set up for western processes, we only want to supply rebuilt units or sub assemblies. Thye are faster to change, therefore the equipment goes back to work faster, which means it's making money. Hard to get the concept across to a shop full of people that work for a couple hundred dollars a month. - dan

Yes, component changes are preferable, but when you are trying to get things done in a country like Syria it may not be the quickest way. The bureaucracy of the importation processes and related bribes and payoffs often means it just takes too long to get parts and equipment stays deadlined for too long. We like to work our way on our timelines. A lot of the world does not.