I am interested in a No.4 MK1 made by Long Branch Dated 1943, matching bolt & receiver, 2 groove barrel, MK3 rear sight. The seller is asking 1100$ would you say its a fair price, considering the gun is pretty much mint. Also what are the pros and cons of a 2 groove barrel? Is a 5 groove really any better? Thanks for the input guys I've trying to get an enfield for over a year but I'm not much of an expert.
What would you pay for a matching 1943 almost unissued Enfield?
- Thread starter NordicSKS
- Start date
At that price, it really depends on how bad you want it and IF you're planning on keeping it in the condition it's presently in or giving it a lot of use and likely deteriorating the condition.
Have you looked for FTR marks?????
I see them selling at gun shows in the west between $800 and $900.
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Have you looked for FTR marks?????
I see them selling at gun shows in the west between $800 and $900.
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I would consider $1100 top top dollar and then some for the rifle you describe. But today it takes an effort to find a nice Long Branch No.4 for a good price, which is around half this asking price. Nothing wrong with a 2 groove barrel, and not much difference from a 5 groove inside of 500 meters in my experience using 174 grain fmj. In 1943-44 2 groove was the norm. The rifle most likely had a mk2 L rear sight which was the norm for that time, and likely the mk3 sight fitted post war. It comes down to how badly you want it.
Without seeing photos (and preferably inspecting it myself) I doubt I'd pay anywhere near that for a '43 LB unless it was unissued in the wrap (unlikely).
I happen to own a '43 LB with a 2 groove barrel, C MkIII rear sight and wood that's in good shape. Only the bolt and receiver match and it does have the FTR on it.
I paid $600 2 years ago, which seemed a little high, but I wanted a Long Branch-made L-E to go with the '42 Savage-made sporter (that IS all matching except for the sportered wood) I have.
I happen to own a '43 LB with a 2 groove barrel, C MkIII rear sight and wood that's in good shape. Only the bolt and receiver match and it does have the FTR on it.
I paid $600 2 years ago, which seemed a little high, but I wanted a Long Branch-made L-E to go with the '42 Savage-made sporter (that IS all matching except for the sportered wood) I have.
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- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Without seeing pic of it I’d say it’s on the high side of pricing but an earlier matching original Longbranch in mint condition would be sought after by some, nothing wrong with a 2 grove barrel. My sported ‘43 LB has a 2 grove and if I do my part it shoots 1”-1 1/2” 5 shot groups at 100y with hunting ammo, as said out to 500y you won’t likely notice any difference between 2 & 5 groves if it’s in good shape.
Usually (FTR)F electropenciled on the left receiver flat with a date.
Many of those rifles were FTRed to NEW condition.
A '43 LB in original condition should be blued (Du-lite process- a little dull and can be mistaken for parkerizing). Forends were stamped with serial number in a distinctive way until some point in early '43 at which point they were un-numbered. A bona-fide original (and very good) condition '43 is worth $1000 to certain people out there- lots of less collectable ones are sold for $800-$900. If you go to milsurps forum and do some searches on Long Branch rifles used in NZ you'll find examples of what they originally looked like with a bit of added wear and tear and a few "NZ" stamps. There are those that deny that truly original guns from the mid-war period exist but very experienced collectors claim to have seen examples of original '42/'43 LB rifles.
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