Lee Enfield #4 long branch 1945 - $900 U.S.

Here's another one........

Feedback and comments anyone?

Quote:

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GunBroker - Lee Enfield #4 long branch 1945 (click here)

Lee Enfield #4 long branch 1945 303 brit.looks new, unissued. some small storage dings.

BUY NOW - $900.00 U.S.

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Regards,
Badger

Looks like one of the recent Euroarms Italian surplused No.4's. It's nice, but it's not unissued and $900 seems... shall we say... high?

Would a 1945 LB have left the plant with a Mk. I sight?

It's doubtful, but in the world of Enfields I've learned that you never say never ;)

In 1945, they might have started using older stock parts as production was ending and would not start up again at LB until 1949 ;)

That being said, you would expect a 1945 to wear a CMkIII sight.

I can't tell if the sight is LB marked or not. There's something there, but I just can't make it out. The front sight guard appears to be the stamped variety. While serviceable parts would be used as available, with production being scaled back, I would expect that substitute parts would be less likely to be used. Who knows? The rifle certainly doesn't look like a crisp, unissued LB. If it were in the grease, the price would still be hopeful.

$900us? Maybe it comes with a free paper bag to huff glue in.

The rear sight appears to be a Savage, which could be appropriate. My 45 LB sniper, as well as the 45LB sniper illustrated in the MKB, both have Savage rear sights.
The center band looks like one of the earlier bands, not the flat fabricated style used later in the war.
Quite frankly, I can't tell if the rifle is unnissued or not by the photos.
When you consider that a run of the mill unaltered but used LongBranch seems to be fetching $300-400 these days, and a new in the grease 50s made LB sells for $450-600, then a wartime unnissued should be a bit higher yet. $900 US is a little steep today, but I suspect in a year or two we will look back at that as a bargain, or else consider an unnissued wartime LB almost unobtainable.
Re the $450-600 unnissued 50s LB #4s.: When they can be found, I consider them the bargain of the LongBranches.

Pherhaps, but in today's pricing it's over the top. Also, gove me a proper wartime ANY day over a post war ;)

As for Savage parts, Savage stopped production in the summer of 1944. All parts remaining were shipped to Longbranch and used up in their production. My unissied late '44 LB was built with a Savage mag. I've seen unissued 44 LB's with Savage front sight protectors, mags, safeties, trigger guards, sears, bands, and almost any part imaginable. Even the odd handguard or forestock.

By 1945 most parts would be be LB, but it's not impossible to still see the odd Savage part.

Throughout all this, the majority of LB's produced would still have been made with all LB produced parts however, especially considering the volume of rifles we're talkign about here!

I missed looking at this auction, but have a comment. I have a 1945 dated Long Branch that has a serial number that is CLEARLY in the 1950 serial number range. 1945 oddities such as these are not to be discounted, as the war was winding down, and production as well. It seems that some tables of receivers and barrels were "walked away from", to be started back up in 1949. Very interesting time period of the Long Branch.