LongBranch Enfield Newbie questions

Hello everyone, I am new to the forums and I thought I would post two questions on a 1945 LongBranch No.4 Enfield that I am breaking down.

1) I am trying to identify the stamps on the barrel (picture attached) '78', '80', 'B', 'I'. I assume the '45' is for the year of manufacture. I am using the North Cape Publications Enfield book, but I am not having much luck. Any help on what the stamps mean?

2) I am trying to remove the buttplate, but the screws are pretty frozen in place (picture attached). I am used to breaking free frozen bolts on old British cars with lubs & heat, but I think those approaches would do more damage than harm. Any advice for removing the frozen screws on the buttplate?

Thanks again & very impressive forum.

The "B" is "LB" for the maker Long Branch. "I" is the number "1" for bolt head size. The other numbers are part of the factory inspectors marks. Very nice 1945 dated barrel and appears original to the rifle.
To free the butt plate screwts you need a driver that fits the bolt slot in width and depth. Clean any debris from the screw head slot with a small file or sharp edge. Use a long handled driver so you can get some torque on the screw and you should be able to remove it.

Hope this helps,

Ron

Ron - Thanks for the informed response! My next question is > 'What type of furniture do I have?' How the British refer to the wood on the rifle. Per my research, Walnut was the wood of choice, by 1945 they were substituting Birch or Beechwood at the LongBranch facility. Walnut has a dark color and Birch has a yellow almost blond look. Do I have a combination of woods on my rifle? I am not a wood working kinda of guy... The Buttstock and one of the other pieces look dark like Walnut, while the other two are light like Birch? Sorry to sound like a noob...:wave: I plan on using BLO on the rifle for maintenance. What does the community recommend I cut the BLO with? 50% thinner, etc?
-Devin

Looks like you're on the right track. Walnut was primarily used however Birch and Maple were approved subsitutes. Beech was on Brit rifle and sometimes found its way on LB's when repairs were made at the unit level. I'd at a minimum change the wood to the same species. Should have a finger grooved rear top guard as well.

On your BLO cut with turpentine.

It was perfectly normal to see two toned issue rifles. Over 50 years ago, the one I was issued had birch and walnut. Shot a 5" group at 200y with it. There were many others. If you are rebuilding a rifle, no harm in using all matching wood, but it certainly isn't the way things always were.

Maple was not approved for use. It was trialed, and during the trials maple failed the cold test because it shattered like glass. Not good for a country like Canada.

I plan on keeping the rifle with the current wood. I am just breaking the rifle down, cleaning all the parts & putting it back together. In regards to taking the rifle apart, I just ordered the special tool to disassemble the bolt tonight (dam British). Quick question, does anyone recommend the 1/3 BLO, 1/3 Beeswax, & 1/3 Turpentine mix for the stock? The Enfield is missing the safety group, so I will be looking for replacement parts. Can anyone recommend a vender that the site promotes?
Thanks,
Devin

Brian Dick at BDL Ltd. should be able to help you.

Thanks, sent a PM.

Jona, regarding maple not being approved for use........... Are you sure? I ask because as apprentice Armourers learning all about the good and bad wood, what to expect and how to go about repairing it, we were reminded of the properties of maple and I recall the two points that I remembered should an exam question should ever ask us to discuss two features of XX wood. Maple was great weight/density and oiliness. It is recorded fact that Mk5 Sten guns had maple butts that came in billetted blanks from Canada to Tibbenham in Suffolk. We have Mk5 Stens with maple butts and true to form, patching a maple butt was not an easy task