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I just bought a 1941 Long Branch No 4 Mk I. The front sight protector looks like a normal LB one. Does anyone know what serial number approximately the waisted front sight protectors were on up until?
Does anyone have a LB marked waisted front sight protector they'd sell me?
Yeah, I need 2 myself....
Count me in for one as well. For my 1941 LB No4MK1
Here's an interesting (somewhat related) thread about an exercise in restoring a No.1 MkVI that also required a "waisted front sight protector". The owner had it built from scratch by Scott Stonehill, who also makes those special screws for Parker Hale sights if you ever need them.
Restoring a No.1 MkVI Enfield
Regards,
Badger
I suspect that Mk.I rifles that remained in service were retrofitted with standard pattern foresight protectors. It would seem that many, if not most surviving Mk.I rifles have the later pattern guards, and non-hinged bands as well. If a rifle does have a waisted guard, the question arises - is it the one originally on the rifle, or is it a restoration? Have never heard of a serial number cutoff when the waisted protctor was phased out.
Were Savage Mk.Is ever fitted with the waisted guards?
Anyone want to post a comparison pic of the waisted protector with the usual one?
Wish I could. My Mk.I got FR'd. Think along the lines of a P-14.
The Cdn parts manual (CFTO) shows them all. My camera is down right now, or I would show a pic, and my scanner hasn't worked in years.
Here's a pic someone posted on Jouster and another that was emailed to me. This pic confuses me...it looks like a one piece sight base/protector. I see no separate parts there...is this the case?Quote:
Originally Posted by stencollector
BTW, look at the top pic- looks like the hinged front band on there! Interesting early gun no? Apparently a No 4 Trials rifle...
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Remember that the troop trials Enfields had many parts which were unique only to those rifles, and many of their components cannot be described as typical to anything but the trials rifles. I had one of these (also converted to sniper) and it was not hard to see why they were supposed to be condemned...replacement parts were quite special.
One thing that was interesting on mine was that the cruciform bayonet (which was for the earlier production rifles) would not fir onto my trials rifle.
The Canadian parts manual shows the waisted type front sight base as the typical two part assembly. It does show a one piece type front sight base (non-waisted), but does not give a NSN, so I am not sure if it ever became anything more than a drawing.
I know one guy who got a 41 LB and did find the Waisted protector for it. As for everyone else, it seems everyone's looking for them, so good luck to us all I guess...so it is a normal 2 piece setup then.Quote:
Originally Posted by stencollector
The one piece version was an approved WW2 variant, don't know that it was ever really used.
They do exist: I have several, but all on rifles. I need one more, so willing to make a good trade for one..
Cheers
Warren (the old curmudgeon)
I just talked to Scott Stonehill, who restored a No 1 Mk VI and fabbed a new waisted sight protector for it. He said it was very difficult to make. Also, interestingly, he said he previosly had a 1940 Long Branch s/n 0L796 (!) and it didn't have a waisted sight protector on it. He questioned whether they ever did have them. I told him I've heard they may have been removed later in an effort to eliminate non standard parts.Quote:
Originally Posted by tiriaq
Does anyone have a picture of an original Long Branch with one of these on from the factory?
There have been photos posted taken at LB ofone of the workers posing with a No. 4 with waisted guard. May have been a very early rifle.
On a similar topic, were cruciform Mk.I bayonets ever manufactured by S.A.L.?
Hi,I e-mailed cantom a pic of my 41 LB.The second pic in his post.The waisted sight protector is LB marked,so they were issued.I found this one is Australia.
There was an auction in England that had a early 41 LB in almost new condition.It had the waisted front sight protector and hinged front band.I think the serial # was below 1000.
Eric
Hey Eric, it occured to me how we can all get reasonably priced Long Branch marked units- since you have a LB marked one what if we got someone who does simple wax casting to cast us up some using the lost wax method? I guess there is a threaded hole there though but the fact that these are basically unobtainable means we have to think of something...wax casting wouldn't hurt your protector at all. They could fill the hole and it could be drilled out and tapped afterward.Quote:
Originally Posted by superbee
Here is the procedure for doing short runs of wax castings. First, find a foundry that will do it. This might be the hardest part. Many foundries do not want to fool around with short runs of castings, made using basic dies. The die for the waxes isn't all that hard to make. They can be all epoxy, or aluminum blocks with a cavity that is filled with epoxy. The blocks, and slides are held in place with clamp screws. You set up the original, coated with release agent, and cast part of the die using epoxy. Repeat until all parts of the die are moulded. Remove the original, refine the die, cut channels for the pour and risers. The channels should be designed by someone with some experience, to insure good metal flow. Once the die is prepared, the foundry will inject the waxes, tree them up, invest them, autoclave out the wax, pour the steel, break open the mould, cut the sprues, clean the casting. There are some catches - the wax will shrink slightly, so will the steel. Over thirty years ago, we were manufacturing trade guns. We had dies for all the metal parts, and had the castings done. I made the die for the breechplug that we used. The best dies are sunk in aluminum by a die maker. Nowadays a CNC mill would probably be used. Using epoxy and an original part as a master works. The die won't last as long as solid metal.
A front sight protector would need a fairly complicated die with a number of slides.
Whoa...sounds expensive no?Quote:
Originally Posted by tiriaq
If you make the dies, its not too bad. Foundry cost for a short run of pieces they might have to fool around with would likely be an issue. If the waxes don't pull cleanly from the die, the die might have to be redone. In the US there is a business, The Rifle Shoppe, that specializes in castings for antique gun parts. They might be an option. I've been thinking about how a die could be arranged, and it could be a bit complicated. I wonder how big the market would be for a reproduction part, and what folks would pay for one. Until the die is made, and parts cast, there is no way of knowing if the project is a waste of time or not.
My thought was that since the piece in question was LB stamped hopefully the casting would have that appear in it too, cleanly. If it's just a generic blur it might be less interesting.Quote:
Originally Posted by tiriaq
Aren't there small time hobbyist types that do this kind of thing too?
I'd probably be in for like $50 for one if it could be done and the LB showed up clearly, as a very true reproduction.
Someone would need to step up to the plate to volunteer one of these as a casting model, and no doubt would have to be assured that they'd be getting theirs back in perfect order.
Cantom, your expecations are WAY unrealistic. On a short run, the cost would be more like $100+ and still FAR cheaper than an original would cost on e-bay.
Also, it would have sprue marks and need to be polished. you would have to have the checkering pressed into the top of the ears after the part is made. Also, it will need to be finish milled to fit the barrel properly.
Forget about punched in markings showing up at all. Luckily, if you are anal about it, a set of letter stamps are cheap at princess auto and the LB mark is just an L super-imposed over a B. Then you need to have it blued.
This is NOT an inexpensive undertaking.
Consider that the repro SMLE Mk1 rear handguards with wax cast sight pretector is about $250 US and though it comes with an inlet piece of wood, the guard is a much less complicated casting than the sight ears you are looking for.
The cheapest solution is to have an original No.4 LB regular sight protector altered to duplicate the waisted one. It will involve some milling and welding but will be much easier than casting a repro IMHO.