Thanks Santa!!! Hohoho!!!

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12-22-2006, 11:58 AM
Cantom

Thanks Santa!!! Hohoho!!!

A 1944 Long Branch arrived yesterday, and I'm quite impressed. I bought it sight unseen from a man on Jouster based on his description, he got it from his dad. Seems all original, has a rack number on the butt and bolt. Surprisingly enough it has a No 1 Mk III magazine- could the army have done that because they had them around, or maybe a gun store screwed up...anyone seen that on an actual as issued army rifle? I'm wondering whether to leave it as is or change to a LB mag.
Numbers are matching between receiver and bolt. Mk 2 sight. Beautiful bore.

The wood is nice. Almost looks like maple to me, may be beech...anyone know anything about this rifle from the pics that you can fill in the blanks for me?

The metal is finished grey. I'm not sure what they used in 1944, it isn't blue, it doesn't really seem like parkerizing. Is that their version of bluing from that era?

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12-22-2006, 12:26 PM
sdh1911

Please don't clean out Santa before he heads to New Jersey-SDH
12-22-2006, 12:27 PM
Rapidrob

Very nice original finish rifle. Santa was good to you!
12-22-2006, 12:35 PM
Cantom

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rapidrob

Very nice original finish rifle. Santa was good to you!

Santa charged me $500 shipped for this rifle...:ugh:
12-22-2006, 04:14 PM
Claven2

Ouch... Santa's rices are on the rise. Change the mag - the No.1MkIII mag is the wrong part.
12-22-2006, 04:40 PM
Cantom

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claven2

Ouch... Santa's rices are on the rise. Change the mag - the No.1MkIII mag is the wrong part.

My buddy just paid $1000 for a 7.62 DCRA rifle...these beasts aren't going down.
12-22-2006, 06:19 PM
Claven2

1 Attachment(s)

Well, I do like my non-refurb 1944 :)

Oh yeah? Did I mention it's unissued?
12-22-2006, 07:16 PM
BRAMEL

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claven2

Ouch... Santa's rices are on the rise. Change the mag - the No.1MkIII mag is the wrong part.

Hmmmmm............guess who has an unissued mint Longbranch mag, just sitting in my parts bin???:madsmile:
12-22-2006, 08:07 PM
Claven2

Actually, on a 1944, a late production Savage mag would also be correct.
12-22-2006, 08:17 PM
Brewster

The last tiem I spoke with www.marstar.ca they had No 4 mags in stock.

Sell the No 1 mag, (more rare) on eBay and buy a No 4.
12-22-2006, 08:25 PM
Cantom

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRAMEL

Hmmmmm............guess who has an unissued mint Longbranch mag, just sitting in my parts bin???:madsmile:

Well...who could it be...could it be...Bramel??:lol:

I also have a 1942 sans mag on the way to me...it's a hurting unit but I have plans for it...I could use that mag. I have a most excellent No 4 Mk 2 mag or the No 1 Mk III mag if you wanted to swap...
12-22-2006, 08:28 PM
Cantom

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claven2

Well, I do like my non-refurb 1944 :)

Oh yeah? Did I mention it's unissued?

Quite different eh? Yours has walnut furniture and is that the stamped MkIII rear sight? Looks pretty good.
My s/n is 76L9XXX .
12-22-2006, 09:21 PM
tiriaq

Odd how many LB mags are salted away until the need arises. By all means, replace the magazine, and keep the SMLE mag.; you'll need it for a rifle, or trade, sooner or later. The wood is likely birch. LB primarily used walnut and yellow birch, experimented with maple. The Brits used a lot of beech. Beech has charcteristic "eyes" in the grain. Nice, unmessed with rifle.
12-22-2006, 10:09 PM
Cantom

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiriaq

Odd how many LB mags are salted away until the need arises. By all means, replace the magazine, and keep the SMLE mag.; you'll need it for a rifle, or trade, sooner or later. The wood is likely birch. LB primarily used walnut and yellow birch, experimented with maple. The Brits used a lot of beech. Beech has charcteristic "eyes" in the grain. Nice, unmessed with rifle.

What do you think about a LB rifle that is unnumbered? As in nothing on the receiver or bolt...back door gun?
Worth less, worth more? Presumably one of those CFC black stickers?
12-22-2006, 11:45 PM
tiriaq

I've seen a few lunchbox Inglis Brownings over the years, never a LB. I would suspect that it would be assembled from parts, but who knows where or when?
12-23-2006, 11:02 AM
Claven2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cantom

Quite different eh? Yours has walnut furniture and is that the stamped MkIII rear sight? Looks pretty good.
My s/n is 76L9XXX .

Yes, original walnut. And yes, it's the stamped MkIII site, not the later CMkIII.
12-23-2006, 11:03 AM
Claven2

Or scrubbed and refinished... that can happen too.
12-23-2006, 02:33 PM
Warren

The maple stocks are so heavy, you will know when you find one, even if you cannot ID the wood. You can find it just by picking up No.4's and comparing the weight. I believe the last time I weighed them for someone it was over a half a pound difference. The laminates are close to a walnut stock in weight.
12-23-2006, 06:33 PM
Claven2

The laminates are nifty. You encounter two types typically. The Longbranch experimental stocks which look like a K98k stock, and the DCRA contract stocks which were privately contracted post-war. These are different with wider laminate strips.

I've only seen one of the LB laminate stock sets first hand, maybe two of the DCRA sets. A rare find either way.
12-23-2006, 08:09 PM
rogerdodger

Resistance is futile I must post! Here's my '44 LB. Not sure what the wood is. Kinda looks like maple but I'm no wood expert. All LB marked except for the trigger guard which is Savage. The rear sight is the Mk III. When I first got the rifle it had a PH5C MP marked sight on it which wasn't all there. I was told it belonged to retired LEO. The shape it's in leads me to believe it was unissued or at least not issued to a military unit. Here's some pics. Thanks Dave er... I mean rogerdodger
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../th_LB42-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMGP1390-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMGP1389-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMGP1388-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC01171-1.jpg
12-23-2006, 09:55 PM
tiriaq

RCMP members shot in DCRA/PRA matches, so it is entirely possible that the rifle was used in competition, with the PH5C. Savage parts on a '44 LB could be original, after Savage terminated production in the summer of '44, leftover parts came north.
Incidentally, a MP marked sight is quite uncommon; would be worth restoring.
12-23-2006, 10:17 PM
rogerdodger

I though about doing something with the PH sight but the rest of the rifle was unmarked for RCMP. I wish it would have been. I sold it to someone who had a MP marked rifle but no sight. I did okay and I think he did too. Anyone care to take a stab at what wood it has?
12-30-2006, 05:55 PM
Cantom

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claven2

The laminates are nifty. You encounter two types typically. The Longbranch experimental stocks which look like a K98k stock, and the DCRA contract stocks which were privately contracted post-war. These are different with wider laminate strips.

I've only seen one of the LB laminate stock sets first hand, maybe two of the DCRA sets. A rare find either way.

Got any pics of these? Never seen one...
12-30-2006, 05:59 PM
Cantom

Nice rifle Dave!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerdodger

Resistance is futile I must post! Here's my '44 LB. Not sure what the wood is. Kinda looks like maple but I'm no wood expert. All LB marked except for the trigger guard which is Savage. The rear sight is the Mk III. When I first got the rifle it had a PH5C MP marked sight on it which wasn't all there. I was told it belonged to retired LEO. The shape it's in leads me to believe it was unissued or at least not issued to a military unit. Here's some pics. Thanks Dave er... I mean rogerdodger
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../th_LB42-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMGP1390-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMGP1389-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMGP1388-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC01171-1.jpg
12-30-2006, 06:01 PM
Cantom

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerdodger

I though about doing something with the PH sight but the rest of the rifle was unmarked for RCMP. I wish it would have been. I sold it to someone who had a MP marked rifle but no sight. I did okay and I think he did too. Anyone care to take a stab at what wood it has?

Sure looks like walnut to me.