Early Long Branch 0Lxxxx parts

Good evening, all.

I've been a collector for years, and recently acquired a nice No.4 Mk 1 Long Branch, one of the first 10k rifles, dated 1941. Every single part has the LB stamp where it should be, except I'm a bit confused about the furniture.

The fore stock has no real markings except the end cap, which is the often seen M.B.13.
I can't recall what manufacturer code this is, and can't seem to find it in my books.. it's driving me crazy to think everything on this rifle seems completely unmolested except the forestock and forward upper handguard that happens to be Savage.

I understand it was common for the North American makers to share wood, but did they do it that early..in '41?

Thank you

MB is Metal Box - a British company that manufactured (amongst other things) biscuit tins before the war

They made the nosecap on your rifle - During WWII they made many things for war service including 140 million metal parts for respirators, 200 million items for precautions against gas attacks, 410 million machine gun belt clips, 1.5 million assembled units for anti-aircraft defence, mines, grenades, bomb tail fins, jerrycan closures and water sterilisation kits, many different types of food packing including 5000 million cans, as well as operating agency factories for the government making gliders, production of fuses and repair of aero engines

Excellent! Thanks for the great information. Do you know if they made the caps for all manufacturers? Is it conceivable that this cap was made by them but installed and put on this Long Branch? There is oddly zero indication that this rifle was ever in England. No England stamp, no proof marks other than Canadian, and no import marks... The forend is also without the lowered section on the right side which is common on early rifles, but I'm not sure was or was not on some of the first batch of Long Branch.

Odds are you have a rebuilt from a sporter rifle. Parts are obtained for looks not originality at times or because of availability. Sounds like you have one. Don't try to over think this one, just enjoy...could be the wood was changed a couple decades ago before anyone cared about it, and this wood was nicer than the other wood...

Its rare to find a No4 forend that hasn't had the nosecap fitted - they were normally issued complete
So the likelihood is that the rifle has had a replacement British forend at sometime in its life

Thanks, guys. As much as I want it to be all Long Branch, the reality is likely a replacement forend and upper forward cover. They match really well and was definitely done decades ago, as everything has remnants of the same cosmoline. '41 stamped 2-groove barrel near mint on a 41 receiver is a scarce and interesting piece of history.

Attachment 93930Attachment 93929Attachment 93931

Very nice! I used to have one just three numbers lower.

Some nice examples of the "DCP" mark mentioned in another thread. For some some reason this mark seems to have been dropped not long after.

This is another series of rifles where the compilation of a spreadsheet giving configuration details and parts suppliers by serial number would help to date certain changes and possibly reveal other patterns.