Numbered Longbranch Magazines?

[krinko]

Of the eight LBs hanging around the place at the moment, only two have numbered LB magazines. The '50, '45, '44 and most of the '43s have unnumbered magazines and aside from this 3L/'42 and one '43, of 22L vintage, the forestocks aren't numbered, either.
Here are photos of the two "numbered magazine" rifles, see if you think these numbers were put on at manufacture.

The 3L is the best candidate for factory applied numbers, although the fonts do not match from buttsocket to case. The first rifle, with the "L" left out on the magazine serial, almost certainly wasn't done at the factory.
If people can come up with more 1942-ish LBs having magazine serial numbers that match the 3L's font, maybe we can find an early practice that was discontinued---like the forestock numbering.
If the fonts are all different, orientation is different---ad infinitum, it's going to be a pretty fair bet the magazines weren't numbered by the ladies at the factory. Heh?
-----krinko

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[madcratebuilder]

My LB's have no serial numbered mags, or fore-ends. Most small parts have the L over B but few serial numbers on the ones I have owned.

[Brian Dick]

I've had a lot of Long Branch No.4 rifles over the years and my observation would be that the magazines weren't numbered at the factory but at the unit to whom issued or during subsequent inspection/FTR in whoever's workshop they found themselves in. The forends are a different story. I've seen original factory numbered forends up through 1943 production. I'm guessing the practice was dispersed with sometime then although I do have a '44 date 73L rifle with a numbered forend. The font of the stamps is not the same as the other LB rifles I have so I'm suspicious it was also done at a later time. Many of the rifles I've had including most of the the wartime dated Greek war reserve issue rifles went back through Canadian Arsenals prior to being shipped to Greece in the 1950's and they sport the distinctive manganese phosphate, (Parkerized), finish. I'd guess most were sanded during FTR linishing the forend numbers. Many had replacement forends fitted and they were left unnumbered. Just my two cents and not gospel so take it for what it's worth.

[finloq]

Well, I only have the one. 1945. The wood is not numbered or marked at all. The magazine, is Canadian (has the 'A' inside the 'C' and 'UCF', stamps) but as for numbering...neither of the numbers in the picture match the serial number of the rifle (89L9316).
Here's the interesting mystery: why was the magazine stamped: 953516 then crossed out and re-stamped in a different font 923516. It has to be a coincidence that the numbers are almost identical, right? Otherwise, somebody may have heard this: "Oi, you stamped the wrong bloody numbers! Gimme it! I'll do it myself!"

[Brian Dick]

It was fitted to a couple of other rifles during it's service career before being fitted to your rifle. Quite typical. Incidentally, most of the Greek war reserve magazines are numbered the same way without the "L" stamped in.

Hey Krinko, you got me going since today's the 66 anniversary of the Normandy invasion. I had to take a 71L, '44 LB out on my range this afternoon before dark in honour of my two cousins who were killed in Western Europe in 1944. One was Alvin H. Dick, 1st Armoured Personnel Carrier Regt., R.C.A.C. and the other John F. Lovell, Essex Scottish Regt. R.C.I.C.. They're buried in Dieppe and Antwerpen respectively. Brian

[finloq]

It was fitted to a couple of other rifles during it's service career before being fitted to your rifle. Quite typical. Incidentally, most of the Greek war reserve magazines are numbered the same way without the "L" stamped in.

Brian

Now 92/95 would have put their respective rifles in the 1950 production line. When did the Canadians sell off their Enfields to other nations?

[limpetmine]

Forgot to look at the danged foreends.
Another day....

[Brian Dick]

I think the Canadians, Americans, and British supplied weapons well into the late 1950's and early 1960's. I don't think they were sold but given under the direction of the post WWII Marshall plan. Can someone more knowledgeable elaborate?