Do you have a 1950 Long Branch?

[Claven2]

I see what you're saying, but hte greeks could be refurbs. I've had TWO 1950 LB's, both 95L's and both with factory blue on every part. Of course, they could be aberrations. One had an RSAF Enfield front handguard and was ENGLAND stamped (re-import) and the other came slathere in cosmo from a gunshow - likely unissued. Sadly, both have been sold off a few years ago I did have pics, but lost them in a HDD crash

The 15 or so rifles in your survey are hardly representative IMHO as with that small a sample most might be refurbs - who knows?

Everything I've ever read in books (as oposed to forums) indicates the switch to park happened AFTER 1950 at CAL.

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.

[Cantom]

I see what you're saying, but hte greeks could be refurbs. I've had TWO 1950 LB's, both 95L's and both with factory blue on every part. Of course, they could be aberrations. One had an RSAF Enfield front handguard and was ENGLAND stamped (re-import) and the other came slathere in cosmo from a gunshow - likely unissued. Sadly, both have been sold off a few years ago I did have pics, but lost them in a HDD crash

The 15 or so rifles in your survey are hardly representative IMHO as with that small a sample most might be refurbs - who knows?

Everything I've ever read in books (as oposed to forums) indicates the switch to park happened AFTER 1950 at CAL.

My 1949 was supposedly back from Greece. It had a tag on the triggerguard in Greek...it appeared unissued and it is blued.

[303Nut]

I have 93L41xx.
'50 barrel and all parts blued.

[Lee Enfield]

I see what you're saying, but hte greeks could be refurbs. I've had TWO 1950 LB's, both 95L's and both with factory blue on every part. Of course, they could be aberrations. One had an RSAF Enfield front handguard and was ENGLAND stamped (re-import) and the other came slathere in cosmo from a gunshow - likely unissued. Sadly, both have been sold off a few years ago I did have pics, but lost them in a HDD crash

The 15 or so rifles in your survey are hardly representative IMHO as with that small a sample most might be refurbs - who knows?

Everything I've ever read in books (as oposed to forums) indicates the switch to park happened AFTER 1950 at CAL.

This whole subject (date LB changed over to parkerizing from blueing) was launched after someone regurgitated a book (Stratton No4 & No5s) which contains the obvious error (LB started parkerizing in 1943-44) caused by too small a sample & the practice of unmarked Canadian FTRs.


I certainly never said that this survey COULD be DEFINATIVE, though it certainly CAN be REPRESENTATIVE.

Books are sometimes even corrected during their second printings (if I had a dime for everyone who has told me that they wrote a letter to "Cartridges of the World"...). The best explanation I've seen for books is that as soon as they are printed it leads to people actually looking into their basements for their "evidence" which they recall as disproving the printed "facts".

I'm sorry, but IMHO guns which you (or I) owned several years ago actually cannot be taken as evidence of anything. My memory is not perfect, and neither is yours.

My own understanding has grown so much in the last few years that what I saw & miss-understood or forgot about things I own or owned previously cannot be counted on today.

10 years ago I also thought that my 1950 LB was blued, then tefloned, then realized it was parkerized after I had something to compare it to.

For this "survey" I personally examined (within 3 days of each other, not several years ago):

CDN FTR parked LB 1942 MP
CDN FTR parked LB 1942 MP DCRA
CDN FTR parked LB 1943
CDN FTR parked Savage 43/44 serial
84L brit FTR matt blued? 1945
90L8 blued 1945 NIB CES
90Lx blued 1945
91L0 blued 1949
91L250x blued 1949
92L0 Blued
94L0 Parked
94L3 parked
94L9 parked
95L4 parked in cosmo (from original shipping crate)
95L8 parked

[Cantom]

Has anyone noted the difference in the Long Branch parkerizing finishes? The early ones and FTR'd wartime rifles seem to be that green colour, I think from zinc chromate.
The later ones, like 55 or so and then the CAL FNC1 rifles seem to be grey.(see the pic from the first page, I posted I think it was a 55 or 56 LB) Seems to be a different finish, maybe different chemicals were used?



I was reading a site about parkerizing, sounds too risky to try doing yourself...

"You should use it by itself, as any Antimony Tri-chloride vapor creates absolutely permanent irrevocable damage to the lungs"

I think I'll leave the Parkerizing to the pros...


BTW, I'm not sure why Canada didn't stamp FTR on rifles...they probably should have. Maybe they couldn't bring themselves to mar their beautiful rifles...the Brits didn't care, they could always slap another coat of Suncorite on over their plethora of stamps...

[Lee Enfield]

[QUOTE=Cantom;3852]Has anyone noted the difference in the Long Branch parkerizing finishes? The early ones and FTR'd wartime rifles seem to be that green colour, I think from zinc chromate.
The later ones, like 55 or so and then the CAL FNC1 rifles seem to be grey.(see the pic from the first page, I posted I think it was a 55 or 56 LB) Seems to be a different finish, maybe different chemicals were used?

QUOTE]

The greenish tint is supposed to be a reaction of the cosmoline preservative to the after parkerizing chromic acid dip which was used to neutralize the parkerizing solution.

Thats the rumour anyway.

Most home parkerizers use (much safer) boiling water to accomplish the neutralization, eliminating the green tint.

[koldt]

I was given the suggestion, and so I tried it, of lubing my newly parked C1 tube down with 30w motor oil and then baking it in 150 degree oven for about 20 minutes. In my opinion, it did turn a bit of a darker/greener colour. I liked the way it turned out.