New question about country of origin stamp

[Al Diehl]

Being based on this side of the pond I have no direct knowledge of 'ehat happened', but from what I have picked up over the years it appears that the US importers had two methods of 'marking' their firearms :

1) They would employ 'local' UK labour to mark them up - no doubt they were issued with 'stamps' and told to get on with it. I doubt that the 'educational level' of a 'metal stamping person' would allow them to know that a Longbranch was made in Canada, A Savage in the USA, a Lithgow in Australia ..........

2) The firearms arrived in the US and put into 'bonded stores' - the US Importers would then employ local labour, issued with 'stamps' and told to get on with it. I doubt that the 'educational level' of a 'metal stamping person' would allow them to know that a Longbranch was made in Canada, A Savage in the USA, a Lithgow in Australia ..........


In all probability the 'Supervisor' was employed at 'minium pay rates' and had no more knowledge than the 'stampers'

Seems pretty likely. It seems considerably less likely that the poor fellow charged with marking thousands upon thousands of rifles is going to stop and say "Hang on...that one's Canadian." - even if he knew the difference.

The first batch of really nasty Khyber specials came in with their import stamps clearly stating origin in the UK...and there were some attempts to market them as such. Potentially a very dangerous state of affairs.

I concur with both of you. Thank you.

Al

[Lee Enfield]

Possibily part if the problem is / was the lack of desire, or ablility to travel, of many Americans (in 1989 under 3% of the population had passports compared to 75% in Great Britain) and therefore a limted understanding of the 'world' and the inter-relationships between countries

I found these suggestions as possible reasons that even today, Americans (as a Nation), do not travel widely

Sixty four percent of the population of the richest and most influential country in the world have never been abroad. Our citizens can be our best diplomats by showing the world who we really are, but we have to leave our own country first.

According to the State Department, there are 113,431,943 valid passports in circulation, which means 36% of Americans own a valid passport (and therefore 64% do not). Let’s assume that those with a valid passport have used it and those without have never been abroad — that means that a healthy majority of the population has never left the United States. Why not? How we decide to use our time and money are major factors in our failure to get abroad, as is a general lack of travel ambition.

Americans received an average of 12 days of vacation in 2012 (down from 14 in 2011), but used only 10. Moreover, 68% of American vacationers admitted to checking in with the office either “regularly” or “sometimes” during their vacations, which suggests that most Americans are still prioritizing work during their time off. Europeans receive between 25 and 30 days of vacation a year and typically use every day; few check back in with the office. From a practical standpoint, ten days just doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility for international travel — from a cultural standpoint, we Americans are clearly a little overly concerned with our jobs.

(Before you defend our vacation masochism and accuse the Europeans of being lazy, according to a mounting body of research, failing to take vacation is counter-productive; see studies from each of these: The Atlantic, Time, BusinessWeek, Harvard Business Review, Ernst & Young, New York Times)

Of course, there’s also the cost. According to the Department of Commerce, American international travelers spend an average of $1,351 per trip on airfare and $1,232 per trip outside of airfare, which means 52% of an international trip’s total expenditures are spent on simply getting there and back. A $2,583 trip would certainly seem a deterrent for the average American, who spends about the same amount on entertainment annually.

However, travel doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive – with the internet, it is easy to find cheap accommodations and dining, which will be the bulk of your international expenses. Cutting on airfare is not quite as easy, but it is possible (here are some solid suggestions).

I’ve read a lot of opinion pieces that claim that Americans’ fear and ignorance of other countries deters them from traveling abroad. However, I haven’t seen one study supporting (or refuting) this claim, so I’m not going to include fear as a factor

However, I will accuse Americans of a lack of ambition. According to a 2012 LivingSocial study, three of Americans’ top ten dream destinations are right here in the United States, including Las Vegas and Disney World. Really? Of all the amazing places to go in the world, with seven continents and over 200 countries, we pick Disney World as a dream destination? Let’s dream a little bigger than that.

Mark Twain once said that, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” The planet has never been more interconnected and it scares me a little that 64% of the citizens of the world’s most influential country have never seen any other part of the world. On a less lofty note, international travel is so much fun and it’s tragic that so few in such a rich country have experienced it.[/I]

Honestly in my experience, a lot of Europeans don't have any real concept of the distances involved in North America, nor how mobile we have to be as part of our daily lives.

Quite commonly I travel 150km to meet a friend for coffee.

When I actively worked in the field (as opposed to being stuck in the office) it was not uncommon for me to drive 800 - 1100km from one work-site to another.
That trip would take 9 - 12 hours...including food, fuel and breaks...

How many "average" European countries would I have crossed?

The US has all conditions of weather and climate from arctic to tropical weather, why would an American have to leave the US?

[Alan de Enfield]

The difference between America and England

To one, two hundred miles is a long way, and to the other, two hundred years is a long time

[Brian Dick]

This has all been covered before in previous threads if memory serves. From the 1930's items imported to the USA were marked with "County of Origin" stamps. This includes textiles, firearms and everything else under the sun. After the Gun Control Act of 1968, firearms importers have been required to stamp the firearm with "Country of Manufacture" stamps. Were and are mistakes still being made? I'm sure because there's a human element involved but that's basically it in a nut shell. No one "issues" import stamps either. We as importers have to buy them and they ain't cheap.

[Al Diehl]

I think that we have all come to the same consensus as to errors. I was really just wondering if anyone had seen a Long Branch stamped CANADA. Someone said he has and mentioned that he seen one stamped Australia.

Now, I what am interested in is "What other error Country of origin" marks have been seen on Long Branch rifles. In fact let's say any surplus rifles that are stamped in error. Pics would be nice too.

Al

[Brian Dick]

I've seen plenty of Long Branch No.4's stamped with the "Canada" stamp. I stamped hundreds of them!!

[Alexander A]

I have a Long Branch No. 4. Here are the markings on the left side of the receiver:

No 4 Mk I*
LONG BRANCH
1945

Just ahead of that is stamped:

CAI ST. A. VT.
303-B-CANADA

Meaning that this was imported by Century Arms International of St. Albans, Vermont and presumably came directly across the border from Canada. Century was required to stamp the country of origin as well as the caliber. (The "303-B-CANADA" lettering is larger than either the original lettering or the importer's stamp. The importer's stamp and the "CANADA" marking were obviously applied separately.)

[WarPig1976]

Possibily part if the problem is / was the lack of desire, or ablility to travel, of many Americans (in 1989 under 3% of the population had passports compared to 75% in Great Britain) and therefore a limted understanding of the 'world' and the inter-relationships between countries

I found these suggestions as possible reasons that even today, Americans (as a Nation), do not travel widely

Sixty four percent of the population of the richest and most influential country in the world have never been abroad. Our citizens can be our best diplomats by showing the world who we really are, but we have to leave our own country first.

According to the State Department, there are 113,431,943 valid passports in circulation, which means 36% of Americans own a valid passport (and therefore 64% do not). Let’s assume that those with a valid passport have used it and those without have never been abroad — that means that a healthy majority of the population has never left the United States. Why not? How we decide to use our time and money are major factors in our failure to get abroad, as is a general lack of travel ambition.

Americans received an average of 12 days of vacation in 2012 (down from 14 in 2011), but used only 10. Moreover, 68% of American vacationers admitted to checking in with the office either “regularly” or “sometimes” during their vacations, which suggests that most Americans are still prioritizing work during their time off. Europeans receive between 25 and 30 days of vacation a year and typically use every day; few check back in with the office. From a practical standpoint, ten days just doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility for international travel — from a cultural standpoint, we Americans are clearly a little overly concerned with our jobs.

(Before you defend our vacation masochism and accuse the Europeans of being lazy, according to a mounting body of research, failing to take vacation is counter-productive; see studies from each of these: The Atlantic, Time, BusinessWeek, Harvard Business Review, Ernst & Young, New York Times)

Of course, there’s also the cost. According to the Department of Commerce, American international travelers spend an average of $1,351 per trip on airfare and $1,232 per trip outside of airfare, which means 52% of an international trip’s total expenditures are spent on simply getting there and back. A $2,583 trip would certainly seem a deterrent for the average American, who spends about the same amount on entertainment annually.

However, travel doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive – with the internet, it is easy to find cheap accommodations and dining, which will be the bulk of your international expenses. Cutting on airfare is not quite as easy, but it is possible (here are some solid suggestions).

I’ve read a lot of opinion pieces that claim that Americans’ fear and ignorance of other countries deters them from traveling abroad. However, I haven’t seen one study supporting (or refuting) this claim, so I’m not going to include fear as a factor

However, I will accuse Americans of a lack of ambition. According to a 2012 LivingSocial study, three of Americans’ top ten dream destinations are right here in the United States, including Las Vegas and Disney World. Really? Of all the amazing places to go in the world, with seven continents and over 200 countries, we pick Disney World as a dream destination? Let’s dream a little bigger than that.

Mark Twain once said that, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” The planet has never been more interconnected and it scares me a little that 64% of the citizens of the world’s most influential country have never seen any other part of the world. On a less lofty note, international travel is so much fun and it’s tragic that so few in such a rich country have experienced it.[/I]

Who wrote this ridiculous Left leaning article? Because I can assure you it's load of B.S. I must say if your opinions of Americans are shaped buy progressive "journalists" your being sorely mislead. I think it's safe to say my fellow countrymen who view this will find it as offensive as I have. I'm not attacking you Alan I just couldn't remain silent with such misinformation post here. Jeff..

[5thBatt]

The difference between America and England

To one, two hundred miles is a long way, and to the other, two hundred years is a long time

& to a New Zealander, two hundred miles is a long way & two hundred years is a long time.

[muffett.2008]

200 miles is just a short drive, and time is irrelevant.