Longbranch 44 Enfield ?

[jeffreyasmith]

Right !!!
that Definitely was/is my Plan

[SpikeDD]

The rifle is 100% repairable and as previously posted, more of an annoyance than a "danger". Although the chips are a bit on the extensive side, the corners can be spot welded and then re-ground to shape the corners and channel using various dremmel tool bits. You will also want to slightly bevel the leading and rearward edges in the bolt head slot to reduce the the impact the bolt head edges have on these corners. You can use a jewelers file for the bolt head slot. Cycling the bolt slowly will help reduce the chances of the bolt head jumping out of the now enlarged opening until it is repaired. I own several rifles that have had this repair done and they function just as new.

[browningautorifle]

However...the military disposed of them I'm pretty sure. And I'd be hard pressed to pick one up that was damaged so I could do that much to repair it. If given one however...?

[jeffreyasmith]

My Guess is the Military disposed of them
because they had enough to make them "disposable"

While this rifle is not particularly rare they aren't making them anymore
and i am betting someone has the skill and the desire to see it repaired

But hoping the Experts chime in

[SpikeDD]

The rifle is indeed not "rare" but you don't often see Longbranch rifles with a standard FTR. You will find more of them converted to Mk. 1/3 ( Upgrade to the Mk.2 configuration ) than you will a standard FTR. The repair your rifle needs can take several hours and the cost may discourage most that have paid a decent amount for a rifle. If you are a collector and the particular rifle is one that is hard to come by, then the cost is warranted. If you paid nothing for the rifle, the repair would be cost effective. If you are looking to sell it in it's present state...maybe $50-$100 ? I'm sure Peter will tell you the reasons why these types of failures were deemed "unserviceable", but it won't be because they are dangerous. If the bolt head jumps out of the slot while cycling a round, it won't even chamber it. It kinda falls in the dysfunctional category and with this particular failure, whatever reasons the military had for not repairing them, have nothing to do with them not being able to be repaired.

[Peter Laidler]

That would be a ZF/BER job to me at all stages of the REME repair chain. I suppose you could mig or tig it and recut. We did repair some but not totally when chomped away that bad.

I detail the repair procedure on the forum some time ago.

Should just add that the problem was always the forward end of the slot. That's why I always endorsed the paperwork ZF/BER as Factory repair (ZF but in reality scrap) and BER as simply beyond any sort of meaningful economic repair

[jeffreyasmith]

First let me say I want to thank everyone for their Responses and Expertise
I came here expecting Details & Facts and I was not disappointed at all

But I have a Longbranch and a Jungle Carbine both in Questionable condition

I know that these are Great Guns both Historically and as Shooters
but I have come to own them not of my own doing as they were gifts

They each need work to bring them up to par

Work that I have Not the Skill, Facilities, Tools, Resources,
and I am afraid even the Will or Desire to do.

I can attempt to sell them giving the buyers as much honest information as possible
I wouldnt want to be “the Guy” who sells Bad Goods without being forthright to the Buyer

I can sell them separately

I can take the Bolt from the Longbrach and use it in the Carbine
Something I believe Peter says was done after the war as the parts bins shrank
(I in fact was given the Longbranch to use the bolt for the Carbine)

or I can sell them together as a package deal and let the Buyer sort things
(which is the option that I most find acceptable)

I don't want to just give them away either
just because they are Not in top form
doesn't mean they are not at least Somewhat valuable

So I am asking you for more Feedback
What do you think they are Generally and Honestly worth

I know what I would like to get for both of them
and I don't think I am expecting to much
or trying to Soak the Buyer with Bad Goods

But I Need and want to know what the General opinion is

Thank you

You can Private Message me

[ssj]

The broken notches mean when cycling the bolt the head could jump out/jamb. Given how battered the rest of it looks and how common these are I would say its a wall hanger. I wouldnt give $50 for it unless the barrel is good.

[Seaspriter]

Jeffery, if you ask for advice from a site like this, you are likely to get a wide variety of thoughts, which might differ greatly between experts and other less knowledgeable "collectors" like me. So for what it's worth, here's what I'd do (as a collector I'm interested in the gun and the "story" that goes with it):

Keep them both.

- Carbine: You'd be lucky to fetch $275 for the gun on the open market.
If you decide to keep it, first find a replacement bolt with a hollowed ball. These are available and were used in a number of Enfields at the end of the war (cost: ~ $25). Clean the innards and barrel, oil and grease appropriately, making the gun safe.
Second, strip off that awful "refinished varnish." Then lightly stain the wood back to something closer to what it would have had if it hadn't been sanded. (try a combination of Minwax "Gunstock" and "Red Mahogany" in light applications until you get a color that looks like an reddish Enfield stain. Then use a BLO, Tung Oil, or Wax finish. (see: Dropbox - Laws Principles of Enfield Restoration V1.1.pdf for some ideas on "restoration.")
Lastly, outfit the gun with a restoration bayonet (cost ~$60) and an authentic sling (cost ~12), and enjoy a really distinctive gun that has no peer when it comes to a classy muzzle with flash hider.

- Long Branch Enfield: This gun was FTR'd (Factory Thorough Repair) in 1948, which brought the gun up to near-new standards.
Subsequently it got pretty beaten up, probably in the Middle East in the late 1940's or in Korea in the early 1950's or both. It makes a great conversation piece with lots of history.
If you were to sell it in today's market you might fetch $250 at most (most likely closer to $150 if other parts are OK), given the receiver's condition.
It would be more interesting to clean up the stock (absolutely NO SANDPAPER, follow instructions in the link above). Then paint on DP stripes and stencils, mount the gun and have fun talking about it.
You can still use the gun for Emergency Use (i.e. home defense), but not as a shooter or hunter.

Document what you do to both guns for posterity.

Anyway, I'm sure others will chime in and give you lots of other options.

But by no means disassemble the guns for parts -- there are still plenty of parts on the market.

Good Luck, Robert