no4 mk 1 * long branch

[mac1911]

eyed a long branch at a store. Its pretty nice over all.
It has a type 5c rear aperture and that is in very nice shape and turns nice and positive clicks.
As nice as this rilfe looks I cant get past its price tag. 900$ anything I might be missing.
Serial number matches the wristband but not the bolt or stock (the stock is very nice minus a faded rack#) Im not finding much info on any purpose built long branch target rifles.
I believe it was dated 1949 but didn't have my glasses to see for sure.
I have been looking for a decent rear sight for my current 4 II which shoots very well.

any thoughts. Sorry no pics at the moment

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[Seaspriter]

Price seems way out of line. I bought an excellent condition 1950 Long Branch three months ago with matching numbers, walnut stock, and probably only test shot. Paid $375 USD plus shipping. It was offered on GunAuction, so plenty of people had a chance to buy it. If it has a PH5C sight, it might be a Dominion of Canada Rifle Club upgrade, which would increase the value, but not to the $900 level. Pics would help.

[lawrence_n]

Prices are very much regional. With all due respect to Seaspriter, a nice '50 Long Branch here in Toronto (the home of Canadian Arsenals Ltd.) will run you a minimum of $800 (CDN) and probably closer to a grand, if you can find one. A matching numbers PH5C target sight runs $250. to $300 in very good condition. A nice Long Branch No.4, walnut stocked, matched numbers, and factory original will run $750.+. Restored ones, even with original LB marked parts run $550. to $650. Of course, there are a lot of variables that affect the pricing, but the numbers I'm citing are current to what I'm seeing at present. If the one you saw isn't numbers matching, then it's overpriced, even with the PH sight.

[Sentryduty]

Prices are very much regional.

Lawrence_n isn't off base with his assessment, Lee-Enfields, especially LB rifles, have seen a value surge over the last few years on the Canadian market. However on the US market I would think that the price is somewhat high, unless there is some other contributing factors such as a DCRA rifle that would explain the inflated price.

Edit: Just review the OP and noticed all of the parts mismatch, I wouldn't pay very much for that rifle, even though mismatch rifles can shoot just as well, I do not personally place anywhere near the same value as a matching gun.

[Seaspriter]

Prices are very much regional.

Yes, very true. In Toronto you've also got the border price exchange difference as well, with exchange rates between US and Canada running $1.44 USD to 1.00 CanD. So $800 CanD is about $550 USD.

Sorry I can't take my LB across the border for you. We actually LOVE all LEs in the US and most of us are quite partial to both the Long Branch and Savage Stevens Mk1* models -- I have two of each. Great Quality from LB -- made by a workforce composed of 60% women plucked from the farms and mills in Ontario.

BTW, IIRC, the 1949-50 vintage Long Branch rifles often had non-matching numbers because some of the barrels, receivers, and magazines were plucked from old surplus stores from WWII that were left at the end of the production run in 1945. Perhaps one of our more knowledgeable Canadian forum mates can correct me and enlighten us the matching numbers question. My 1950 LB has matching numbers -- perhaps because it was later in the production cycle when all the New Old Stock was depleted.

[mac1911]

Thank you
I am,not having much luck finding any info on the DCRA rifles? Anyone care to inform me.
Any marks? Are there any particular markings to be aware of that would make you guys in the knowing go oooh yeah?
I sent off a email to see if the can give me more info. I'm going back that way tues.
I have a set amount in my head unless I'm convinced it's something special.

[Seaspriter]

See thread Military Surplus Collectors Forums

[Brian Dick]

Factory original rifles from CAL Long Branch dated 1949-1950 are usually comprised of CAL marked metal and wood parts. It's entirely possible that earlier SAL Long Branch and Savage parts were incorporated into some but it's probably the exception rather than the norm. I've seen many 1944 and 1945 Long Branch rifles with Savage parts as assembled at the factory. It's all been discussed here before at length in previous threads.

[boltaction]

Agree on pricing. Canadian prices are 700-1000 for a MATCHING excellent condition LB, with a premium for a target one with 5C sights. The DCRA rifles are usually marked with a separate 3 digit number in addition to the usual LB style serial number. While it is true that some LB rifles were made with some mixed parts, I can pretty much guarantee that anything leaving the factory would have had matching numbers! No way would a new production or Factory refurb rifle leave with a MM number. The rifle mentioned in the OP could be a really good shooter or a really bad one. It could be a dog's breakfast of parts that someone threw together--a barreled action with a PH sight on it, a random bolt out of a shoebox and a random stock. Or, it could be an issued rifle which was mated with a different stock along the way, mated with a mismatch bolt along the way, then tuned as a target rifle by a previous owner. Either way, being a mis-match it is not worth anywhere near $900 (even 900 Loonies which is heading towards about 200 US these days ). If I were able to inspect it and the bore and throat were good, the headspace checked out and the stock was fitting well, I might pay $500 for it, recognizing that about $200 of that would the target sight!

Ed

[Sentryduty]

The rifle mentioned in the OP could be a really good shooter or a really bad one. It could be a dog's breakfast of parts that someone threw together--a barreled action with a PH sight on it, a random bolt out of a shoebox and a random stock. Or, it could be an issued rifle which was mated with a different stock along the way, mated with a mismatch bolt along the way, then tuned as a target rifle by a previous owner.
Ed

A few years ago while I was still serving and tasked accounting and identifying weapons for the PPCLI museum (now The Military Museum) I handled a rifle that matched that description almost exactly. It was a rifle held in the collections that caught my eye as it was fitted with a PH target sight. Further inspection revealed a number of curious things, it had a worn 2-groove bore, a Long Branch action, with mismatched bolt, and the entire front sight block was canted about 15 degrees to the left. I have no idea what the story was behind the rifle and didn't have the opportunity to examine the accession records. I suspect it was a parts gun that someone built up and got later donated by family when the owner passed away, which is where a large part of the collections came from, and why we held some odd firearms of no military significance.