Interesting Long Branch No.4 MK.1*

[lawrence_n]

First off, I'm blown away by the depth of knowledge in this forum. The amount of research & information available is nothing short of astounding.
I'd ask you gentlemen to confirm my speculation regarding the stamps and probable history of this rifle. From what I've read thus far, it's your run-of-the-mill '43 Long Branch with a few interesting anomalies. Condition wise, it's beautiful and the bore is conservatively 9.5/10. Numbers all match and all the furniture and metal parts are properly Canadian marked except for the brass butt plate. Oddly, it wears a micrometer rear sight which I believe was not period correct though it is Long Branch marked.
On the left side of the butt stock is a capital "R" over "REME", so would this be "R" section, Royal Mechanical & Electrical Engineers? Repair depot, maybe? There is an odd 5-pointed star on the barrel ahead of the knoxform with what looks like an "N" inside. Mis-struck Weedon repair depot mark? I'll let the pics speak for themselves. I'm given to understand that the "England" stamp on the receiver ahead of the bolthead is a US import mark, but if I'm wrong someone will no doubt put me straight on that. I've had a number of very nice Long Branch rifles come through my hands. but I haven't seen an unmolested (meaning bubba) one like this in a long time. Thanks for looking.

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.

[Peter Laidler]

I have never seen that R/REME mark and it isn't mentioned in the usual repair marks info. Mind you, nor are some of the other odds and sods such as 4-TRI BW which was 4 (Tripoli) Sub-Base Workshop which was an off-shoot of the bigger workshops somewhere else! But without doubt the R/REME marks is a repaired mark by a big workshop somewhere.

[browningautorifle]

First off, I'm blown away by the depth of knowledge in this forum. The amount of research & information available is nothing short of astounding.

Your opening remark is very kind. That's why I came here too. Seems not all share that opinion though...but glad you like it here.

[jmoore]

The "Star N" mark on your barrel looks pretty similar to the one on the receiver reinforce ring shown by flying pig in his recent thread.:

1942 Long Branch No4 MkI*

[lawrence_n]

OK, you folks who have contributed and/or read this thread, I think I have it figured out. The barrel mark is indeed the Weedon Depot mark. As I clean off more crud, the mark came clearer and the missing leg on the "W" showed up a little more. That's one mystery solved. The muzzle has the BNP stamp and the usual .303 proof marks so along with that and the "England" stamped on the receiver, I'm pretty sure it's a stamp denoting a foreign made arm taken into English military service, not a US import mark at all.
I must share something about this rifle with you gentlemen. I've owned, shot, and had my hands on many Lee Enfields over the past 40 years of shooting. Since I don't live too far from Long Branch and being a staunch canuck and ex-serviceman, I have a particular fondness for Long Branch No.4's. One of my pride and joys is my 1950 Long Branch which I picked up when they hit the market all those years ago. One, because it's Long Branch, and two, because it's the year I was born. Normally, a lot of the purported Long Branch rifles I've seen lately either have a mix of parts on them, or are clearly restored jobs. No matter how beautifully done and with what care (and I've restored a few sporters myself), at the end of the day it's not a factory or service original. This one is! Other than the brass butt plate and the rear sight, it's never been molested and parts haven't been exchanged. All the wood and metal fittings are properly marked and correct to the factory and year. The most pleasant surprise was the condition of the metal work. I'd conservatively rate the bore at 9.5/10. The bolt face, firing pin, and feed ramp all show very little sign of usage so this rifle has seen very, very few rounds down the pipe over it's lifetime. After I've cleaned the wood and taken out a few of the worst dents, I'll post a few pics.

[Peter Laidler]

The ENGLAND is not a mark denoting a foreign rifle taken into UK service. It is something to indicate an IMPORT into the US

The W at the front of the nocks form indicates the presence of cuts or pitting in the bore BUT that the rifle has passed the accuracy test and accepted the running .301" gauge

[lawrence_n]

The ENGLAND is not a mark denoting a foreign rifle taken into UK service. It is something to indicate an IMPORT into the US

The W at the front of the nocks form indicates the presence of cuts or pitting in the bore BUT that the rifle has passed the accuracy test and accepted the running .301" gauge

OK. we have some difference of opinions. If you're talking about the "W" inside the star ahead of the knoxform (not nocks form), it's pretty much established that it's the mark for the Weedon Repair Depot. That would tie in with the "REME" stamp on the butt as well as the English parts on the rifle. The bore is only a hair down from pristine condition, and it's not a replacement barrel, so I seriously doubt the barrel had any condition issues.
As to the "ENGLAND" stamp, the rifles I've seen that came up from the US had the distributor mark (ie: caliber and company) stamped at the end of the barrel. My 1950 has the Century Arms & .303 cal. stamp at the muzzle end of the barrel, but no "England" stamp anywhere. Adding up all the clues, I still cling to my belief that this is a Canadian Rifle that was examined and proofed and then taken into british service.
Short of actually talking to some old brit who actually was in REME or worked at the Weedon Depot, let's just agree to disagree.

[muffett.2008]

OK. we have some difference of opinions.
Short of actually talking to some old brit who actually was in REME or worked at the Weedon Depot, let's just agree to disagree.

You are having this disagreement with an old brit who was actually in REME I'd suggest you don't stir the pot too much.......he bites.(and he's right.)

[Brian Dick]

The "ENGLAND" stamp was a country of origin marking applied prior to 1968 for import to the USA. The marking requirements were changed in 1968 to an importer's business stamp which could be abbreviated, the caliber if not present already and a country of MANUFACTURE stamp. There is nothing military related about these markings much the same as the commercial British proofs applied to your rifle.

[Peter Laidler]

Mmmmmmmm You ain't going to believe this Lawrence but........... And furthermore I have the Armourers bible here, in front of me and I will say it again. EMER C-504, Technical handbook for field and base repairs, BARREL, Para 2. You can disagree if you want to or you can have it from the horses mouth. It's entirely a matter for you of course...........

Oh yes......... and the same bible says that it's the nocks form

And I bet that the barrel viewer who decreed that your barrel was worthy of that mark had a tad more barrel viewing experience than you. Mind you, I could be wrong