A few questions to help a newbie

[sumway]

Hello folks,

Just bought my first rifle

It’s a Long Branch No4 Mk1*

I have attached some pictures here.

I have done a bit of research on the web...but there are some things which are puzzling me.

Would greatly appreciate if you guys might be able to help me out...sorry if these are a bit silly but as it’s my first rifle I want to ensure I do everything correctly to be completely safe. After all...it’s better to ask and feel a fool, rather than not ask and be a fool !!

My sincere apologies if I get my terminology for the various parts mixed up

1. The receiver is dated 1955, but the serial no is 27L66XX. Do you think this number is about right ? Or do you smell a rat ?



2. At the back of the receiver on the right hand side...there is what looks like a broad-arrow P mark (see picture) ....or is this the Long Branch mark ?


3. The front sight post...and also the safety selector toggle switch...are stamped with a capital S...is this the Savage USA stamp ?


4. There are two tiny stamps just above the trigger on the wrist/rear band....does anybody know what these are ? These might also be on the very end of the barrel...it’s hard to tell because they are tiny.



5. The rear sight seems to be one of the MkIII flip up type ones....but I thought that these ladder/flip up sights were not fitted to Mk1 * (star) rifles as it was cheaper/faster to produce them with the smaller peep-hole type sights ?


6. The stock...it’s still a bit sticky in places from the storage grease....but it looks in decent shape. What would you recommend for cleaning the stock ? Would rubbing in some linseed oil do the trick or is that more to add a finish...rather than to clean it and remove some of the grease ?


7. I think there might still be some residue from the storage grease in the bore (I haven't shot the rifle yet...but the RFD said it had been "proofed")...looking around on the web....a popular tip seems to be pouring boiling water down the barrel...then putting some Hoppes No9 down it...then a little bit of “normal” gun oil....would this be OK for a No4 ?

Greatly appreciate any assistance and guidance with the above.

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.

[Brian Dick]

Nice rifle. I like the oddballs! I think it's a Canadian Arsenals Limited rebuild with a 1955 replacement receiver and Parkerized finish. It's numbered the same as the receiver that was replaced. More proof that replacement of receiver/bodies was carried out routinely in Canada. I've seen several over the years including a couple I still have here in my own collection. The butt markings and proofs are Italian, correct? Many of these rifles were supplied to European countries post WWII and maintained until their release from stores in the past 20+ years.

[Roger Payne]

It looks like one of the Ex-Italian Navy release arms. They recently released some thousands of both SMLE's & No4's. They are generally super rifles, yet sadly many of them that have found their way to the UK will end up being deactivated. The 'FAT 73' stamp on the butt is Italian, I believe. It is only a guess but I suspect the 73 is the date it was inspected/refurbed & stamped, & I think the T may indicate the Terni arsenal. But this is supposition from what little I know of their provenance. No doubt someone will chip in if they know more........

I have bought quite a few SMLE's & a few No4's from this source over the last couple of years. I gather they are now nearly all exhausted.

[Steve H. in N.Y.]

FAT =Fabrica Armi Terni

[Lee Enfield]

You scored bigtime, you have a legit, 1955 Canadian Arsenals Limited (CAL) "replacement receiver".

The "arrow over P" is a 1950s thru present Canadian Gov't proof marking, also seen on the left receiver side with the Canadian Arsenals Limited "CA" stamping. It is variously deemed to be a "rolled maple leaf", or a "webbed crowfoot"/"broad arrow".

The real question is, does it have the 1942 dated barrel from the original rifle?

And for bonus points, the original bolt...or like so many of the Italian Navy rifles, is the bolt now mis-matched?

[Seaspriter]

The stock...it’s still a bit sticky in places from the storage grease....but it looks in decent shape. What would you recommend for cleaning the stock ? Would rubbing in some linseed oil do the trick or is that more to add a finish...rather than to clean it and remove some of the grease ?

Most of the furniture looks pretty well preserved, so I'd do as little as possible to the finish. Remove as much of the wood as you can. Soak the wood for a while in a pan (I've used an plastic wallpaper trough) filled with turpentine or mineral spirits. Then scrub it down with an old towel to absorb all the old cosmoline. Use fine steel wool to clean up any areas that are stubbornly dirty (don't take off the wood's patina -- it's quite beautiful. Then you can use BLO, rubbed down hard to heat/burnish the finish. Recoat the barrel and any steel screws where they come in contact with wood with 50/50 of candle or beeswax & Vaseline (you have to heat it to create the mixture) to prevent the metal from corroding in the future.

Nice find -- a very unique gun. Good luck.

[Seaspriter]

I had no idea that Long Branch was still in operation in 1955 (I thought their last guns were Korean War). When did operations cease?

By coincidence, a pair of these from 1950 are for sale on Guns America:
Pair of Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk I* Long Branch rifles for sale (987367300)

Here's the description:
2 consecutively numbered Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I* .303 British rifles. Manufactured by Canadian Arsenals Limited, the successor to Long Branch and with serial numbers 93L00x4 and 93L00x5. Many collectors consider the Long Branch (C.A.L) rifles of the 1950's the highest quality examples of the No 4 Mk I rifle, with 1950 dated Mk I*'s commanding special premiums.

Both rifles are in excellent condition and show little evidence of use. Furniture is fine with minor marks in the wood. Fit and finish are excellent. Finish is nearly 100% with absolutely no rust. Breech both is matched to action assembly. The 5 groove bore is bright and shiny, excellent rifling. C Mk3 rear sights are on both rifles. Left side of the actions are marked "C No. 4 Mk I*, LONG BRANCH, 1950" All observable parts are "Canadian Arsenals Limited" marked. Small import mark "C.D.I Swan, VT" on underside of barrel muzzle.

[ssj]

I think 1950 or 51 was about it for LB but there were unstamped receivers about.

[sumway]

Thanks for the replies everyone...helps to make me a little bit more confident that I haven't bought something that someone has cobbled together in their garage

The Italian connection seems to be right as the RFD said that the vast majority of their Enfield Rifles were from Italy.

@ Lee-Enfield
Sadly, the bolt is a mis-match....they didn't have any left with matching bolts...they said they had all gone a couple of years ago from the original batch of 300 rifles that they ordered in. Whether there were any left in Italy still be be distributed...they weren't sure.

As for the barrel...I haven't disassembled the gun so I'm not too sure how old it is...and I'm not really sure if I should take it apart as the RFD said that it had already been proofed anyway (Plus I'd hate to scratch up the stock)

@Seaspiriter
Thanks for your advice with the stock...this seems quite a process and I think the wood finish is in good shape (even with my newbie eyes). I think I will just put up with the stickyness...I suppose it won't do the wood any harm anyway.

I think I will just clean the bore out with boiling water and Hoppes...do you lads think this would be OK ?

One other thing...I picked up a bolt-dissembling tool whilst I was at the RFD...I think I have a rough idea of how to take it apart....but once it is apart, what would you guys recommend to get rid of some of the grease ?

[Seaspriter]

I think 1950 or 51 was about it for LB but there were unstamped receivers about.

The dying embers of the glory days at Long Branch is apparently a dark corner of Enfield history. If anyone knows the story more clearly (or pieces of it), please chime in. Apparently (please correct me), after reopening at the beginning of the Korean war and producing for a year or so, Long Branch ceased large scale production, and, under the name Canadian Arsenal Limited, utilizing a handful of experienced people, and using excess production of left over receivers, pieced together a small number of Long Branch MkI rifles, finishing production in 195X? CAL sold against the Fazakerley plant in the UK, which was then producing the sexier "blonde" Mk2s. Sounds like a sad story.