Re-barreled Longbranch (6 groove)

[browningautorifle]

HMC Dockyard

That's EXACTLY where I was meaning...I know they had full facility, including parkerizing and plating. They could have done a gold plated FN if they wanted.

[Ridolpho]

Returning to the posted rifle for one final kick of the dead horse! It's obviously a "put-together" but I'd still like to think it might have been put together at CAL- found this thread from last year with photos of a Long Branch that several suggested was an example of use of a replacement receiver (dated '55). I've attached one photo of the left wrist which shows a rather crude grinding of old markings and stamping of serial in font remarkably similar to that on mine (strangely mostly the same numbers that are on mine). However, this other rifle has additional CAL maple leaf proofs that mine doesn't. So, final question- if CAL used a wartime receiver (as on mine, '43) that was already proofed once, would they re-proof the receiver in addition to the new barrel or just the barrel?

Ridolpho

[Surpmil]

In both cases it appears to me that the SN on the butt socket has been added to match the number on the bolt, suggesting a spare receiver to which a bolt from a condemned receiver was mated. I don't think they threw much away at SAL and if they did there were probably people who salvaged as much as they could into their lunch boxes. I can remember a couple of estates from people who worked for similar crown corporations, DND-related, who seem to have taken home anything and everything that was being turfed, including some stuff you would have needed the canteen truck to move, rather than a lunch box.

If the rifle was made up for a friend of a friend sort of thing, the more impressive stamps added the better the recipient was probably going to like it.