Enfield Longbranch

[SNAP]

Hello, I have just aquired a Lee Enfield 303, with reciever marked No.4 Mk1 * LONGBRANCH 1945 All #s match except for the magazine, and thats only on the last didgit and it should be a 6 instead its an 8. I took it in a trade, it has a great bore with nice rifiling lands and a nice smooth tight lock-up. I notice someone used a grease marker with a #7 on top of the bolt and what looks like a #48 under the butt stock near the butt plate any ideas what these marks could mean.?[ATTACH]Attachment 78280[/ATTACH]
Attachment 78279
Attachment 78279 it also had a tag attached to the barrel refering to some primary pack 1981 any ideas ? thanks in advance, DAVID.....

Information

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[Lee Enfield]

Nice maple fore end.

Your painted numbers are what is referred to as rack numbers.

[SNAP]

Thank You Sir, might I ask what is a rack number and will it loose value if #s are removed, also could this rifle have seen action in WW11
Any thoughts on that primary pack 1981 tag is all about.

[browningautorifle]

The square tag is what's known as a stock number, for ordering that kind of rifle. The rack number is nothing and you can't trace the lineage of the weapon. If you remove the rack number and what I suspect is a storage number for the bolt (7) no one will know or care. If the rifle was made in 1945, it may have done WW2 time but more likely Korean war time. Then there's peacekeeping, NATO commitments and so forth. It's just a good rebuilt rifle and should be an excellent example for your rack. A rack number is to show which place in the rack it belongs, so you can choose your rifle at a glance. Saves examining serial numbers.

[SNAP]

Thank you very much Jim,
Regards ERIC.......

[Peter Laidler]

The label is the Ordnance Stores inventory tag. The top line is the old NATO stock number
Rifle designation and serial number
Qty 1 = Quantity, 1 of course and = quantity of issue!
Don CP = Location area at the big Ordnance Depot at Donnington and the last movement date (very probably the disposal date in this case) November 1981
Primary pack was usually the packaging used in a temperate climate such as the UK. This was greased bore, oiled metalwork, steel wrapped in muslin wax impregnated cloth to muzzle, action and butt. Then heat-sealed in a long green plastic bag.

Those painted numbers are undoubtedly just butt rack numbers and the bolt would be its place in the 'strongbox' as bolts were usually kept apart and in a steel box locked within a separate safe.

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