Correct Stock 1942 Long Branch

[desperatedan]

FWIW - I've just checked my LB (1943 not 42 though). It has birch woodwork throughout with a pretty dark orangey brown stain as Roger mentioned above, as dark if not darker than the walnut on my BSA. The top handguard is plain not grooved and it has a steel butt plate.

What I've always noticed when ever I use it, is that the fore-end seems noticeably "fatter/heavier" in the hand than either my BSA or Maltby examples which are walnut and beech respectively. Strange!

Information

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[Surpmil]

The other Long Branch wood was Canadian "rock maple", or so some of the older fellows called it. Very heavy and hard and machined very well so edges, handguard flutes etc. were well defined and tend to stay that way.

It does not take stain well, so stays pretty yellow. Not popular with troops or armourers reportedly.

One further thought: the rather orange walnut(?) stain applied to the birch stocks was sometimes put on the maple as well and does make them look quite orange as opposed to the natural pale yellow colour of the wood.

Obviously if the rifle had the Mk2/1 conversion when FTR'd your only choice is going to be UK made Mk2 forend with the crossbolt.

[Brian Dick]

A factory new 1942 Long Branch would have walnut or birch furniture and an alloy buttplate.

[can14&]

I would go with walnut. Long Branch rifles seem to be mostly walnut
All theLB wood I have bought over the last 30 odd years is mostly walnut by a long shot

[Lee Enfield]

I would go with walnut. Long Branch rifles seem to be mostly walnut
All theLB wood I have bought over the last 30 odd years is mostly walnut by a long shot

Sorry guys, if it was "remilled at Fazakerly in 1952" it is a Fazakerly No4MkI/3 and will be fitted with British beech.

[Roger Payne]

Which raises another important issue; the OP did in fact ask what wood the rifle would have left Long Branch wearing in 1942, so the answers given are pertinent. However, as it was indeed FTR'ed at Faz it will probably have been converted to Mk1/3 spec., & have a hung trigger, as Lee Enfield intimates. This means that it will need a forend of Mk2 type (with the cross bolt at the back end rather than the tie plate). Another reason to 'work around the existing forend' if at all possible, in doing any rewooding. If the current forend is now a good fit & not too bad cosmetically it is probably best left as is. The replacement of the butt & guards is far less critical. A photo of the woodwork on the rifle in question might be helpful here.