My 43' LB - First (ever?) Teardown

[doca]

Got my 43 over the weekend and I never expected to find one looking so flawless, but with two unanticipated markings. Also, I've never disassembled a rifle that was so damn snug before. I'm not dumb enough to believe it, but it's like it was never taken down before.

Not seen in the pics are LB marks on the trigger, barrel bands, bolt, bolt head, front sight, trigger guard, safety and barrel and, C broad arrow on Canadian Mk 3 rear sight and butt plate. I'm sure I missed a few

Also, paired with a Mk II bayonet, marked with LB and broad arrow C, living in a British, carbon encrusted scabbard.

More talk alter; bring on the (before cleanup) pics:

Attachment 121939
Attachment 121940
Attachment 121941
Attachment 121942
Attachment 121943
Attachment 121944 odd, huh?
Attachment 121945
Attachment 121946
Attachment 121947

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.

[doca]

Forgot to add this pic: Any ideas what's the very centered G2 is all about? There's also a G on the barrel.

Attachment 121949
Attachment 121948

[doca]

Note post #1, pic #4; the one with a Canadian Arsenals Ltd. stamp.
I wonder if this is one of the 70,000 from a cancelled order, ref: https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=36140

Canadian Arsenals Limited.—This company was established under the Companies Act
by Letters Patent dated Sept. 20, 1945 and is subject to the Government Companies Operation
Act (RSC 1952, c. 133) and certain provisions ot the Financial Administration Act (RSC 1952,
c. 116). The company was set up to take over and operate Crown-owned plants and equipment.
It manufactures small arms and ammunition components and has extensive facilities for the filling
and assembly ot artillery ammunition, mines, bombs, grenades, rockets and other specialties up
to torpedo warheads. Its Divisions, together with the locations of their plants, are as follows:
Small Arms Division (Long Branch, Ont.) and Filling Division (St. Paul I'Ermite, Que.). The
company reports to Parliament through the Minister of Defence Production

[Brian Dick]

I hope you read up on the proper disassembly procedure, especially removing the forend. It's all here in Peter Laidler's articles. I see rifles from so many newbies with the draws shagged because of improper disassembly. Working on an ROF(F) No.4Mk.2 "as we speak" that is one of them. The new owner just had to tear it down, sand the **** out of it, apply lovely Midway poly finish and then install it incorrectly. I stripped the plastic banana finish and have restored it with raw linseed oil but the forend is totally out of whack and they aren't worth a crap with an ill fitting forend. Sometimes it's best to leave them alone.

[Wernher von Beige]

I hope you read up on the proper disassembly procedure, especially removing the forend. It's all here in Peter Laidler's articles.

Hi, Brian.

I know I've seen the disassembly instructions somewhere. I looked at the index of Peter Laidler's articles but nothing jumped out at me as being disassembly / forend-specific instructions. I've set up a folder where I dump potentially useful articles, but I don't see it in my own folder either. Pardon the dumb question, but which article is it?

[Alan de Enfield]

Hi, Brian.

I know I've seen the disassembly instructions somewhere. I looked at the index of Peter Laidler's articles but nothing jumped out at me as being disassembly / forend-specific instructions. I've set up a folder where I dump potentially useful articles, but I don't see it in my own folder either. Pardon the dumb question, but which article is it?

It was a multi-page document 'fitting a forend', of which is probably the key instruction :


DO NOT LIFT THE FORE-END AWAY AT THE MUZZLE. Not now, not tomorrow, not EVER. It is only EVER tapped free downwards, at the rear, by finger pressure or tapping it downwards and free with a wooden drift against the top left and right edges of the fore-end. Thus, releasing it from the grip of the draws and the butt socket. This should tell you something. If your fore-end can be rotated free by lifting it away at the muzzle, then it’s well and truly shagged. That’s another REME technical term this time, meaning ‘ ….somewhat worn out!’

[Brian Dick]

Your rifle strikes me as a Greek return. Much like the 200 or so LB No.4's I imported in 2001. None had any distinct Greek ownership marks but did sport commercial British proofs since they were purchased by a British company prior to export back to Canada. Some had stickers on the sides of the butts with the names and addresses of the Greek reserve soldiers to whom they were issued. The bolt has definitely been replaced in service and renumbered legitimately so it's seen some use. The CAL mark was probably applied after inspection there prior to it's export to Greece or possibly another European nation. Canada supplied these rifles to other nations well into the 1960's.

---------- Post added at 05:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:03 PM ----------

Might be Turks Jim!

[doca]

The only issue I had was that everything was so tightly put together. Had no issues with the forend, but took extra care with the barrel bands.
It was very easy, but I do have a copy of the Canadian Forces manuals for reference:

1. PARTS IDENTIFICATION LIST; RIFLE, .303 CALIBRE, LEE ENFIELD, No 4, ALL MARKS
2. EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION; RIFLE, .303 CALIBRE, LEE ENFIELD, No 4,ALL MARKS
3. FIRST LINE MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS; RIFLE, .303 CALIBRE, LEE ENFIELD, No 4, ALL MARKS

There's no indication that it was a Greek return because there are no foreign marks, at all. I've also read that the Greeks would serial the magazine; it's not there either. While it's good to be aware of it while I continue research, there's currently no evidence to suggest it ever left Canada.
The only kicker is that G2 and the mystery "O" or "Q" off on its own. If anyone has a resources regarding this, it would be much appreciated.

Lol, yeah I kinda thought moose/deer or perfect target shooting or something.
I get marking war kills on a rifle (almost always by people who shouldn't be bragging), but is it normal for people to mark a firearm with hunting kills?

Why do you think the bolt has be re-numbered? here's a better pic.

Attachment 121996

[Brian Dick]

Take the time to read Peter's articles listed on this site about working these rifles.

Greek and other European returns don't necessarily have any foreign markings as i said and not all Greek rifles had the magazines numbered although the majority do. The magazine could have also been replaced.

I make the observation having inspected several hundred Long Branch No.4's over many years. The font is different than what it left the factory with, (look at the serial number on the butt socket), and the rear side of the bolt body looks like it's been filed and renumbered. This is common and correct for a rifle that's been worked on in service. Is it a Long Branch bolt body? I can't really tell from your pictures. Your rifle would have likely had a Mk.2 flip sight as original so it's been through workshops a time or two for sure. I still sense a European return. It's a nice, honest rifle IMHO.

---------- Post added at 09:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:33 AM ----------

I'm not sure what the "O" and "G2" are. Guessing they are inspectors stamps used during production.

[Roger Payne]

If you look carefully you can see the direction of the original machining marks on the surface of the bolt body that bears the serial number. They 'go' in a different direction to the file/linish marks applied to lose the original number at the time that the replacement number (of your rifle) was applied. As Brian said, the size & font of the digits is also very different to those used by Long Branch. The blueing doesn't appear to match either, which isn't surprising. But as mentioned, it's a nice rifle & it's all part of its history.