I was fortunate enough to pick up a 1943 Long Branch No. 4 MK 1 about 25 or so years ago with both blade and spike bayonets plus sling. A wonderful shooting rifle and has a place of pride in my collection.
Thank you Hickok. Growing up in western Canada, the No. 4 Mk. 1 Long Branch rifles were easy to find and inexpensive. We used them when I was in the Air Cadets (long ago now), and they were a beautiful rifle to shoot. The ones we used there had flip-up vernier aperture sights - in some cases added later. At the time, the DCRA shooting matches were a regular event through the year, and we had supplies of pretty consistent WWII surplus ammunition. Finding one as nice as the one you've got there is getting to be harder, although there are many No. 4's that bring home a deer for the freezer. Unfortunately, I don't have either a No. 4 or a No. 1 Mk. 3 right now - I hope to correct that soon. Condition varies, of course, but many I've seen for sale recently are not too beaten up. Quite a few were sporterized after WWII, but I still like the original full stock. Many of the Long Branch rifles have really beautiful wood, finished with a lot of care even though they were wartime production. You've got a beautiful example there, and its nice to see Federal .303 still available. Thanks for posting this.
There is a great video somewhere on RUclips about the Long Branch factory in Toronto. I have one of these rifles too and it is a joy to shoot. The old ammo for them has pretty well dried up now but I still have some, including cordite rounds from WW1. They still fire after one hundred years.
1943 No.4 Mk1 has been my hunting rifle for 20+ years now. Never let me down. I have take. Many deer, moose, coyotes, and beers with it. I don’t shoot it out past 400yrds while hunting just because I’m not confident in my abilities at the range. With a well produced hand load after much testing I’ve gotten it to shoot 1.200” at a 100yrds. Pretty darn good for an almost 80year old war horse.
Good choice in my opinion, they were never really made for shooting past 500 yards I’m glad you chose the No. 4 MK1 as your weapon of choice it’s a very sensible and reliable choice.
@@ChiefSuperior "they were never really made for shooting past 500 yards" Odd that you should say that when anyone looks at the range graduations on the rear sight that go well beyond that. Are you aware that the service rifle matches go out well beyond 500 yards in the Commonwealth nations that issued this rifle (and its predecessor models)?
Longbranch is no longer a small village it has grown like every other town , I also live opposite the armory, which Is now a museum, you can't put a spade in the ground around here without bringing up spent 303 cases.
Great video “45”, you forgot to mention Savage made #4’s during WW2. Also many #4’s made on England had 2 groove rifling, same as the Vicckers machine guns. My favorite #4 is the #4 T sniper rifle. They came in a wooden chest and the scope had special mounts/ring that you could remove the scope for shipping in the chest and remount the scope without lousing zero. The scope was 3 power with a large size post and one cross hair. The funny thing was I could obtain unbelievable groups with the peep sight and not very good groups with the scope. I think because of the size of the post. My #4 T was sent to the French underground fighters towards the end of the war. All the data sheets and scope can markings were in French, as was the outside of the chest. If your ever in Arizona next year contact me and we could meet in casa Grande or Tucson for some trap and skeet shooting. As always thanks for another great fun and interesting video.
Many of them made a fine deer or elk rifle. I always hated to see them get worked over but I have a 7mm mauser which was sporterized and a beautifully done 03 Springfield. Favorite rifles.
I have one that has been sporterized, it has a Monte-Carlo stock on it. It has taken many deer over the years I've owned it. All but 1 dropped in their tracks.
I Bought one when I was a teenager. It had matching numbers on rifle, bayonet, and magazine. It also had the cleaning kit inside the stock. Very clean good shooting rifle. I definitely miss it.
I agree. My 303 is my favorite bolt action deer rifle in my closet. Ammo prices are so high and difficult to find now I don't bring it out often. Thanks for showing such a great rifle. Love the videos.
For your interest, I can almost guarantee that all of the metal parts of that particular rifle were built entirely by female machine operators. The only male dominated part of the production process at CAL (Canadian Arsenal Ltd) Longbranch, Ontario, Canada was the woodworking shop that provided the furniture for that model. Canada provided an all volunteer force for WWII comprised of fully ten percent of it's population at the time leaving very few men behind to run the factories. When I left the RCN in the mid 60's, I inherited two production lines in CAL to supervise and the work force even then was still predominantly female with older hold overs from WWII and younger ladies hired for their noted ability to operate everything from turret lathes, through Acme Gridley Auto machines to 50 ton vertical broaches with the kind of finesse that resulted in longer tool life and less machinery damage. They were a marvel to watch working.
I do own a No.4 MK 1 / 2 that was my grandmothers deer rifle. The stock was sporterized but the rest of the rifle remains intact. The rear sight is a micro adjustable ladder style. Ian at forgotten weapons has a few videos on the Lee-Enfield No4 's , a lot of great information if you are curios . Thank you Hickok for all you have done over the year's and I wish you and all of yours a Merry Christmas and Brite Shiny New Year!!!
I love my Enfield. It has the detachable magazine. I thought it was cut down. I don't know much about them, but you just gave me a LOT of information I didn't have before. When I get out of work I'm going to take a look at the markings and see if I can track down where it came from. Thank you for your constant wealth of knowledge of many fire arms. And especially for sharing it with us!
The mag actually was only intended to be detached for cleaning it came with a chain that connected it to the trigger guard and you would load it from the top as he is doing the mags are generally really poor made but they work great just be careful with ut since they do break easy if only they made vetter mags and issued the troops multiple mags like they do now would have been better but its still a great and interesting rifle I love it i hope you enjoy it as well
@@shawnoandrew When I get home I'll check the mag to be positive. But as memory serves (I don't fire it very often) I believe it has a 10 round mag. And it's short. Very short. I was assuming either someone cut it down, or it was used as a tank rifle.
@@holdyourownholdyourown3915 British tank crews in WW1 weren’t often issued rifles as there wasn’t a British tankers rifle. If it’s a shorter barrel with a conical muzzle device it could be the shorter no5 Jungle Carbine.
I don't know if this helps or not but all of the Lee Enfield's had "detachable" magazines of a ten round capacity. The magazine was only ever removed for cleaning/maintenance and were not intended to be changed for the purpose of "recharging" the rifle. Only one magazine was issued with the rifle. With the exception of a few of the very early rifles, Lee Enfield's were typically loaded through the breech using rounds placed in a five round stripper clip. The Lee Enfield rifle was named as such as it was James Lee that developed the magazine feed technology on which these rifles were based. With regards to yours being "cut down", No. 5 "jungle carbines" were a "factory" cut down model produced very late in the war effort and only ever saw service in trials in South East Asia. Not many were made and they now fetch a good dollar. I used to play with one when I was a child that I firmly believe had seen service in Papua New Guinea but I have been brought to question over the truthfulness of my claim by someone who knows a lot more than me on this subject. Their belief was that they only saw trial service in Malaya but they perhaps could have been "traded" and seen service elsewhere. A large number of Lee Enfield's were "cut down" after the war and "sporterized" as such and were extremely popular in Australia and New Zealand as hunting rifles/ farm rifles or what US shooters might call a "truck gun" these days. Some of these conversion were notable for their accuracy and others were notorious for being rubbish. The good ones were really good and the bad ones were really bad. There are some typical identifiers on these rifles that differentiate them from the real thing. Hope that's of some help. Cheers.
The Longbranch rifles were made in Ontario Canada, They are considered the most accurate of the late war Enfields. Eventually they were rechambered for 7.62 Nato before Canada adopted the FNC1 A1 rifle in 1957. Merry Christmas Hickok45.
I recently picked up a US Property marked Savage made No 4 Mk 1. Got to get it cleaned up and especially the bayonet I have for it. That thing is completely covered in that brown protective cosmoline snot. 🤧🙂
Cosmoline snot! Ha ha. Your firearm will be in top condition due to that preservative snot! Lucky you, it's the uncoated ones you need to be careful purchasing. Enjoy that lovely NO4
I inherited one of these because no one else in the family wanted it, but unfortunately my grandfathers brother sporterized it to hunt bears in Alaska. He was a real character and had to give it up after being convicted of a felony, so that's how it ended up at my grandfathers house. I remember it hanging on his wall on a kid, so I'm happy to keep it in the family, where it will continue to be used.
Awesome story! I also inherited a sporterized rifle. It was very common after WWII on these surplus rifles. I ended up buying a new wood set for it and bands to restore it to its former glory
Funny thing is I didn't even recognize it as an Enfield right away because I had no experience with sporterized rifles at this time. But yeah, I've considered buying a wood set and restoring it.
@@andrewreil3938 This is why I've hesitated at restoring it...One part of me wants to bring it back to its former glory, but the other part appreciates that an old family member utilized a surplus rifle for the purpose of hunting.
I've got one of those Long Branch No. 4 MK 1 rifles. Got it at Western Auto many years ago. I too have always heard that they were the best of the number 4's.
I have a No 4 mk 1 Long Branch I bought in a cardboard box with military markings on it, wrapped in wax paper, cocooned in cosmoline back in 86 for $125. It is stamped “Canadian Infantry 1944” and has a chrome lined barrel. The action is perfect and just as tight as my Remingtons and Marlins but way smoother. The stock is very nice but does have dings in it. The paint is about 75%. Mine doesn’t have the grooves on the upper wood though like yours and all the metal parts have the same serial number. The stocks were almost black when I got it because the cosmoline was applied to them also. It was a job getting the cosmoline out of the grain and the wood nice and clean. I was very surprised when I cleaned the barrel out and found it chrome lined. I was even more surprised when I shot it the first time and it printed so tight a grouping. It didn’t take much tweeking with the bullet weight and powder charge to get it where I wanted it to be. It will put 3 out of 5 touching the same hole from a bench at 100 yards. My 700 does that now, but I had to work with it a lot more to get the groups down to that size. If I could just hold that grouping from off-hand I would be happy. LOL
I’ll confess that when I first saw Long Branch in the title there was a hot second I wondered how and Enfield came to be made in Dodge City😂. Never heard of the Long Branch Armory in Canada. Learn something new every time I tune in!
Longbranch was the name of the town in Ontario that Canadian Arsenal Ltd was located in. It made a lot of stuff for the U.S. during the Vietnam conflict: M-79 (grenade blooper) barrels, M-14 barrels, gas return blocks and later M-16 barrels, glob ends for carrier arrester cables, bayonets by the thousands, and 105 Howitzer recoil cylinder refinishing. Those were shipped in by the hundreds every month to be honed and sent back. I cannot remember all the stuff we were producing but, there was a lot of it! That factory manufactured the Enfields mentioned along with Browning 9mm pistols and Stens throughout WWII along with tons of other stuff like bayonets, mortar barrels and that gawd-awful Piat monster spring fired anti-tank weapon.
Great old battle rifle! Sorry I sold my No.4 so many decades ago, but at least I still have an Ishapore No.1 Mk lll*, and a No. 5 that someone (not *ME!* ) had bubba'd. In the early 1970s, I lived within walking distance of the old Long Branch site, long since abandoned. I did find a few spent cases near where the range used to be. Years later, I came across a Long Branch STEN Mk ll, and I treasure it to this day. Merry Christmas!!
I have a Longbranch that my father bought from a Army-Navy store in 1961. He kept the receipt that said he paid 18.00 dollars for. He put 5.00 dollars down and paid the rest in 30 days. I’ll have to check the date , I can’t remember off the top of my head when it was made. Other than changing the ejection spring the rifle in in beautiful condition. I picked up a bayonet and a bandolier full of ammo at a gun swap meet. Probably my most prized gun I own.
I'm from a small town just outside Huntsville in Jackson county. I'm proud to see such a beauty come from around the area and go to such a good owner for her!
My boys grew up with Enfields, back then .303 Brit was super cheep and I bought crates for like $79 shipped!!! We would shoot an afternoon away out in the desert, and the Cosmoline would leach out of the cracks with the heat. I remember driving the jeep home, the boy's shirts and hands stained with Cosmoline, red cheeks, rubbing their sore shoulders, and asking when we could "Go shoot the Enfields again". Good times. 👍
My stepfather recently passed away and I inherited his 1944 Long Branch #4 MK 1 * and it is a fantastic weapon. I appreciate all of your videos. Once we leave Commifornia I'll be getting more additions to my collection.
My grandfather who served in WW2 actually would totally agree with you on the clips, he said when in combat your hands would be shaking and it would be far easier to load each round in manually than trying to line up the clip to load that way. Weird thing with the Enfields is most have a relatively fast change mag system yet the MOD never actually ordered multiple mags per soldier making them redundant.
Even weirder that when changing mags is supposedly faster/better, that apparently infantry in WWII was too stupid to think to take the magazines from the rifles of their casualties so they could do that multiple magazine thing you posted about. Almost like they found they could recharge their magazines faster using the chargers than they could pull one magazine out and put a new magazine in.
I got one of these rifles at home mine was used by my great grandfather during ww2 still got the bayonet with it everything original ..thousands apon thousands of rounds been fired threw it and she still pin point accurate never jams never miss fires love the gun mine has battle scars and all I love it she's rough but she's tough
A friend when I was 16 had a "Jungle Carbine" with the cone shape flash hider. It was butter smooth action, but the rifle kicked pretty good and the AP rounds went through even railroad ties so it was something else. Loud as Hell though. Still remember the smooth action the most. Always wanted one that was converted to 308.
I found my No. 4 MK 2 (.303 cal.) at a gun show in Connecticut in 1998. It was made in England in 1955 (my birth year), sent to Ireland, test fired but never used, as the British had just switched to the NATO 7.62 x 51 (.308) round. Post war, they switched to a lighter colored wood, I believe birch. It was, and still is, in near mint condition. It's a fine rifle, and very well built! P.S. I also found a matching bayonet marked No. 4 MK 2, but rather than the sword type of blade, it is more like a cylindrical rod, with a sharpened tip.
I do t know about the Mark 4, but I remember seeing Mark 5 jungle rifles brand new coated with cosmoline in crates at a J M Fields store in Springfield MA in 1966 selling for only $25 each. There were at least ten crates on the floor. Being a broke college student at the time I could not justify the purchase. No telling what they would be worth today. One thing that I remember about these rifles is that the bolt cocked on the closing stroke versus opening stroke on Springfield rifles.
Last summer I finally found a good #5 and I had enough money saved up. I don’t know how good of a deal I got but I don’t ever plan on selling it I paid $800 for it. My dad had purchased one in the 70’s for less than $100 along with his #4. He still has the #4 but sold the #5. Which is why I made it a mission to get one lol
I have a No. 4 MK 1 exactly like yours, even the same manufacture year. Mine is also very clean and I consider it my favorite in my WW1 and WW2 rifle collection. Thanks for sharing sir
30 years ago, these rifles had ZERO collector value. I bought 3 of them for $30 each for deer rifles for my 2 sons and myself. Rather than butcher them, I carefully removed the wooden stocks and put them in storage and replaced them with synthetic stocks. For $90, I got 3 rifles (2 of which had never been issued), 3 bayonets, an ammo tin full of ammo (1000 rounds, if I recall correctly), and 3 10-round boxes of tracer ammo. To sweeten the deal, the dealer threw in a Carcano cavalry carbine at no extra cost. What a deal!!! I still have one of them and have killed countless whitetail deer with it.
@wt4x You make me sad for myself. Back in the early 1990's, Distribucorp offered crates of new, unissued 1950 manufacture Long Branch rifles for sale. Ten to the crate, couldn't buy them individually. Being seriously into service rifle competition at the time and unable to find a DCRA conversion for sale, I decided to attempt to buy success: I purchased two crates of those Long Branch rifles. Patiently stripped every single one of them of the storage grease, then mounted a no-gunsmithing scope mount to each in turn holding a 24x Leopold scope. Five rounds of Greek HXP ball through the barrel, then a wipe with a cleaning patch, and then ten rounds for group at 300 yards. I kept the most accurate one of the 20, gave the second most accurate one to my brother (that was hard because it had much nicer wood and the metal roll stamp was much clearer). And the rest I sold for $175 - made a whopping $50 profit on every rifle that I had spent hours cleaning of the storage grease. And now I look at new Long Branch No.4s in that condition selling for $900+ each and I just shake my head that I don't have them to sell now. So... nice little investment you have tucked away there.
The book " Small Arms Of The World " lists this rifle as the "Canadian Rifle No.4 Mark I*" ( light weight) produced at the Canadian Arsenal at Long Branch. Book was published in 1973.
I have two No. 4 MK I's. One of mine is a beautiful Longbranch. Very cool rifles. My Longbranch is a post war, I think 1946? Cool review. Thanks. Merry Christmas to you, John, and family!
I had to sell my mk3 a few months back to make rent and man this video made me miss it. The Lee rifles art works of art and work so well. Hopefully I can find one eventually, cheers Hickok
Get that emergency fund built up so that you don't have to sell stuff when things get tight, even if it takes months or years to do it. Then when you replace your MK 3, you'll enjoy it more, knowing it's really yours and won't have to disappear at any time. Most economic advisors, which I'm NOT one, advise we have at least six months of expenses in an emergency fund. I think a year is a worthy goal. Most emergencies are not really emergencies; they are just what typically happens in everybody's life randomly, as sure as the sun rises every day: expensive car repairs, heat or air conditioning break-down, medical expenses, new tires, sudden house repair, unplanned trip that needs to be made, etc. No charge for the "fatherly" advice. :-)
I have a No4 Mk1* Lee Enfield dated 1944 that has never left North America. When I bought it back in 2021 it came with 2 magazines and a white vinyl sling. And I later got a Enfield rifle case and LongBranch spike bayonet to go along with it.
I had wanted a lee enfield for a while and finally picked one up. And while i was looking at it i wondered what the “Long Branch” marking meant. Now I know! Thank you for the video!
I actually happen to have a numbers matching Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk1 Longbranch myself. And strangely enough, it is also a 1943 date stamp on it. I was given it by my dad who bought it as surplus from the Canadian Navy. It is I think the last of his collection and he gave it to me long ago. It still shoots amazing and still has the bayonet mount as well. Got lucky that it wasn't cut off long before I got it. The only thing it needs is some new furniture since it was sporterized but that is just replacing the wood and luckily enough, it is easily found just a little bit more expensive for the maple thay they were made of. But once I do that it will be one of my prized possessions. But that is possibly due to it coming from my dad.
The No.4 mk1 was my first rifle. I had shot a few different rifles (mostly .22lr) before it but I didn't grow up in a family that owned guns. I rolled out to the first gun show after I turned 18, walked all around but ended up going back to the first table I had been to and bought it. My mom was P!$$3d at me but got over it. I still have that rifle.
Did my skill at arms test with the No4 ,love them so much and when I got my firearms license it was one of the first rifles I owned and the K98 was also a favourite, would love to shoot fig11 targets out to 900m with iron sights
Those were every where in Canada 40 years ago when I started hunting. We referred to them as a crow bar because they mostly have very worn rifling and a habit of licking up at the worst time
I like my Savage No4 Mk1s. Made in Massachusetts in 42, sent to England, fought in WW2, somehow made their way to Ethiopia after the war, where they remained until RTI brought them back to the US. Now here they are, back in Massachusetts after nearly 80 years. And they still shoot nicely to boot. I agree with you on the stripper clips. They suck. Better than mosin clips but still far less than optimum.
Beautiful rifles. I have a sporterized No. 1 Mk III* for hunting here in Maine. And aside from my dad's 30-06, there's almost no finer hunting rifle. This is just my opinion though.
My 1st deer hunting rifle was a 303 British Enfield sporterized rifle in 1976.It worked great as a brush gun in South East Texas ,Gulf Coast. My next one was 1911 Springfield 30-06.My friend and I would trade about every other week as he had a Springfield and I had a Sporterized Enfield. Ammo was easier and cheaper in Texas for the 30-06.in mid 70s
The clips are nice to have and carry some additional rounds not ratteling in your pocket. For reloading very picky, you can make the clips work. Must love the 303 British 😍 Put grease in the groove the bolt runs, keeps it smooth 😁
Over the years, I've heard a few old timers that prefer the Enfield action over the Mauser. I certainly like the Mauser much more and I think about 90% of the shooters of both styles prefer the Mauser. Just my observations and experience. I love both, but would choose the Mauser if I were forced to. Thanks for the vid Hickok, John.
I have both as well, I find my old 93 Mauser 308 a little clunkier than the smooth LE action of my 303, but it has been accurised though, when it was Factory upgraded to HT Sniper in 1945. Love both rifles 😍
@@sadas25 I know this is an Enfield vid, but I'm basing my statement on my own observations from gun shows and collectors interest and my own personal choice. not bashing, just stating what I've seen in my many yrs in the hobby. The Enfield has gained popularity, as has many other early 20th century designs, but the Mauser had the first great following and continues today. Springfields and M70's and Ruger 77's are just Mausers, how many Enfield copies are there? No big deal, just the truth.
@@jerryw6699 have to agree, I have 3 Ruger 77 mk1s and the Mauser action is by far stronger in these clones. Enfield actions are faster and smoother reloading but made for rimmed cartridges for sure.
The chargers have a technique of stacking the rounds, and it has to be done so the rims don't collide. Long Branch and the Savage plant in Chicopee Falls, MA shared parts. It looks like it has a Savage battle sight. The Canadians used walnut and Savage used birch for the stocks.
It might sound cringe but this brings memory into my head from 10+y ago when i used to play CoD2 2006 version. British guys used to have this sniper rifle with and without the scope and it was my favorite right next to Kar98. Interesting video.
Hello H45, intel from the peanut gallery here: Your notifications for new videos were being shadow banned until a just few weeks ago, I want to say something like a month or 6 weeks ago was when they started coming through again
303 British Lee Enfield My first rifle Thank you for bringing back some fond memories Have a great day Merry Christmas And have a very happy new year God bless Just saying
The ' sporterized ' versions of the long branch and lee enfields were sold at Sears department stores in Canada in the 1970's and 80's for 50 $ - 150 $... have 3 of em...love em..
Got a no4 mk1* Long Branch 1942, that was refitted with a Parker Hale 5C rear sight at some point. It's a good sight in my opinion. All matching serials too. Not as well kept as yours, but not terribly abused either. Stock seems a fair bit darker though. Fantastic battle rifles, makes a decent enough deer gun. Mine is still full stock, and I intend to keep it that way. I fully agree with you on being one of my favourites. There's just something about it, especially when paired with this sight.
First, that sight of yours could possibly be worth as much as the rifle, depending on the condition each of them is worth. The last PH 5C sight I saw offered for sale was initially offered starting at $450 with a bidding war going on. I already have a PH #4 with adjustable diopter on my Long Branch that I use for service rifle and military bench rest, so I didn't engage in the fun. Second, vernier micrometer sights like that were rarely chosen for deer rifles. Whenever it was installed, there would have been much much less expensive hunting aperture sights to purchase instead. That sight being on your Long Branch would suggest that it was potentially a rifle used in service rifle competition - meaning the rifle itself was accurate enough for competition to put that sight on. You might well have one of the cream of the crop there when it comes to grouping ability.
My father was given a 1944 long Branch during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan as a souvenir, we still have it in home, I just picked it from an old Ammo box in hour home and cleaned it, I am intended to use it in the near future
i have a lithgow no1mk3. funny enough about longbranch, ive been to the old grounds. most of it now is marked off as hazardous areas due to contamination on the site. however parts of the factory still remain there today but arent used for anything really. still a neat piece of history.
I don't own a long branch enfield but I do own a butchered No4 MK1T. Got it off a friend for pretty cheap. Still haven't shot it yet but I plan on changing that sometime this week along as the weather is decent
I missed this episode, you mentioned on your Sunday shoot,🤔. My brother has a sporterized version, i have couple P14's, too many were chopped down. You had a great Christmas, have a good new year's. 🇨🇦
I don't have a woods like his to let my babies exercise freely whenever they want, but I can hold them on shoulder one at a time marching around the room, and they are all happy.
I was fortunate enough to pick up a 1943 Long Branch No. 4 MK 1 about 25 or so years ago with both blade and spike bayonets plus sling. A wonderful shooting rifle and has a place of pride in my collection.
Some say that the Swiss in 7.5 x 55 mm is real good. ??
Thank you Hickok. Growing up in western Canada, the No. 4 Mk. 1 Long Branch rifles were easy to find and inexpensive. We used them when I was in the Air Cadets (long ago now), and they were a beautiful rifle to shoot. The ones we used there had flip-up vernier aperture sights - in some cases added later. At the time, the DCRA shooting matches were a regular event through the year, and we had supplies of pretty consistent WWII surplus ammunition. Finding one as nice as the one you've got there is getting to be harder, although there are many No. 4's that bring home a deer for the freezer. Unfortunately, I don't have either a No. 4 or a No. 1 Mk. 3 right now - I hope to correct that soon. Condition varies, of course, but many I've seen for sale recently are not too beaten up. Quite a few were sporterized after WWII, but I still like the original full stock. Many of the Long Branch rifles have really beautiful wood, finished with a lot of care even though they were wartime production. You've got a beautiful example there, and its nice to see Federal .303 still available. Thanks for posting this.
There is a great video somewhere on RUclips about the Long Branch factory in Toronto. I have one of these rifles too and it is a joy to shoot. The old ammo for them has pretty well dried up now but I still have some, including cordite rounds from WW1. They still fire after one hundred years.
1943 No.4 Mk1 has been my hunting rifle for 20+ years now. Never let me down. I have take. Many deer, moose, coyotes, and beers with it. I don’t shoot it out past 400yrds while hunting just because I’m not confident in my abilities at the range. With a well produced hand load after much testing I’ve gotten it to shoot 1.200” at a 100yrds. Pretty darn good for an almost 80year old war horse.
Good choice in my opinion, they were never really made for shooting past 500 yards I’m glad you chose the No. 4 MK1 as your weapon of choice it’s a very sensible and reliable choice.
Is yours sporterized
@@ChiefSuperior "they were never really made for shooting past 500 yards"
Odd that you should say that when anyone looks at the range graduations on the rear sight that go well beyond that. Are you aware that the service rifle matches go out well beyond 500 yards in the Commonwealth nations that issued this rifle (and its predecessor models)?
Cool piece of history those firearms are. Nice to see and have. I remember being a young man. You could pick them up everywhere for about $50.00
How about $9.99 in about 1960.
I just bought a No. 4 Mk 1* Long Branch with all serial numbers matching and wood in very good condition for $1500 Canadian. Insane prices these days.
Longbranch is no longer a small village it has grown like every other town , I also live opposite the armory, which Is now a museum, you can't put a spade in the ground around here without bringing up spent 303 cases.
Great video “45”, you forgot to mention Savage made #4’s during WW2. Also many #4’s made on England had 2 groove rifling, same as the Vicckers machine guns. My favorite #4 is the #4 T sniper rifle. They came in a wooden chest and the scope had special mounts/ring that you could remove the scope for shipping in the chest and remount the scope without lousing zero. The scope was 3 power with a large size post and one cross hair. The funny thing was I could obtain unbelievable groups with the peep sight and not very good groups with the scope. I think because of the size of the post. My #4 T was sent to the French underground fighters towards the end of the war. All the data sheets and scope can markings were in French, as was the outside of the chest. If your ever in Arizona next year contact me and we could meet in casa Grande or Tucson for some trap and skeet shooting. As always thanks for another great fun and interesting video.
Beautiful rifle...far too many surplus 303's and 8mm were butchered to make backwoods deer rifles.
Very sad the amount that were butchered to sporterise them
Many of them made a fine deer or elk rifle. I always hated to see them get worked over but I have a 7mm mauser which was sporterized and a beautifully done 03 Springfield. Favorite rifles.
I have one that has been sporterized, it has a Monte-Carlo stock on it. It has taken many deer over the years I've owned it. All but 1 dropped in their tracks.
@@MrConspark Yup. Thankfully, none of mine are and NEVER will be. In stock configuration, they're even better than sporterized.
Enfield No.4 & l liked all.
I Bought one when I was a teenager. It had matching numbers on rifle, bayonet, and magazine. It also had the cleaning kit inside the stock. Very clean good shooting rifle. I definitely miss it.
This canuck appreciates you reviewing that great piece of Canadiana. Those guns are ubiquitous up here. Merry Christmas!
I agree. My 303 is my favorite bolt action deer rifle in my closet. Ammo prices are so high and difficult to find now I don't bring it out often. Thanks for showing such a great rifle. Love the videos.
Woo-hoo the awesome Canadian Longbranch!!! Thanks for the video. Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄
Must be lots of velocity on those torpedoes. Virtually no perceptible delay between the “bang” and the “ding” on those red plates.
back from a time when you needed a pinkie sized round, at least, to kill your enemies properly.
Yeah well its a rifle round, sooooo.......
The .303 British and the 7.62x54R Soviet round are comparable to our .30-06.
@@jimhovater8755 8mm also
together it sounds like *PANGGGGGG* sweetest sound ever
For your interest, I can almost guarantee that all of the metal parts of that particular rifle were built entirely by female machine operators. The only male dominated part of the production process at CAL (Canadian Arsenal Ltd) Longbranch, Ontario, Canada was the woodworking shop that provided the furniture for that model. Canada provided an all volunteer force for WWII comprised of fully ten percent of it's population at the time leaving very few men behind to run the factories. When I left the RCN in the mid 60's, I inherited two production lines in CAL to supervise and the work force even then was still predominantly female with older hold overs from WWII and younger ladies hired for their noted ability to operate everything from turret lathes, through Acme Gridley Auto machines to 50 ton vertical broaches with the kind of finesse that resulted in longer tool life and less machinery damage. They were a marvel to watch working.
Interesting to read that. Probably repeated over at Inglis during the time when they weren't making home appliances...
I do own a No.4 MK 1 / 2 that was my grandmothers deer rifle. The stock was sporterized but the rest of the rifle remains intact. The rear sight is a micro adjustable ladder style. Ian at forgotten weapons has a few videos on the Lee-Enfield No4 's , a lot of great information if you are curios . Thank you Hickok for all you have done over the year's and I wish you and all of yours a Merry Christmas and Brite Shiny New Year!!!
I love my Enfield. It has the detachable magazine. I thought it was cut down. I don't know much about them, but you just gave me a LOT of information I didn't have before. When I get out of work I'm going to take a look at the markings and see if I can track down where it came from. Thank you for your constant wealth of knowledge of many fire arms. And especially for sharing it with us!
If it's a 10-round it's factory
The mag actually was only intended to be detached for cleaning it came with a chain that connected it to the trigger guard and you would load it from the top as he is doing the mags are generally really poor made but they work great just be careful with ut since they do break easy if only they made vetter mags and issued the troops multiple mags like they do now would have been better but its still a great and interesting rifle I love it i hope you enjoy it as well
@@shawnoandrew When I get home I'll check the mag to be positive. But as memory serves (I don't fire it very often) I believe it has a 10 round mag. And it's short. Very short. I was assuming either someone cut it down, or it was used as a tank rifle.
@@holdyourownholdyourown3915 British tank crews in WW1 weren’t often issued rifles as there wasn’t a British tankers rifle. If it’s a shorter barrel with a conical muzzle device it could be the shorter no5 Jungle Carbine.
I don't know if this helps or not but all of the Lee Enfield's had "detachable" magazines of a ten round capacity.
The magazine was only ever removed for cleaning/maintenance and were not intended to be changed for the purpose of "recharging" the rifle. Only one magazine was issued with the rifle. With the exception of a few of the very early rifles, Lee Enfield's were typically loaded through the breech using rounds placed in a five round stripper clip. The Lee Enfield rifle was named as such as it was James Lee that developed the magazine feed technology on which these rifles were based.
With regards to yours being "cut down", No. 5 "jungle carbines" were a "factory" cut down model produced very late in the war effort and only ever saw service in trials in South East Asia. Not many were made and they now fetch a good dollar.
I used to play with one when I was a child that I firmly believe had seen service in Papua New Guinea but I have been brought to question over the truthfulness of my claim by someone who knows a lot more than me on this subject. Their belief was that they only saw trial service in Malaya but they perhaps could have been "traded" and seen service elsewhere.
A large number of Lee Enfield's were "cut down" after the war and "sporterized" as such and were extremely popular in Australia and New Zealand as hunting rifles/ farm rifles or what US shooters might call a "truck gun" these days.
Some of these conversion were notable for their accuracy and others were notorious for being rubbish. The good ones were really good and the bad ones were really bad. There are some typical identifiers on these rifles that differentiate them from the real thing.
Hope that's of some help. Cheers.
It is a beautiful rifle! No collection is ever complete. Never have enough guns!
The Longbranch rifles were made in Ontario Canada, They are considered the most accurate of the late war Enfields.
Eventually they were rechambered for 7.62 Nato before Canada adopted the FNC1 A1 rifle in 1957.
Merry Christmas Hickok45.
I recently picked up a US Property marked Savage made No 4 Mk 1. Got to get it cleaned up and especially the bayonet I have for it. That thing is completely covered in that brown protective cosmoline snot. 🤧🙂
Use Kerosene and a paint brush to get the majority of grease off. Then, use a hair dryer to make the wood "sweat" out the grease that soaked into it.
Cosmoline snot! Ha ha. Your firearm will be in top condition due to that preservative snot! Lucky you, it's the uncoated ones you need to be careful purchasing. Enjoy that lovely NO4
I inherited one of these because no one else in the family wanted it, but unfortunately my grandfathers brother sporterized it to hunt bears in Alaska. He was a real character and had to give it up after being convicted of a felony, so that's how it ended up at my grandfathers house. I remember it hanging on his wall on a kid, so I'm happy to keep it in the family, where it will continue to be used.
Awesome story! I also inherited a sporterized rifle. It was very common after WWII on these surplus rifles. I ended up buying a new wood set for it and bands to restore it to its former glory
Funny thing is I didn't even recognize it as an Enfield right away because I had no experience with sporterized rifles at this time. But yeah, I've considered buying a wood set and restoring it.
Those are GREAT hunting rifles. We look at it now as a butchery, but alot of guys actually did some very nice work customizing those guns.
@@andrewreil3938 This is why I've hesitated at restoring it...One part of me wants to bring it back to its former glory, but the other part appreciates that an old family member utilized a surplus rifle for the purpose of hunting.
I've got one of those Long Branch No. 4 MK 1 rifles. Got it at Western Auto many years ago. I too have always heard that they were the best of the number 4's.
I have a No 4 mk 1 Long Branch I bought in a cardboard box with military markings on it, wrapped in wax paper, cocooned in cosmoline back in 86 for $125. It is stamped “Canadian Infantry 1944” and has a chrome lined barrel. The action is perfect and just as tight as my Remingtons and Marlins but way smoother. The stock is very nice but does have dings in it. The paint is about 75%. Mine doesn’t have the grooves on the upper wood though like yours and all the metal parts have the same serial number. The stocks were almost black when I got it because the cosmoline was applied to them also. It was a job getting the cosmoline out of the grain and the wood nice and clean. I was very surprised when I cleaned the barrel out and found it chrome lined. I was even more surprised when I shot it the first time and it printed so tight a grouping. It didn’t take much tweeking with the bullet weight and powder charge to get it where I wanted it to be. It will put 3 out of 5 touching the same hole from a bench at 100 yards. My 700 does that now, but I had to work with it a lot more to get the groups down to that size. If I could just hold that grouping from off-hand I would be happy. LOL
A No 4 MkI was my moose rifle in northern BC growing up. CIL 215 grain silvertips really put down big moose and bear.
I’ll confess that when I first saw Long Branch in the title there was a hot second I wondered how and Enfield came to be made in Dodge City😂. Never heard of the Long Branch Armory in Canada. Learn something new every time I tune in!
Longbranch was the name of the town in Ontario that Canadian Arsenal Ltd was located in. It made a lot of stuff for the U.S. during the Vietnam conflict: M-79 (grenade blooper) barrels, M-14 barrels, gas return blocks and later M-16 barrels, glob ends for carrier arrester cables, bayonets by the thousands, and 105 Howitzer recoil cylinder refinishing. Those were shipped in by the hundreds every month to be honed and sent back. I cannot remember all the stuff we were producing but, there was a lot of it! That factory manufactured the Enfields mentioned along with Browning 9mm pistols and Stens throughout WWII along with tons of other stuff like bayonets, mortar barrels and that gawd-awful Piat monster spring fired anti-tank weapon.
Long Branch is walking distance just outside of Toronto, part of Mississauga. The water tower and head office are all that is left
Love shooting all my Enfields. Having bandoliers and chargers makes loading very easy,
I have a 1943 Long Branch and use it for competitive shooting. My favourite WW2 era rifle!
Great old battle rifle! Sorry I sold my No.4 so many decades ago, but at least I still have an Ishapore No.1 Mk lll*, and a No. 5 that someone (not *ME!* ) had bubba'd. In the early 1970s, I lived within walking distance of the old Long Branch site, long since abandoned. I did find a few spent cases near where the range used to be. Years later, I came across a Long Branch STEN Mk ll, and I treasure it to this day. Merry Christmas!!
I bought one a mark 3 when I was 15years old. I still have it. It shoots great. I'm I my 7th decade now and still take it out s few times a year.
I have a Longbranch that my father bought from a Army-Navy store in 1961. He kept the receipt that said he paid 18.00 dollars for. He put 5.00 dollars down and paid the rest in 30 days. I’ll have to check the date , I can’t remember off the top of my head when it was made. Other than changing the ejection spring the rifle in in beautiful condition. I picked up a bayonet and a bandolier full of ammo at a gun swap meet. Probably my most prized gun I own.
I'm from a small town just outside Huntsville in Jackson county. I'm proud to see such a beauty come from around the area and go to such a good owner for her!
My boys grew up with Enfields, back then .303 Brit was super cheep and I bought crates for like $79 shipped!!! We would shoot an afternoon away out in the desert, and the Cosmoline would leach out of the cracks with the heat. I remember driving the jeep home, the boy's shirts and hands stained with Cosmoline, red cheeks, rubbing their sore shoulders, and asking when we could "Go shoot the Enfields again". Good times. 👍
My stepfather recently passed away and I inherited his 1944 Long Branch #4 MK 1 * and it is a fantastic weapon. I appreciate all of your videos. Once we leave Commifornia I'll be getting more additions to my collection.
Enfield action one of the smoothest of the Surplus. I love my 1941 Fazakerley.
My grandfather who served in WW2 actually would totally agree with you on the clips, he said when in combat your hands would be shaking and it would be far easier to load each round in manually than trying to line up the clip to load that way.
Weird thing with the Enfields is most have a relatively fast change mag system yet the MOD never actually ordered multiple mags per soldier making them redundant.
Even weirder that when changing mags is supposedly faster/better, that apparently infantry in WWII was too stupid to think to take the magazines from the rifles of their casualties so they could do that multiple magazine thing you posted about.
Almost like they found they could recharge their magazines faster using the chargers than they could pull one magazine out and put a new magazine in.
Hickok is the man! Ive loved watching for last couple years. My grandparents aren't into guns. Hickok is my adopted "gun granpa". Thank you guys!
It's 8:32 here in Southern California Riverside. Goodmorning Hickok 45
I got one of these rifles at home mine was used by my great grandfather during ww2 still got the bayonet with it everything original ..thousands apon thousands of rounds been fired threw it and she still pin point accurate never jams never miss fires love the gun mine has battle scars and all I love it she's rough but she's tough
A friend when I was 16 had a "Jungle Carbine" with the cone shape flash hider. It was butter smooth action, but the rifle kicked pretty good and the AP rounds went through even railroad ties so it was something else. Loud as Hell though. Still remember the smooth action the most. Always wanted one that was converted to 308.
I really like my Mk4 No1 1943 made in the Maltby ordinance plant. I have had it for 26 years. I have the spike and the knife bayonets.
I was able to pick up a 45 Long Branch about 3 years ago. Mostly numbers matching. One of my favorite rifles by far
I'm from New Zealand and I didn't know I would be learning a piece of my history today. Thankyou
I found my No. 4 MK 2 (.303 cal.) at a gun show in Connecticut in 1998. It was made in England in 1955 (my birth year), sent to Ireland, test fired but never used, as the British had just switched to the NATO 7.62 x 51 (.308) round. Post war, they switched to a lighter colored wood, I believe birch. It was, and still is, in near mint condition. It's a fine rifle, and very well built! P.S. I also found a matching bayonet marked No. 4 MK 2, but rather than the sword type of blade, it is more like a cylindrical rod, with a sharpened tip.
I do t know about the Mark 4, but I remember seeing Mark 5 jungle rifles brand new coated with cosmoline in crates at a J M Fields store in Springfield MA in 1966 selling for only $25 each. There were at least ten crates on the floor. Being a broke college student at the time I could not justify the purchase. No telling what they would be worth today. One thing that I remember about these rifles is that the bolt cocked on the closing stroke versus opening stroke on Springfield rifles.
Last summer I finally found a good #5 and I had enough money saved up. I don’t know how good of a deal I got but I don’t ever plan on selling it I paid $800 for it. My dad had purchased one in the 70’s for less than $100 along with his #4. He still has the #4 but sold the #5. Which is why I made it a mission to get one lol
I have a No. 4 MK 1 exactly like yours, even the same manufacture year. Mine is also very clean and I consider it my favorite in my WW1 and WW2 rifle collection. Thanks for sharing sir
God bless this man he's so wholesome
I have one marked US property made by Savage. Great shooting rifle. I took all the wood and hardware off to put up and put a synthetic stock on it.
I’ve bench rested my 1950 Long Branch no4 mk1* at 100 yds using 150g S&B ammo. It shoots MOA with the factory peep sight. Surprisingly accurate.
i love it, my no.4 mark1 1944 long branch, just down the street from me!!!!
I'm from New Zealand so it's really cool to see the rifle on your channel
It is a beautiful. Love the Enfields
30 years ago, these rifles had ZERO collector value. I bought 3 of them for $30 each for deer rifles for my 2 sons and myself. Rather than butcher them, I carefully removed the wooden stocks and put them in storage and replaced them with synthetic stocks. For $90, I got 3 rifles (2 of which had never been issued), 3 bayonets, an ammo tin full of ammo (1000 rounds, if I recall correctly), and 3 10-round boxes of tracer ammo. To sweeten the deal, the dealer threw in a Carcano cavalry carbine at no extra cost. What a deal!!! I still have one of them and have killed countless whitetail deer with it.
@wt4x
You make me sad for myself. Back in the early 1990's, Distribucorp offered crates of new, unissued 1950 manufacture Long Branch rifles for sale. Ten to the crate, couldn't buy them individually. Being seriously into service rifle competition at the time and unable to find a DCRA conversion for sale, I decided to attempt to buy success: I purchased two crates of those Long Branch rifles.
Patiently stripped every single one of them of the storage grease, then mounted a no-gunsmithing scope mount to each in turn holding a 24x Leopold scope. Five rounds of Greek HXP ball through the barrel, then a wipe with a cleaning patch, and then ten rounds for group at 300 yards.
I kept the most accurate one of the 20, gave the second most accurate one to my brother (that was hard because it had much nicer wood and the metal roll stamp was much clearer). And the rest I sold for $175 - made a whopping $50 profit on every rifle that I had spent hours cleaning of the storage grease.
And now I look at new Long Branch No.4s in that condition selling for $900+ each and I just shake my head that I don't have them to sell now.
So... nice little investment you have tucked away there.
The book " Small Arms Of The World " lists this rifle as the "Canadian Rifle No.4 Mark I*" ( light weight) produced at the Canadian Arsenal at Long Branch. Book was published in 1973.
I have two No. 4 MK I's. One of mine is a beautiful Longbranch. Very cool rifles. My Longbranch is a post war, I think 1946? Cool review. Thanks. Merry Christmas to you, John, and family!
British WWI and WWII rifle
@@Gamer0207GG the No4 only so service in ww2. The SMLE was used in ww1. But both are Lee Enfield's just different marks or models :)
@@littletaff95 yes yes
I had to sell my mk3 a few months back to make rent and man this video made me miss it. The Lee rifles art works of art and work so well. Hopefully I can find one eventually, cheers Hickok
Get that emergency fund built up so that you don't have to sell stuff when things get tight, even if it takes months or years to do it. Then when you replace your MK 3, you'll enjoy it more, knowing it's really yours and won't have to disappear at any time.
Most economic advisors, which I'm NOT one, advise we have at least six months of expenses in an emergency fund. I think a year is a worthy goal. Most emergencies are not really emergencies; they are just what typically happens in everybody's life randomly, as sure as the sun rises every day: expensive car repairs, heat or air conditioning break-down, medical expenses, new tires, sudden house repair, unplanned trip that needs to be made, etc.
No charge for the "fatherly" advice. :-)
I have a No4 Mk1* Lee Enfield dated 1944 that has never left North America. When I bought it back in 2021 it came with 2 magazines and a white vinyl sling. And I later got a Enfield rifle case and LongBranch spike bayonet to go along with it.
Alright Hickok, we challenge you to the "Mad Minute"!!
Jolly Good!!
I had wanted a lee enfield for a while and finally picked one up. And while i was looking at it i wondered what the “Long Branch” marking meant. Now I know! Thank you for the video!
something about a 303, ... just makes me smile🙂
also love your channel & your content Mr hickock double 👍🏻 from Australia.
I like the specific sound the resonating enfield magazines give.
I know no other rifle that sounds like that whilst repeating.
I actually happen to have a numbers matching Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk1 Longbranch myself. And strangely enough, it is also a 1943 date stamp on it. I was given it by my dad who bought it as surplus from the Canadian Navy. It is I think the last of his collection and he gave it to me long ago. It still shoots amazing and still has the bayonet mount as well. Got lucky that it wasn't cut off long before I got it. The only thing it needs is some new furniture since it was sporterized but that is just replacing the wood and luckily enough, it is easily found just a little bit more expensive for the maple thay they were made of. But once I do that it will be one of my prized possessions. But that is possibly due to it coming from my dad.
Beautiful Wood & Steel. Great vid again. Thanks!
Greets from the Netherlands 🌷, T.
The No.4 mk1 was my first rifle. I had shot a few different rifles (mostly .22lr) before it but I didn't grow up in a family that owned guns. I rolled out to the first gun show after I turned 18, walked all around but ended up going back to the first table I had been to and bought it. My mom was P!$$3d at me but got over it. I still have that rifle.
Love every time john takes a step all you here is shotgun shells and brass sounds MINT...
Did my skill at arms test with the No4 ,love them so much and when I got my firearms license it was one of the first rifles I owned and the K98 was also a favourite, would love to shoot fig11 targets out to 900m with iron sights
Just picked me one up today in a private sell! Stamped 1944 and in excellent condition.
this guy has the best sense of humour ever
I have one of these that has been sporterized. It's a great rifle.
Same
Same here too and I’m actually kind of disappointed it’s sported out 😕
I have one also. I will say it the most accurate rifle I own. It does kick the Sh!t out of my shoulder. I need one of those pads.
@@harryinoklahoma1866 it's definitely the most accurate one mile doom I call it
I have the same model manufactured in 1945 by Savage Arms. Beautiful rifle and my favorite out of all of the WWI era bolt actions.
Love my '43 Savage also. My favorite rifle, bar none!
Those were every where in Canada 40 years ago when I started hunting. We referred to them as a crow bar because they mostly have very worn rifling and a habit of licking up at the worst time
When i was in the Uk air cadets we used to fire the lee enfields at the ranges and the dates on some of the ammo was pre WWII funnily enough 😮
I like my Savage No4 Mk1s. Made in Massachusetts in 42, sent to England, fought in WW2, somehow made their way to Ethiopia after the war, where they remained until RTI brought them back to the US. Now here they are, back in Massachusetts after nearly 80 years. And they still shoot nicely to boot. I agree with you on the stripper clips. They suck. Better than mosin clips but still far less than optimum.
Beautiful rifles. I have a sporterized No. 1 Mk III* for hunting here in Maine. And aside from my dad's 30-06, there's almost no finer hunting rifle.
This is just my opinion though.
@managerial conclusions I love mine. I've taken everything from coyotes to the mighty moose with it. Large caliber for large game
I inherited my dads rifle which sounds like the same as yours.
@@STEVEARABIA1 is yours from 1918 as well?
My 1st deer hunting rifle was a 303 British Enfield sporterized rifle in 1976.It worked great as a brush gun in South East Texas ,Gulf Coast. My next one was 1911 Springfield 30-06.My friend and I would trade about every other week as he had a Springfield and I had a Sporterized Enfield. Ammo was easier and cheaper in Texas for the 30-06.in mid 70s
The clips are nice to have and carry some additional rounds not ratteling in your pocket. For reloading very picky, you can make the clips work. Must love the 303 British 😍 Put grease in the groove the bolt runs, keeps it smooth 😁
Over the years, I've heard a few old timers that prefer the Enfield action over the Mauser. I certainly like the Mauser much more and I think about 90% of the shooters of both styles prefer the Mauser. Just my observations and experience. I love both, but would choose the Mauser if I were forced to. Thanks for the vid Hickok, John.
I have both as well, I find my old 93 Mauser 308 a little clunkier than the smooth LE action of my 303, but it has been accurised though, when it was Factory upgraded to HT Sniper in 1945. Love both rifles 😍
Take all my enfields any day over mausers. Blah sights on mausers too.
I actually believe you're in the minority. I'd say it's 90% who would choose the Enfield over a poor sighted Mauser.
@@sadas25 I know this is an Enfield vid, but I'm basing my statement on my own observations from gun shows and collectors interest and my own personal choice. not bashing, just stating what I've seen in my many yrs in the hobby. The Enfield has gained popularity, as has many other early 20th century designs, but the Mauser had the first great following and continues today. Springfields and M70's and Ruger 77's are just Mausers, how many Enfield copies are there? No big deal, just the truth.
@@jerryw6699 have to agree, I have 3 Ruger 77 mk1s and the Mauser action is by far stronger in these clones. Enfield actions are faster and smoother reloading but made for rimmed cartridges for sure.
I have one of the Enfield's with a U.S. Property stamp that was made through the lend lease program. Probably still my favorite bolt action.
The chargers have a technique of stacking the rounds, and it has to be done so the rims don't collide. Long Branch and the Savage plant in Chicopee Falls, MA shared parts. It looks like it has a Savage battle sight. The Canadians used walnut and Savage used birch for the stocks.
It might sound cringe but this brings memory into my head from 10+y ago when i used to play CoD2 2006 version.
British guys used to have this sniper rifle with and without the scope and it was my favorite right next to Kar98.
Interesting video.
same rifle I have. use it for hunting now. got it from my grandfather
I am watching from kalam valley
Where do you hunt? I have found great success in my home state of Maine.
Hello H45, intel from the peanut gallery here: Your notifications for new videos were being shadow banned until a just few weeks ago, I want to say something like a month or 6 weeks ago was when they started coming through again
303 British Lee Enfield
My first rifle
Thank you for bringing back some fond memories
Have a great day
Merry Christmas
And have a very happy new year
God bless
Just saying
hickok45 shooting some of the last .303 in the country
I love my Lee Enfield 303B. Mine has been sporterized before I picked it up for $150. I use it for deer hunting.
The ' sporterized ' versions of the long branch and lee enfields were sold at Sears department stores in Canada in the 1970's and 80's for 50 $ - 150 $... have 3 of em...love em..
In the 60,s mk 111 s sporterized were 17.95 from Simpson sears catalog
'Rule 303!' - from the movie, 'Breaker Morant'.
One of my favorite rifles i have a number 3 and a jungle carbine thanks for sharing your great collection with us all
Got a no4 mk1* Long Branch 1942, that was refitted with a Parker Hale 5C rear sight at some point. It's a good sight in my opinion.
All matching serials too.
Not as well kept as yours, but not terribly abused either. Stock seems a fair bit darker though.
Fantastic battle rifles, makes a decent enough deer gun. Mine is still full stock, and I intend to keep it that way.
I fully agree with you on being one of my favourites. There's just something about it, especially when paired with this sight.
First, that sight of yours could possibly be worth as much as the rifle, depending on the condition each of them is worth. The last PH 5C sight I saw offered for sale was initially offered starting at $450 with a bidding war going on. I already have a PH #4 with adjustable diopter on my Long Branch that I use for service rifle and military bench rest, so I didn't engage in the fun.
Second, vernier micrometer sights like that were rarely chosen for deer rifles. Whenever it was installed, there would have been much much less expensive hunting aperture sights to purchase instead. That sight being on your Long Branch would suggest that it was potentially a rifle used in service rifle competition - meaning the rifle itself was accurate enough for competition to put that sight on.
You might well have one of the cream of the crop there when it comes to grouping ability.
My father was given a 1944 long Branch during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan as a souvenir, we still have it in home, I just picked it from an old Ammo box in hour home and cleaned it, I am intended to use it in the near future
i have a lithgow no1mk3. funny enough about longbranch, ive been to the old grounds. most of it now is marked off as hazardous areas due to contamination on the site. however parts of the factory still remain there today but arent used for anything really. still a neat piece of history.
I don't own a long branch enfield but I do own a butchered No4 MK1T. Got it off a friend for pretty cheap. Still haven't shot it yet but I plan on changing that sometime this week along as the weather is decent
I think I own a similar rifle to that. It’s a .303 Brit and looks almost identical to that. Fun rifle!
I missed this episode, you mentioned on your Sunday shoot,🤔. My brother has a sporterized version, i have couple P14's, too many were chopped down. You had a great Christmas, have a good new year's. 🇨🇦
My Uncle & I bought a pair of them in the 80's at Roses Dept Store for $50.00 each. They were marked "FTR" Factory Thorough Repair".
Lots of em here in Canada but no one's selling! Prices climbing higher and higher!
I don't have a woods like his to let my babies exercise freely whenever they want, but I can hold them on shoulder one at a time marching around the room, and they are all happy.
My Long Branch was made in 1950 and has the ladder sight. It was never issued. I'm a happy owner...
Kiwi here! Fan since 2013
WOW! What a beautiful, classic Rifle!
Thank you, hickok45 !!