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Opinions on this Long branch serial... |
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bubba ho tep 
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 Topic: Opinions on this Long branch serial...Posted: November 07 2025 at 3:53pm |
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A friend has asked me if I am into this 1943 Long Branch - all greased up like out of war reserve with a "hand tag". Overall rifle looks fairly used with all the dings. Enough dried grease to not be able to note any stylized LB proof anywhere. The front sight gaurd is the stamped variety - proper for a 43 LB ?. I am kinda put off by the ratchet serial job done on bolt being factory original.   |
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Shamu
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Posted: November 07 2025 at 4:57pm |
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It looks renumbered to me. Possibly an in-service replacement.
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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bubba ho tep
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Posted: November 07 2025 at 6:30pm |
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That was my feeling , seems way too crude for longbranch.
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DisasterDog
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Posted: November 07 2025 at 11:35pm |
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The bolt has likely been renumbered, but the hang tag probably isn’t from 1943, so a refurb would be not unexpected anyways.
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Sapper740
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Posted: November 08 2025 at 3:19am |
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The serial number on the bolt of my 1943 looks very similar. I believe that somewhere along the line many long branch rifles were serviced and had mismatched but serviceable bolts installed. They then ground off the bolt's old serial number and restamped it with the receiver's number.
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paddyofurniture
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Posted: November 08 2025 at 6:41am |
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I have seen a lot of Long Branch rifles with re-numbered bolts in North Carolina at many Gun shows over the years.
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DisasterDog
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Posted: November 08 2025 at 11:32am |
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Fairly certain I know this rifle (it belongs to Rich, no?), and there’s a couple other bits that could be “not original 1943”, so I suspect it’s a refurb that then went into war reserves. Better pics might help, but the grease makes details hard to discern.
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bubba ho tep
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Posted: November 08 2025 at 1:00pm |
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Yes it's Rich's rife. He said he had three of these altogether. But if they are all like this it's a hard pass for me.
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A square 10
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Posted: November 08 2025 at 3:55pm |
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does it have an FTR marking ?
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bubba ho tep
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Posted: November 08 2025 at 5:10pm |
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He told me no - but all that dried grease may have it yet hidden.
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DisasterDog
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Posted: November 08 2025 at 5:31pm |
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Canadian FTRs aren’t usually marked, sometimes a date.
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DisasterDog
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Posted: November 09 2025 at 12:11pm |
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I wouldn’t say hard pass, $100 less seems reasonable, $200 less would just be giving em away.
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A square 10
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Posted: November 09 2025 at 3:24pm |
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how do we know FTR was done in canada ? it could have been a lot of places ,
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DisasterDog
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Posted: November 09 2025 at 6:43pm |
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A Canadian built rifle that is consistent with Canadian refurbs with a Canadian arsenal hang tag, it’s no mystery. They’re not unheard of, it’s not like none have been observed previously.
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Shamu
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Posted: November 10 2025 at 10:49am |
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I'd just check the headspace, bolt head clocking, locking lug engagement & firing pin protrusion. If it passes the I'd call the renumbered bolt OK & go with it.
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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