1943..... Truly, a "Vintage Year" (in some folks' opinon, anyway!)

[BruceB]

Since Christmas of 1959, I have continuously owned military rifles of one sort or another.

On that red-letter day, at 16 years of age, my parents gave me a Parker-Hale #4 Enfield. In the decades that followed , my assemblage expanded to over 100 rifles on occasion as I studied and played with the various types.

I developed some strong preferences.....my military favorites have now cooked-down to the #4 Enfield, M1 Garand, FN-FAL, and M14/M1A. In the very recent past, I've devoted a goodly amount of time to finding prime examples of these, and reducing the overall gross numbers in my racks.

The FAL is represented by a beautiful walnut-stocked DSA SA58, and I'm happy with it. Likewise, my M1A is a new Springfield "loaded" rifle, also in walnut. But the other two....

I was first issued a Long Branch #4 (#85L7408) in the summer of 1958 at a camp in Saskatchewan. Since that time, I've been searching for a suitably-lovely Long Branch to call my own. NVCurmudgeon took me to a newish gunshop in Reno a couple months ago, and they had a GORGEOUS LB#4 which went home with me. Cobbmtnmac calls it "museum quality", and I don't think it was ever issued. Simply a lovely example. $270!!!!!

Curmudgeon and I attended a Big Reno Show a year or two back, and I left the place with another great rifle...this is now my favorite Garand. It appears to be a Danish-return Springfield rifle, with a new-condition "VAR" barrel dated 5-61. Metal finish is perfect, and the stock is un-scarred high-gloss walnut which rivals any commercial rifle on the dealer racks today. Cost? Just over $500!

I now refer you again to the thread title.

-on the receiver of the #4, it says "Long Branch 1943", and

-searching Garand production dates, my rifle was built in 1943, and

-checking my own Birth Certificate I find "Detroit M! 1943"!

....and THAT is why I think '43 was a pretty good year in spite of the troubles in the world at the time.

I do suppose that I'm just a bit prejudiced, though...

[bradh]

My birth certificate says Madison, WI 1943; just a great yesr1

[Multigunner]

You can look for FTR marks on the Long Branch, but some of these were never issued so you may have a cherry rather than the more common yet still highly desireable reworks of the mid fifties.
The No.4 was also used extensively in military target competition, and those rifles were often well cared for and show little evidence of use. Other target rifles were used till they looked more like battle rifles.
The target rifles may have sheet metal inserts in the wood at bedding points of the action body.

I have heard of new condition No.4 rifles being found in armories in Yugoslavia and other countries that received firearms from Britian. Story on those was that the rifles came late in the war and weren't issued due to ammo supply difficulties, reserves of .303 ammo being set aside for use in vickers and maximum guns that had been sold them by the British as surplus after WW1.
Long Branch also sent tens of thousands of No.4 rifles to China in the closing months of the war, these probaly came to late for WW2 combat but the few of those that have shown up were pretty beat up from post war use.

[Char-Gar]

I was born in 1942, so I guess that makes me senior on this thread thus far.

I like military rifles in general, but US sevice rifles in particular. Krags, 03s, 1917s, 03A3s and Garands. I think I have about 10 of these hanging out around here. One 03A3 and a Garand appeared to be unfired when they fell into my hands. All are in tip top shape.

They are a joy to shoot and a piece of history to enjoy at the same time.

I have one LN No 4 (1945), a couple of Mausers (Persian, German and Swede) and a few others thrown in for good measure.

I would like to have an M1A, but have no amassed the capital to do that. I sitting on about 1K LC 7.62 rounds, so it would be good to have one, although I have four others sporter rifles in 308.

I have given away a few rifles and quite a few handguns to my kids the past few years, I probably should get rid of some more, so I could buy that MIA and a few more 1917s, Krags, and 03s.

[WineMan]

I kind of like my SA M1. The receiver SN is probably a 1957 (same as me) and a 55 barrel. I have tweaked it to the nth degree for as issued (loose HG, cut GC, crown job, etc.) matches. She locks up tight and holds 10 ring at 200 all day long. Last summer I had a 98-6X prone with a M1907 sling and HXP ammo. It is not the prettiest rifle on the line, with a dark stock and plenty of "character" dings plus a nice set of tiny EnBloc bullet tip holes near the butt plate. A CMP Rack Grade.

Wineman

[462]

My '03-A3 and Garand are of '43 manufacture. The '03-A3 was produced a few months after the
A3 designation became official, and the Garand was made in June.

[smoked turkey]

Boy I wish I could add to this with similar stories about an 03-A3 and and M1 Garand. I'm afraid all I can add is I wasn't particularily looking for a Mosin-Nagant, but when I saw the date of 1946 which is my year of production, I just had to have it. I'm afraid I've gone and waited too long for that good old Garand or 03-A3. The prices of nice ones have done run off and left me.

[Jens]

what about that puny little rifle the 30 cal m1 carbine? i own two of them

[WILCO]

and THAT is why I think '43 was a pretty good year...

Don't forget the steel wheat penny!

[Frank46]

I have 3 WWII firearms. Garand, M1 carbine and a 1911A1 made by Ithaca all of them in 1943. Frank

[Bret4207]

Bruce, very, very nice to see you posting again!

[smoked turkey]

+1 on what Bret4207 said.

[462]

+2 on what Bret said.

[6.5 mike]

SWMBO, 91/30, & 03A3, all made in 1943. Good to hear from you again. :drinks:

[Got-R-Did]

Of my 30+ CMP Treasures, I own four from 1943, and recently passed on another. Six are from 1942, three from 1941, and two from 1940.
The 236K is also a Danish Return with a VAR bbl, as is my 3.1 Million and she has allowed me to win a few First Place plaques at the John C. Garand Memorial Matches at Ft. Knox, KY.
Got to love those old girls!
Got-R-Did.

[NVcurmudgeon]

I date back to "El Presidente para vida's" first term, but my No. 4 Fazakerly was made in the magic year of 1943. Sometimes I speculate on whether it went ashore at Sword or Gold Beach. I passed on a couple of Savages in the same shop to buy it and have no regrets because I got lucky on the barrel. It slugs .3138" and my Lyman 314299 is the same size. the original trigger was "Twenty Mule Team" so I got a trigger, sear, and spring from Numrich and now have a trigger that feels much lighter than its measured five lbs. because it is so smooth. The orginal two range flip rear sight has been replaced by a milled ladder sight, Accuracy is consistently three inches at 100 yd. with either the cast 200 gr. Lyman or 150 gr. Hornady, which is about all these geezer eyes can manage on an average day. Oh, for a windage adjustment!

[Multigunner]

I date back to "El Presidente para vida's" first term, but my No. 4 Fazakerly was made in the magic year of 1943. Sometimes I speculate on whether it went ashore at Sword or Gold Beach. I passed on a couple of Savages in the same shop to buy it and have no regrets because I got lucky on the barrel. It slugs .3138" and my Lyman 314299 is the same size. the original trigger was "Twenty Mule Team" so I got a trigger, sear, and spring from Numrich and now have a trigger that feels much lighter than its measured five lbs. because it is so smooth. The orginal two range flip rear sight has been replaced by a milled ladder sight, Accuracy is consistently three inches at 100 yd. with either the cast 200 gr. Lyman or 150 gr. Hornady, which is about all these geezer eyes can manage on an average day. Oh, for a windage adjustment!

I have a Milled ladder sight for the No.4 that I'm holding onto till I find another No.4 I'm willing to invest in.
If I had not scoped my No.4, using a mounting of my own design that allows use of one leg of the L sight to be used as a fold down back up sight, before I was given this ladder sight I would have used it already.

I obtained a good condition No.1 MkIII windage adjustable (windgauge) rear sight to replace the broken rear sight of my 1915. I also obtained a PH5A rear sight but haven't gotten around to mounting it.
Windage adjustment is a definite plus when using handloads or most factory loads other than the milspec MkVI ammo.

I've heard of M1917 owners mounting a late model BAR windage adjustable rear sight in place of the original ladder. Don't know if that could be done for the No.4.
IIRC the ladder sights for both the M1917 Browning MG and the M1918 BAR were developments of the P14/M1917 rear sight.

There are Parker Hale and other aftermarket windgauge sights for the No.4.

PS
Enfield bores are a crapshoot, I lucked out with the 1915, it has a true .311 bore, which actually means it should not have passed gauging but it did. A solid 2 MOA shooter with most factory ammo and handloads.

PPS


Don't forget the steel wheat penny!

Wilco, if you ever run across a copper 1943 penny these are highly radioactive. Wrap it carefully and send it to me for safe disposal.

[1Shirt]

Don't have any 43 vintage Milsurps. Have a couple of MN's from 42, and two Sweds from 09 and 08, and a K-31 from (can't remember where) and a SMLE with parts from probably half a dozen years! But I was born in 38, so guess it doesn't matter much to me anyhow.
1Shirt!