Lee-Enfield with strange finish

[Member 75122]

Hi everybody, I recently acquired a 1944 Long Branch No. 4 Mk. 1*, and while it is in excellent shape with all numbers matching, I did notice an odd, thick black coating on some of the metal parts. It appears on the receiver, trigger guard, trigger, magazine, rear sight, barrel bands, nose cap, and the barrel itself. It appears to be chipping away in certain spots and, curiously, does not appear on the butt plate or the bolt. Is it possible that a previous owner tried to parkerize or re-blue the rifle? Would it be a good idea to remove this stuff to give the rifle a more authentic look and, if so, how would I go about doing that? Any info or advice is appreciated. Thanks.

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[tac]

Long Branch rifles that had been FTR'd in UK or were in service in India were black-painted. It looks like the real thing to me, so it IS authentic. I'd be inclined to leave it on.

FYI, moving parts like the bolt are not usually painted, nor is the butt-plate, which is subject to extensive wear at the best of times.

 

[orygun]

Nice looking rifle!

 

[Moeca]

Leave it as is thats the correct finish as tac said. You have a wonderful rifle there thats a great piece of history. Also very fun shooters! Need something to do look at all the stampings and research its history!

 

[Member 75122]

Long Branch rifles that had been FTR'd in UK or were in service in India were black-painted. It looks like the real thing to me, so it IS authentic. I'd be inclined to leave it on.

FYI, moving parts like the bolt are not usually painted, nor is the butt-plate, which is subject to extensive wear at the best of times.

Thanks, I'll leave it as is! I've seen Canadian manufacture markings on the bolt and receiver but there were some I didn't recognize on the stock. Will need to look those up.