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  #1  
Old 22-11-21, 04:46
WpgBinocular WpgBinocular is offline
Frank
 
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Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
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Default Inglis and Small Arms Ltd Inspection and Serial Numbering

Does anybody have information about the inspection process and serial numbering protocol for small arms made by Inglis (Hi-Powers and Brens) and Small Arms Ltd., Long Branch (Lee Enfields and Stens) during WW II? Specifically which agencies inspected the final products and were serial numbers marked on the firearms after one of the inspections?
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Old 23-11-21, 14:21
maple_leaf_eh maple_leaf_eh is offline
Terry Warner
 
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Default Inspections

Quote:
Originally Posted by WpgBinocular View Post
Does anybody have information about the inspection process and serial numbering protocol for small arms made by Inglis (Hi-Powers and Brens) and Small Arms Ltd., Long Branch (Lee Enfields and Stens) during WW II? Specifically which agencies inspected the final products and were serial numbers marked on the firearms after one of the inspections?
I read your question and thought that you are 50 years too late to hope for a simple answer. The people who worked on those lines and would have known are all gone now. A careful read of the Collector Grade publications or Service Publications titles relating to Canadian production should help answer your wonderings.

It is my understanding that parts would have been gauged along the way before going into the bins for final assembly. Quality Assurance is related to Quality Control. The idea of standardized parts is to eliminate any handfitting requirements. So, use good materials, make a good jig, keep the tooling adjusted and sharp, and pull an appropriate percentage of the production aside for testing and gauging. If a lot is within the engineer's mathematical range of tolerances, away those hundreds or thousands of parts go. Some things need fewer inspections, like grip panels, pins and screws. Other parts can't be properly judged until final assembly.

To answer your question, I would expect the barrel, slide and frame of a 9mm very likely got a serial number only after proof firing and after stamps by the acceptance inspector. Peter Laidler's books on the No.4(T) rifle describe rack grade rifles which exceeded accuracy standards being set aside for further examination and conversion. Along the way, each inspector would remove unsuited rifles, hence there is a progression of stamps.
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Old 27-11-21, 01:19
Lynn Eades Lynn Eades is offline
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Not much knowledge here, but the No1 rifle was head spaced by fitting of a selected bolt head.
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Old 27-11-21, 03:22
Bruce Parker (RIP) Bruce Parker (RIP) is offline
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Originally Posted by Lynn Eades View Post
Not much knowledge here, but the No1 rifle was head spaced by fitting of a selected bolt head.
Yes, correct.
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  #5  
Old 27-11-21, 21:56
Lynn Eades Lynn Eades is offline
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I suspect the info you are searching for is well documented. As a parallel, the U.S. made M1 Garand is very precisely documented. I understand that there were something like 700 machining operations in the manufacture of a Bren LMG. I'm guessing much of this had to be gauged.
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So many questions....
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