Lee Enfield No5 Jungle Carbine

[JS569]

Hi All

Thought Id share the recent addition to my collection, it's been a while coming having shifted a few rifles on to fund it but it finally arrived yesterday. It's a Nov' 47 Fazakerely No5.Faz made the majority of them with BSA making the remaining number, and being '47 it is one of the last ones made (a few give aways that it's a later model include the metal 'cover' on the fore-end).

Interestingly until yesterday morning this rifle was unfired, the mag floor plate is unmarked and the feed ramp didn't have any marks as well as the bolt head/ face being completely unmarked. The rifling is crisp, proud and very shiny with all numbers matching, even the wood! I was fortunate enough to be able to put 14 rds through it after it had been cleaned. I was lucky enough to also pick up a bayonet for it, so now all I need is a period sling. Can't wait to properly put it through it's paces on the longer range.

Thinking about finding a period scope and a non-smith mount to add to it. Really chuffed with it , the condition is impeccable, pretty much as it rolled off the product line in 47. I thought people might be interested in seeing it here as it generated quite a bit of interest at the range when it turned up.

[snayperskaya]

Very nice

[Tommygunn]

Mmm.....that's on my want list, like it a lot

[Charlotte the flyer]

Dribble.

Very nice, how come you want to put a scope on it though? Are you shooting distance, if so will the shorter barrel do what you ask of it? (I'm asking from a position of ignorance, I don't know how far a No 5 will shoot)

[JS569]

Dribble.

Very nice, how come you want to put a scope on it though? Are you shooting distance, if so will the shorter barrel do what you ask of it? (I'm asking from a position of ignorance, I don't know how far a No 5 will shoot)

Hi Charlotte

I'll shoot it max out to 550m at fig 11's so whilst the open sites are perfectly adequate and as long as I do my part it's fine. However I quite fancy a 'period' scope to be able to see in a bit more detail what I'm shooting at. I can also potentially use it for for deer over land I have permission for as the shooting is mainly in woods and well under 100m.

The No5 was developed for closer range 400m and closer, but I don't think it will have any bother pushing it out to longer ranges.

It is a bit punchier in the recoil than a No4 or SMLE-its closer to an M44 although still not quite as aggressive

[huntervixen]

gunlike gunlike What a lovely example, had a play with Dave 303's last week, very impressed indeed with his and yours looks just as nice.

[GeeRam]

Beautiful......

And where on earth did you turn up such a mint, unused example

A mint No.5 is very on my want list, once my ticket materialises, as it was very much my late fathers favourite out of all the .303's and he carried a No.5 for the duration of his 12 months Palestine tour of duty in 1946 (as did two of my uncles)

[JS569]

It has England stamped on it which apparently suggests it was sold as military aid to a friendly nation in a time of need. why mine and probably others didn't get used, I don't know. It came from a very well known Enfield dealer who was recommended to me by another dealer friend. The rifle had recently come back from the states from a big collector supposedly.

Interesting your father and uncles liked carrying it, I suppose the lack of weight and the same fire power was liked. It's noticeable shorter and handier compared to a No4. A WW2 vet was at the range (father of a member) and he said it was his least favourite of the enfields due to lightweight of the rifle and the full power cartridge. When i fired it, it was noticeably punchier but not too bad.

[Charlotte the flyer]

You want to try a Martini carbine! You need fortitude to shoot more than a few rounds.

[huntervixen]

It has England stamped on it which apparently suggests it was sold as military aid to a friendly nation in a time of need. why mine and probably others didn't get used, I don't know. It came from a very well known Enfield dealer who was recommended to me by another dealer friend. The rifle had recently come back from the states from a big collector supposedly.

Interesting your father and uncles liked carrying it, I suppose the lack of weight and the same fire power was liked. It's noticeable shorter and handier compared to a No4. A WW2 vet was at the range (father of a member) and he said it was his least favourite of the enfields due to lightweight of the rifle and the full power cartridge. When i fired it, it was noticeably punchier but not too bad.

The ENGLAND stamp is a US importation stamp, not sure if they still do this?? I don't know if this is the history of your particular rifle, but I have been told from a very knowledgeable source that a very large number of Enfield's of various types were procured from the British Government by Parker Hale and Interarms in the late 50's.

Quite a number of No5's emigrated to the States (along with No4's, SMLE's etc) as part of the Interarms side of the deal, yours might be a returning example.

It appears to be in excellent condition and I would assume with its 1947 end of contract date, it probably went straight to store for onward sale a decade later. Was it proofed before it left the UK, or is it freshly proofed?

If so, I hope it hasn't been "attacked" by the London proof house, more stamps than the post office!

The No5 is on my shopping list for this year!