The Lee Enfield No. 5 Mk1 "Jungle Carbine"

[loademup]

A look at some of the details and prominent features on my BSA manufactured Lee Enfield No. 5 Mk1 "Jungle Carbine". This rifle is military surplus and apparently has seen duty in Southeast Asia.



The scalloped recesses on the barrel are to reduce weight. This is one of the definitive ways of identifying a real Lee Enfield No. 5 Mk1 rifle. There are also reductions in the metal on the receiver below the rear sight..



The rubber butt pad. Age has made them hard as iron.



The bottom row of pictures in the above collage from left to right shows:

-"No 5 MK1" marking on left side of the receiver.
-BSA's factory code "M47C", manufacture date "1945", and a BSA serial number on the left side of the receiver butt stock socket.
-"M47C" and serial number marking on the rear of the bolt handle.
-"FMP" Federation of Malaysian Police marking on the right receiver butt stock socket.
-A side view of the rifle showing a bolt handle with a hole in the nob. I have read BSA manufactured their bolt handles with the hollowed out nobs, a smaller hole for their No 4's, a larger hole for the Lee Enfield No. 5 bolt handle as in the picture. In any case, this part of the bolt assembly was inter-changeable, so one can find these hollowed out nob handles where ever they may have been used, not just on BSA manufactured rifles and their No. 5.
-The rifle's BSA serial number on the bottom of the stock's fore-end. The rifle's serial number is also stamped on the bottom of the magazine (not shown). All serial numbers where observed on this rifle match, but are only partially shown in the pictures.

Miscellaneous markings on this rifle:



Front sight .045 size marking on the right side of the blade, Broad Arrows (front stock band, safety lever), BSA manufacture codes and markings (front stock band, rear sight and bolt head), 800 yard range marked rear sight, and a crowned inspection mark on the end of the receiver, the only such mark I've found on this rifle.

More on the Lee Enfield No 5 Jungle Carbine found at Ian MCcollum's "Forgotten Weapons" YouTube Channel:



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[highpower]

Better to post this in the C&R forum rather than in the picture gallery.