British Enfield No.5 Mk.I Jungle Carbine .303 British Bolt Action Rifle C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,000
WOA#: WY240210RN011
Make: Birmingham Small Arms Company
Model: No. 5 Mk. I ‘Jungle Carbine’
Serial Number: BF8592
Year of Manufacture: 1945
Caliber: .303 British
Action Type: Bolt action, detachable 10 round magazine
Markings: The left side of the receiver is marked “No.5.Mk.I”. The rear of the bolt handle is marked “BF8592”. The left side of the stock collar is marked “M/47C”, “1945”, and “BF8592”. The right side is marked “ENGLAND”. The underside of the forend is marked “BF8592” and “M47A”. The right side of the barrel band is marked “M47A”. The underside of the grip is marked “M47A”. As is common on British firearms, there are numerous faint small proof marks throughout.
Barrel Length: 19”. There is an integral 1.5” flash hider at the end of the muzzle.
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade post dovetailed into a base mounted between two protective ears. The rear sight is an aperture which when flipped up has an adjustable aperture.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The two-piece wood stock has a straight grip with finger groove, barrel band with sling loop, nose cap, right side of buttstock sling well with bar, and a hard rubber buttpad. The buttpad is mostly intact with some light wear along the edge. There are compression marks, scuffs, and scratches throughout the wood. There is a shallow chunk missing from the bottom left side of the forend. There are a few small yellow specks on both sides of the buttstock. The upper handguard has some slight overhang on the left side. The LOP measures 13.25” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttpad. The stock rates in about Good overall condition.
Type of Finish: Black gun paint & oil darkened metal
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright and the rifling is sharp. There is light erosion in the bore.
In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates 7 out of 10.
Many military and C&R eligible weapons have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but to the fact that corrosive primers were commonly used in ammunition worldwide. For example, the U.S. used corrosive ammunition throughout WWII. The U.S. military did not begin to phase out corrosive-primed ammunition until the 1950s.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 65% of its metal finish. There are scuffs and scratches throughout the metal surfaces. The black gun paint is worn in most places, with the heaviest areas being on the receiver, barrel exterior, flash hider, and stock collar. There is a wear mark on the right side of the stock collar from the bolt handle. The finish on the bolt knob is worn. Only the bottom half of the magazine was painted black and there is wear at the bottom corners. The screw heads show light to moderate use. The markings are mostly clear, with some wear along the edges. Overall, this rifle rates in about Good overall condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: The rifle comes with a 10 round detachable magazine in Good condition.
Our Assessment: This is an example of a No.5 Mk. I, also known as the ‘Jungle Carbine’. The No.5 was an attempt by the British military to develop a lighter, carbine length version of the No.4 rifle for jungle and other inhospitable combat conditions where longer range fighting was typically not a concern. Produced from 1944 into the end of 1947, the No.5 saw service most notably during the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War. This example was made in 1945 at the Birmingham Small Arms Company factory. The stock has some wear to it, with a shallow chunk missing from the underside of the forend. The metal retains a lot of the black gun paint, though there is wear throughout, especially on the barrel exterior and flash hider. The bore is in nice shape with light erosion and it should make for a good shooter. This would fit into any British or Enfield collection. Please see our photos.
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