2 ROF F Jungle Carbines

B

burnt45

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I'm looking for some of you Lee Enfield afficianado's to give your opinions on these 2 JC's.

Both are ROF (F)... top one is April 46, bottom one is Aug 46.

My questions:
I believe them both to be honest untouched rifles, but why 2 completely different finishes, stampings, even a few manufacturing differences (ie; forend caps)... especially for being made 4 months apart.

Has one of them gone thru a refurb? Thanks for any input.

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I'll start with the fore-end cap, by quoting Skennerton

"The earlier lightened No4 rifles were not fittied with a fore-end cap. To protect the end of the forewood and to prevent moisture from entering the end grain, a fore-end cap was requested in May 1944 and a sheet steel model fabricated, althought this was different to the pattern eventually adopted. The new fore-end nosecap was first fitted to an experimental rifle in July 1944. It is larger then the later production model and the front is curved, following the profile of the rounded fore-end tip; it ws secured by a transverse pin. ... but the design was difficult to produce and was changed in Sept '44

A smaller more easily manufactured cap was approved and fitted to many of the No5 rifles although it never had a VAOS part number. However, the rounded-off foreend with its grain end sealed (no cap fitted at all) appears to have been the favored type of fore-end tip for the production No5 rifles. ..." Skennerton S.A.I.S Book No.4 - .303 Rifle, No.5 Mk1 Pg,5

As for how the information is inscribed, production variances or change in marking techniques. The top rifle looks to have been roll stamped and the bottom electropenciled.

I am not sure about the finish thought. It looks like the top rifle is parkerized and the bottom blued. Probably another case of production variances. Smellie, purple, anyone else know why?
 
AFAIK all as built No.5's will have been electropenciled thru their Suncorite finish. That makes the the top No.5 at least a little fiddled with...
 
CCone said:
AFAIK all as built No.5's will have been electropenciled thru their Suncorite finish. That makes the the top No.5 at least a little fiddled with...
Click to expand...


I thought I read that the #5 was parkerized sometime after the war? And, could a rifle have been factory refurbed WITHOUT being stamped FTR?
 
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