Enfield No5 MK 1 Jungle Carbine

[tnathantaylor]

Happy New Year all.

To those knowledgeable folks out there, I just inherited an Enfield No5 Mk1 Jungle Carbine. It was made in 1945 with a 1594 serial number.
I believe the gun is original and in what I’d consider good condition. It’s been in a safe for 30 years or so.
Are these guns collectable? With a 45’ date it’s not unlikely it saw an action in the war, and I don’t have any history on it.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[VICIOUS]

Some run 1000 bucks, lots of interest in good one. Looks refinished wood, loss of value there, maybe. Bolt head number matters. Need a real expert to figure it all out.

 

[Donkin]

Awesome rifle, keep it and shoot it

 

[tnathantaylor]

Awesome rifle, keep it and shoot it

That is certainly a great option, I’ve loved these rifles since I was a kid so it’s nice to have one in the house.

 

[Snider shooter]

The wood does look refinished. Does looks to have correct parts,can’t tell if parts are all numbers matching. Made by BSA. With that 0 bolt head I would say likely hasn’t been shot a lot. I have one made by Fazakerly late war also had the stock refinished.

 

[tnathantaylor]

There are two different numbers and pre fixes as far as I can tell.
BK1557 on the bolt and BF1594 on the receiver band.

 

[PSE]

I also have one made by Fazakerly in 1945. All parts on OPs seem intact nothing bubbaed although that does not look like the original finish. The original was simple oil impregnated with no shine or coating. Nice touch on the sling - THAT looks original.

They came out near the end of WW2 and I don't think saw any real action. They were initially meant to replace the standard rifle and intended for use as a British paratrooper's rifle. They saw some action in the Malaysian Emergency after the war and thus gained the nickname as Jungle carbine to the extent that they were short and light in weight and as such they were highly prized for that role.

Nice inheritance - you did well.

 

[55recce]

Hold on a minute...let's try and forward some correct info here....

- hard to tell if the finish is original or not from pictures provided, does not look bad to me

- they were not designed as a British paratroopers rifle specifically

- the name Jungle Carbine has nothing to do with the Malaysian emergency but was a US derived marketing label

- to my mind the sling looks too long to be a legit No 5 sling which is shorter than a regular LE sling

 

[tnathantaylor]

I am curious about the finish too, and not convinced it’s re finished. The original finish was shiny. Here are a couple of pictures of one with original finish and sling.

 

[drm3m]

Here is another one.

 

[Snider shooter]

Is the finish varnish or an oil finish? What does OP say?

 

[x westie]

I also have one made by Fazakerly in 1945. All parts on OPs seem intact nothing bubbaed although that does not look like the original finish. The original was simple oil impregnated with no shine or coating. Nice touch on the sling - THAT looks original.

They came out near the end of WW2 and I don't think saw any real action. They were initially meant to replace the standard rifle and intended for use as a British paratrooper's rifle. They saw some action in the Malaysian Emergency after the war and thus gained the nickname as Jungle carbine to the extent that they were short and light in weight and as such they were highly prized for that role.

Nice inheritance - you did well.

I have seen both photos and videos of the British Airborne troops in Norway at the end of the war carrying the No.5 rifle

 

[bearhunter]

Hold on a minute...let's try and forward some correct info here....

- hard to tell if the finish is original or not from pictures provided, does not look bad to me

- they were not designed as a British paratroopers rifle specifically

- the name Jungle Carbine has nothing to do with the Malaysian emergency but was a US derived marketing label

- to my mind the sling looks too long to be a legit No 5 sling which is shorter than a regular LE sling

I agree, I don't think that wood has been refinished either.

To me, it looks like it was "waxed" to keep it from absorbing moisture and sealing the wood from dirt and grime. It wasn't uncommon for military rifles to receive a coat of "wax" in the field or before going onto the rack. Made the rifle look better on parade duty as well.

I have several jars of white wax that were supposedly issued. They have a white label with black lettering that only says "stock wax"

The butt on that rifle wasn't handled much so it doesn't have the same appearance as that on the fore-end.

I've seen a lot of surplus rifles with similar finishes, right off the pallet they were delivered on.

I don't see anything wrong with that finish but I can understand it may not appeal to some.

The rifle has obviously had it's bolt replaced. Other than that it looks good to me. An honest $700+ rifle, depending on where you are.

Some regions of Canada seem to have a lot of No5 rifles hiding in closets/safes. Others they're an oddity.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

That is certainly a great option, I’ve loved these rifles since I was a kid so it’s nice to have one in the house.

You are going to discover that rifle kicks like a mule. They are downright ignorant to shoot.

 

[Pete04]

Yes that's right ladies.
Spooky, scary gun to shoot the omni-potent .303.
Emerg is full of dis-located shoulders from the "un-aware"
Might be smarter to switch back to the game of golf.

 

[slug]

OK, they do have a sharp recoil, and a wandering zero, but it is a nice fun rifle.
A couple of decades back, when they were cheap and plentiful, I found a beater and bedded the action.
It would put three into an inch at fifty yards, and then each successive shop was an inch higher than the one before. Of course, my eyes were a couple of decades younger, too.

If the OP reloads with cast bullets, pistol primers and 12 grains of Red Dot, he'll have a nice mild shooting rifle.

I'm restocking a beater now and hope to make a better shooter out of it. Maybe a report will follow in 2025.

 

[hobophobe]

I have had a couple myself, but they never seem to hang around.

I shoot smle the most out of my enfields for fun plinking. I shoot best with good leaf sights.

And prefer p14 for a scoped hunting platform if wanting 303

 

[Pete04]

I just get tired of guys beating up on what should be a great for Canadian bush/truck gun in a great/historic ctg.

Get a new recoil pad if you need it.
We are plinking and hunting.
You're not going to choose it for a Bisley event.

 

[big bear]

Yes that's right ladies.
Spooky, scary gun to shoot the omni-potent .303.
Emerg is full of dis-located shoulders from the "un-aware"
Might be smarter to switch back to the game of golf.

 

[emerson]

You are going to discover that rifle kicks like a mule. They are downright ignorant to shoot.

A slip on recoil pad, maybe with a couple layers of inserts inside will make that rifle much more comfortable to shoot at period correct power levels.