New No 5 Enfield question

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I sold my old sks to a local guy and used the money to put towards a No5 Enfield.
How do I make sure that I didn't buy a fake one that I have been reading about on the net?
Perhaps I should have read some more before buying, but after shooting my buds No4, I have a liking for the 303 and the power it offers over my sks.
I will likely get another sks, but I needed the money for the Enfield purchase.
Your help and input would be appreciated.
 
Look for the No.5 Mk.1 markings on the reciever, see if the rear sight is graduated to 800M, there should be a rubber butt pad, the bolt handle should be hollowed out, there should be a flash hider w/bayonet lug, the date should be 1944-1947, the arsenal should either be ROF Fazakerly or BSA Shirley, the overall length should be 1003mm.
There are some fakes out there, No.4's converted to No.5's by bubbas, but you should post a pic so the experts can tell you if you have the real thing
 
The reciver is esentially the same as the no 4 but it has much of the unessential metal machined off. The barrel also has lightening cuts in it. A no 5 bolt will have a hollow knob. But there are real no 5s with a no 4 bolt in them that are still real. On the reciver it should say

"No5MK1 ROF(F)"
9/45 R ###x

This is in electropencil and not stamped. Obviously the date and serial number will be different. It could also be made by BSA shirley (more rare).

A fake will look like a no 4 or no 1 reciver with no lightening cuts. A fake may still say rifle no 5 or something but it won't look like the example above.
 
cote_b said:
Look for the No.5 Mk.1 markings on the reciever, see if the rear sight is graduated to 800M, there should be a rubber butt pad, the bolt handle should be hollowed out, there should be a flash hider w/bayonet lug, the date should be 1944-1947, the arsenal should either be ROF Fazakerly or BSA Shirley, the overall length should be 1003mm.
There are some fakes out there, No.4's converted to No.5's by bubbas, but you should post a pic so the experts can tell you if you have the real thing
Click to expand...

Forgot to mention the sight. Its supposed to be to 800 but, as with bolts, there are real no 5s with the incorrect sights(or bolts). Best to post a photo.
 
No4 top
No5 bot.

There are lightening cuts on the barrel , but more visble lightening is just under the rearsight of the No5

No5No4.jpg
 
cam1936 said:
... On the reciver it should say

"No5MK1 ROF(F)"
9/45 R ###x

This is in electropencil and not stamped. Obviously the date and serial number will be different. It could also be made by BSA shirley (more rare).

...
Click to expand...

The ones made by BSA Shirley will be marked M47C instead of ROF (F).

The lightening cuts are on the knox form of the barrel, covered by the upper handguard, and on the side of the action, behind the charger bridge. These are the most reliable proof since they would be the most trouble to do if you were faking a No.4. A metal cap on the forend wood is authentic. So is no metal cap there.

Edit: Oh. Even better, see Timberlord's pictures above!
 
The Fazakerly rifles have the ,arsonal, date and model electro penned on the left side of the receiver. BSA has the model electro penned on the left of the receiver, and the date on the left hand side of the wrist with M47 stamp in the same spot. Faz dates 44-47, BSA 45. I think that most of the fake #5 are south of the boarder although I did have one at one time. I think that if the receiver has the metal removed and the barrel is knox form than you're good to go. RF
 
Neither case guarantees the gun is authentic and I didn't say so. Some did have the cap, so a cap is itself authentic. Some didn't have a cap, so the absence of a cap also is itself authentic.
 
Hey a question here, I have an all matching No5. Mk.I I've spoken of a few times here in the forums... I just recently did some cleaning on the flash "does nothing but is cool looking" supressor cone. It appears it is not matching... really odd, it is dated M/47 1946 on the left hand side. Why would ONLY this part have been replaced? All of the other parts match to the rifle and are ROF (F) 1944? Ideas welcome.
 
A lot of people cut the bayo lug off,Its a very common thing to find a #5 this way.Someone probably told people that the lug caused the infamous wandering zero.So a dealer or collector probably replaced the cut cone.At least thats what I would think.Sidenote the metal nosecaps were a midrun thing,they decided it added too much time to the manufacturing process so returned to the wood style.Collecting and studying the #5s for awhile.They are a great little rifle.Dave
 
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