No.5 Mk:I

[DuncaninFrance]

Should be here for Christmas.................

[Niner]

The coolest Enfield of them all. Hard rubber butt end does nothing for the recoil though. I have two of them from the era of milsurp collector jubilee when there were loads of exotic war surplus coming on the market all the time..... and all of them relatively cheap....in the US anyway.

Looks like Santa is being good to you this Christmas.

[PeterN2]

I have one of those but mine is a BSA made one dated 1945.
Regards
Peter.

[Niner]

There is also the old question to bring up about nose cap or no nose cap on the hand grip. Of mine, both dated 1946, one with a serial number starting BH has no cap and the one with a serial number starting BJ has the cap.

I think both of mine came from some place deep in South East Asia. Sumatra comes to mind. I think the metal nose cap may have been a later add on. Can't really remember what I may have known about the question once upon a time. Getting old and can't remember trivia like I used to.

[DuncaninFrance]

From Ian Skennerton's The Lee Enfield.

"No5's were only produced by BSA Shirley and ROF Fazakerley, serials began with a B at the Shirley plant and an F at the Fazakerley factory." Your pair are BSA rifles.

[PeterN2]

Mine has no nose cap and is a BG serial number.
Regards
Peter.

[Niner]

Once upon a time one or more of the main C&R merchants in the US offered the surplus No. 5 bayonet. Seems like about $50. More than I wanted to pay for a surplus bayonet at the time. Then later, a knife merchant was offering a reproduction for something a little more than $50.

Just now found this advertisement from a Navy Arms flyer. 2001. A "real" Jungle carbine bayonet , as made by an Indian, British approved, weapons maker.

[DuncaninFrance]

Now with repro bayonet - originals are fetching silly money here.......

This cost $62. One on Naturabuy was asking $532