"Jungle Carbine" - the Lee Enfield No5 MkI Rifle

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Today I am concluding our series on the standard-issue Lee Enfield system with the No5 MkI - the "jungle carbine". Developed in 1943 as a shorter and handier pattenr of rifle than the No4, the carbine went into production in 1944 and saw use during World War Two. It featured a number of lightening cuts, as well as a shortened barrel, conical flash hider, side-mounted sling, 800-yard sights, and rubber buttpad. Unfortunately, the No5 was beset by a problem of "wandering zero". A significant number of the rifles failed to properly hold zero when they were widely issued. The problem was never fully resolved, but appears to have been the result of receiver flex due to the lightening cuts. Efforts to fix it were essentially abandoned, as it was recognized that a new self-loading rifle was going to be adopted soon, and it would be a waste of time and money to continue development of the Lee Enfield by that point.
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[@robinblackmoor8732]

So Ian has guns that don't even exist. Now that is a heck of a gun collection.

[@georgesheffield1580]

Trials/factory experimental rifles

[@xavierseitz7231]

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is rifle no.5

[@edwalmsley1401]

I got you dude 🤣🤣

[@demezon6572]

After the rifle no. 4 came the 5 but never the 6. You know the old joke "master Freud, what lies between FEAR and SEX? - Vot iss zedd for a stoopeed queschtschn, it iss zee FÜNF"

[@joearnold6881]

🎼 A little bit of Mondragon in my life A little bit enfield by my side A little bit of Remington is all I need A little bit of Tula is what I see…

[@john-paulsilke893]

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mambo Number Five One, two, three, four, five Everybody in the car, so come on, let's ride To the liquor store around the corner The boys say they want some gin and juice But I really don't wanna Beer bust like I had last week I must stay deep because talk is cheap I like Angela, Pamela, Sandra and Rita And as I continue you know they getting sweeter So what can I do? I really beg you, my Lord To me is flirting it's just like sport, anything fly It's all good, let me dump it, please set in the trumpet A little bit of Monica in my life A little bit of Erica by my side A little bit of Rita is all I need A little bit of Tina is what I see A little bit of Sandra in the sun A little bit of Mary all night long A little bit of Jessica, here I am A little bit of you makes me your man Mambo Number Five Jump up and down and move it all around Shake your head to the sound Put your hand on the ground Take one step left and one step right One to the front and one to the side Clap your hand once and clap your hands twice And if it looks like this then you doing it right A little bit of Monica in my life A little bit of Erica by my side A little bit of Rita is all I need A little bit of Tina is what I see A little bit of Sandra in the sun A little bit of Mary all night long A little bit of Jessica, here I am A little bit of you makes me your man Trumpet, the trumpet Mambo Number Five A little bit of Monica in my life A little bit of Erica by my side A little bit of Rita is all I need A little bit of Tina is what I see A little bit of Sandra in the sun A little bit of Mary all night long A little bit of Jessica, here I am A little bit of you makes me your man I do all to fall in love with a girl like you 'Cause you can't run and you can't hide You and me gonna touch the sky Mambo Number Five

[@avnrulz8587]

I'll take it, over Mambo number 5.

[@britishmuzzleloaders]

Very kind of you to include a shoutout, Ian! Thank you. Such a fun rifle!

[@chexquest87]

you have a great youtube channel Rob. Keep it up. You inspire me to keep spending money on my British rifle collection lol

[@medicineman360]

Love everything about your channel, Rob. I was able to snag a No5, Mk1 in the glory days of "$60 surplus rifles". Absolutely loved that rifle!

[@samholdsworth3957]

Lol Britain

[@Matt35427]

You have an awesome channel that I love watching about Canadian heritage ! Learned a lot through you when I purchased my ross rifle mk3

[@NOPROFILEPIC4]

Hello

[@greyklopstock7155]

"shortest lived service rifle in British military history" EM-2: am I a joke to you?

[@johnfisk811]

Rifle no9

[@BuckyCannons]

The Lee-Enfield Family Tree would make an incredible poster!

[@maxanderson5217]

Shit, thats a great idea, its gonna be my lock screen though 😂

[@c1ph3rpunk]

An Enfield with a rear sight variation, I’m shocked.

[@russguffee6661]

Never would've seen that coming.

[@georgesheffield1580]

????

[@MrConspark]

😂 happens like neveeeerrrr hey 😁

[@MrConspark]

Man you get your hands on some very nice weapons BTW that's a RIFLE not a gun, that's a shot propelling device 😁👍

[@rifleman1122]

Anyone else get unreasonably excited when Ian covers a rifle you own? Because I do.

[@alexfrench6365]

As a fellow No 5 Mk I owner my heart skipped a beat when I saw this video lol

[@jeramyw]

It's like you're in a club if you own something that's relatively scarce. I love mine too. Great inheritance piece.

[@jonnyblade3234]

I imagine I would if it happened

[@robinblackmoor8732]

It is better than sex !!!

[@JonIronhorse]

Yessir, I perked up immediately and began having flashbacks of my childhood, shooting stones in recently plowed fields from a hilltop at 400yds. Dad sat beside me proudly as white puffs of stone drifted away in the wind.

[@panzerabwerkanone]

I love my Enfields. My first experience with one was shooting my fathers "Jungle" Carbine. Actually it was a Sante Fe Division of Golden State Arms Corp. sporterization of a No. 4 Enfield. I later was given a real No.5 by my fiancee for a birthday present. A 5/46 "W" prefix. I now own five Enfields.

[@Horizontalvertigo]

The British Muzzleloaders' video on the No5 is great, can confirm, Rob did a sterling job on it

[@Simon_Nonymous]

yup I've just rewatched it to see what he had to say about the zeroing issues... nothing earth shaking or anything that stopped the No 5 being a useful weapon; I'll see if Bloke on the Range has any content on the same subject

[@princeoftonga]

My theory as to the “wandering zero” situation is that the army was looking for any excuse not to have them! Remember this is post-war, budgets are incredibly tight and the government is cutting all sorts of weapons programs. The army was probably worried that if they show any enthusiasm at all for a new Enfield variant then the program for a semi-auto or select fire rifle (that produced the EM-1 and EM-2) would get cancelled. Same thing happened with the postwar Spitfire variants for the RAF. The test establishments over emphasised the bad qualities so that the government wouldn’t be tempted to cancel expensive jet programs and leave the Royal Air Force lumbered with piston powered fighters in the jet age.

[@magoshighlands4074]

Pretty much yeah

[@wolfehoffmann2697]

They were also looking to upgrade to a semi-auto rifle as soon as possible. They knew the age of the bolt-action was over.

[@SBry94]

Great point

[@Hubscharber]

Ian here literally goes over the wandering zero problem, and it was indeed real. Caused by the lightening cuts in the receiver and barrel, the bolt wouldn't exactly lock up square to the breech and cause the point of impact to shift.

[@magoshighlands4074]

@@Hubscharber While that's true, it's an issue that could have been fixed given time, the British Government however just said "These aren't up to spec so we're not paying for them" and then canceled the order, I'm a Brit myself, so I'm not just Brit Bashing as it were when I say the British Government were being a bunch of cheap bastards

[@bobsondugnutt9403]

last time I was this early, the Lee-Enfield still had a magazine cut-off.

[@john-paulsilke893]

Last time I was this early the Lee Enfield was a Lee Metford. 🤣

[@aregularperson7573]

@@john-paulsilke893 the last time I was this early the British army was using the Martini Henry

[@Fross-888]

@@aregularperson7573 Last time I was this early the british army was still carrying around the old Regulation Musket of the 1748 Pattern

[@john-paulsilke893]

@@aregularperson7573 ohhhh, that’s early. 🤣

[@angreyhewe4009]

Last time I was this early the British army weren’t even using muskets

[@geoffspitfire5160]

"Wandering zero?" Ive been using my JC deer hunting for over 40 years and have yet to se any sign of it wandering anywhere. Thanks for posting very interesting video.

[@robertsmith-oh9mo]

Could it be because of the harsh conditions and rapid firing the lightened receiver heated up far more rapidly than when using it for deer hunting thus making the metal expand just a little and yet unnoticeable to the naked eye making it's accuracy wander. Just a thought.

[@jacobbuxton932]

@@robertsmith-oh9mo good point

[@jenifferschmitz8618]

point contact in bush is so close Wandering zero would mean nothing

[@louis2436]

FUDS: **The Enfield Jungle Carbine doesn't exist** GUN JESUS: **Well...No**

[@dylanburow-official]

Well no… but actually yes

[@allangibson2408]

And next he moves on to the No.6 Jungle Carbine…

[@Logan-zp8bi]

Why doesn't it exist?

[@louis2436]

@@Logan-zp8bi It's a long standing part of gun FUD lore that the Jungle Carbines were not actually real, regardless of the fact that, well, they are.

[@kidnakper6309]

can you explain why it doesn’t exist

[@Hawk1966]

Always liked a carbine length rifle. I was never shooting that far and the carbine always did what I needed.

[@werds1392]

Point and click

[@Hawk1966]

@@werds1392 just as long as a paper cartridge doesn't leaps from the breach and say "I see you're trying to shoot some people, perhaps I can be of assistance?"

[@wallaroo1295]

*THANK YOU IAN FOR A WONDERFUL SERIES!* I've been a Patreon of Forgotten Weapons since the days of the musical intro - so 2013-ish, and I have to say - this series on the Enfield, has been my *absolute favorite!* Pure "Squeeee" in each video of this series. A No. 4 MK1 was my first rifle I bought as an adult, and I just love them.

[@Ron-uq2hg]

I grew up in New Zealand and when I went to the Auckland for high school in 1953 for the first two weeks we used to be issued rifles (no ammo) and go to the Auckland domain to exercise. We used to form companies and March around the domain. Half of the rifles had flash eliminators and I thought that was rather strange but I was more interested in the mk1 Bren gun. Is was fascinated with the ease of assemble and dissembling such a complicated piece of machinery. Became a life long obsession. Started as a fitter and turner then industrial mechanic then field engineer. Glad to finally find out what that rifle I held as a 12 year old boy was.

[@geodkyt]

One of my favorite photos of No5 rifles in use occurred at the very end of WWII. Given Germany had just surrendered, units in Northwest Europe were retasked for deployment to the Pacific Theater, including (in some cases) exchanging their Pattern 37 webbing and No4 rifles for Pattern 44 webbing and No5s (both the webbing and carbines being commonly known as "Jungle Pattern"). But then, those units turned out to still be needed for use in Europe temporarily. So there are wonderful photos of British troops moving into Norway, wearing white oversmocks in the mountains, and wearing dark OD "jungle" webbing and carrying "jungle" carbines...

[@frenchfan3368]

Yes, I have heard of British units armed with Jungle Carbines in Norway at the very end of the Second World War as well. I have even heard of a few units being armed with these at Market Garden even though I am skeptical to the claim's veracity.

[@geodkyt]

@@frenchfan3368 I don't know about Market Garden - don't recall seeing any pictures of them there, despite the pictures of the Patchett Gun (prototype Sterling SMG) being so prominently known... even though there were only a little over 100 made at the time.

[@yorick6035]

0:40 Ian even has a rilfe here for us that doesn't exist? This is why I support you on Patreon, Ian. Keep being awesome

[@abysswalker2594]

Ok can someone tell me why people say it doesn’t exist

[@K3end0]

​@@abysswalker2594 because Ian is literally saying, in this exact sentence, that the no.5 mark 2 doesn't exist. Yet, he has one.

[@adriaandeleeuw8339]

Oh to have the bits and pieces from my fathers workshop in Australia when I was a boy (I am 61 now) I remember playing War with the other kids in the neighborhood and we used old barrels from 303s usually cut off sporterized length barrels from M1 mkIII* no receivers used the sights as a pistol grip and it was a kids sub machine gun lol. However I remember one of those barrels had a flash hider on it, with holes drilled in the top of the hider , it also has a Mk III rear sight ramp on it something that I have never seen since even though I have looked. Also My father had the M44 Bayonet for the Australian No 1 Mark III* which I am told is a rare item, and I have never seen on Forgotten weapons when showing Lee Enfield bayonets, can you keep your eyes out for one to show us!

[@jeramyw]

I just shot my late grandfather's no.5. 10/46 made and hasn't been shot since the 80s. 174 ppu fmj didn't kick too bad. Didn't test zero but I did shoot it fast in a heavily forested area. Like it was intended to.

[@worstchoresmadesimple6259]

hope you were wearing jungle greens and a bush hat hahaha

[@828enigma6]

Do be aware milsurp is corrosive. I'm sure you wouldn't want to ruin it.

[@joemontgomery6658]

CAROLINA PATRIOT ppu ought not to be

[@CorruptInfinityOfficial]

@@828enigma6 it’s not that corrosive if you actually take care of your gun at all, my friend has a Chinese made sks that we’ve fired tons of surplus ammo through and it wasn’t much worse then normal ammo. For cleaning

[@hansgruber9685]

@@CorruptInfinityOfficial It’s not more difficult to clean. It’s just that you HAVE to clean. Most people are lazy when it comes down to it.

[@Rob_IE]

Hey, Ian. I just want to say you inspired me. I fired my first guns at a range last Saturday and it went smoothly! I appreciate you and all the help I have received from your videos!

[@shawnr771]

Happy Shooting.

[@solomongrundy9735]

Always nice to have a new shooter!

[@trooperdgb9722]

You're in trouble now! LOL Greetings, welcome and have fun!

[@matthayward7889]

That’s a pretty cool rifle! Nice shout out to British Muzzle loaders, too!

[@MRFlackAttack1]

I would really like to see these put into a test against the Australian made Jungle Carbines built off the No1 MkIII Lee Enfield.

[@ROFTheRookie]

I own one of these rifles. Manufactured in December of 45. Can't confirm or deny the wandering zero but can confirm it is a really fun gun to shoot. If I was going on a walkabout it would be the rifle of my choice to carry.

[@jonc4050]

Damn, I traded mine years ago, wish I didn't. The action was like glass, super smooth and effortless

[@justindunlap1235]

Me too, I got my example for 200 bucks from a local guy, ended up trading it for a Swedish mauser carbine.

[@828enigma6]

Me as well.

[@hansgruber9685]

@@justindunlap1235 Now they are going for over a grand easily.

[@klaassiersma4892]

My dad used one of these in Indonesia when Holland moved in to Indonesia after the second world war to take back control of the collony. Aperantly the English started to phased them out directly after the war and sold a lot of them to the duch army.

[@Herr_Scheissemann]

Hello good sir! If you don't mind me asking, where did your father fight the war? My grandfather fought in jogjakarta as tentara pelajar.

[@klaassiersma4892]

@Sheissemann, also the Jakarta ,Jogjakarta aria.

[@Herr_Scheissemann]

Woww, so weird. I would never have thought to meet someone from the other side. I would love to hear more stories about that conflict but my grandfather has passed away a couple of years ago. Unfortunately I was way too young and too awkward to ask him about it.

[@garypiont6114]

Did he wear wood combat boots?

[@klaassiersma4892]

@@garypiont6114 Haha, no.

[@TylerMcL3more]

Yes! This is exactly the gun I have been wanting to know more about!

[@TylerMcL3more]

Yeah, my Pop started on an old enfield he bought for $25 as a boy, so I’d like to get one for myself as well(as he no linger has the bugger unfortunately)… but with a bit more historical rarity than the average Enfield… so I figure the No V MkI is right up my alley. :)

[@solomongrundy9735]

My favorite Lee-Enfield! Thank you so much for this awesome series on Lee-Enfields.

[@Ensign_Cthulhu]

Why do I get the feeling that instead of starting with a Number 4 and lopping bits off, they should have taken one of the old Cavalry Carbines and screwed a Number 4 action into it. "Shortest-lived service rifle in British military history." Rifle No. 9, Mk 1 (EM-2) says Hold My Beer.

[@montys420-]

🤣

[@themythofthefacelessman2180]

I was playing battlefield 5 2 days ago and thought if ian had a video on this. What a coincidence. I find this rifle a very interesting solution for jungle warfare of ww2

[@jonnyblade3234]

It makes an excellent head popper/medium range counter sniper

[@themythofthefacelessman2180]

@@jonnyblade3234 it does indeed. The trombocino and commando carbine are way inferior in my experience. It is quite underrated i think

[@Unsc.Helljumper0]

@@themythofthefacelessman2180 tromboncino has a grenade launcher, your argument is invalid. I'm joking but yeah the jungle carbine is a better overall weapon

[@louislarose6613]

Greetings from Canada ! I have owned a couple and have handled many number fives. One thing that is missed when discussing the lightening cuts on these rifles is the fact that several of the bolts and screws have been hollowed out. you will see this clearly on the front sling swivel screw.The large bolt that holds on the rear stock was also hollowed out. In fact if you have a number five with a solid stock bolt ,it is a replacement bolt. It should also be noted that the butt stock is quite hollow with a lot of wood taken out to reduce weight. .. P.S - I have not had wandering zero issues on any number five that I have shot.

[@recce8619]

This collection of Lee Metford and Enfield rifles is awesome. Quite amazing that such a collection of every example and a large number of trials rifles has been assembled outside of the ROF factories

[@bruceinoz8002]

Just a slight twist: The No. 4 rifle used as a comparison around the 3 minute mark has an interesting feature; a rare "Wartime expedient" Mk 2 cocking piece. These have NO grasping grooves and NO half-cock notch. It's the sort of component you get when bean-counters rule. For fairly obvious reasons, they were declared "dangerous" not long after introduction, but there on your table, is "one that got away". It gets more interesting. As part of this "austerity engineering" programme, they also made a Mk 2 locking bolt (safety lever). These had NO 8-start thread to actuate the actual bolt catch. Again, eventually removed from service and scrapped; thus reasonably scarce. An all-round dodgy bit of kit, especially in conjunction with the "expedient" Mk 2 cocking piece.. As for the wandering zero, apparently some armourers in larger workshops in "jungle" areas did a simple experiment: Build a few No5 carbines on standard No 4 bodies. Apparently, this improved things a bit, though whether due to different body flex or the armourers taking greater care with the fitting and bedding than the original factory, is pretty much in the realm of "angels dancing on a pin-head" at this distance.

[@markscherm5512]

Sincerely appreciate this level of detail.

[@georgesheffield1580]

Lots of commercial "fancy named " rifles often have wandering "0"'s because or many reasons but can often but not always be corrected .

[@darrensramsey243]

That's awesome. I've had one of these since I was about 10 but haven't really seen a whole lot of info on it online. Thank you Ian

[@youtubia25]

Hi Ian thanks for all the coverage on Enfield's. I am fortunate to own a couple. My favorite is the a Dec 1944 no.5 in mint condition. Keep up the good work.

[@gureno19]

One of my first rifles here in Australia...picked it up for $400 about 10 years ago, great light weight carbine and perfect for shooting Roos on the move off the back of a ute with that fantastic action,capacity and stripper clips.

[@jc1124]

One of my favorite rifles. Great review.

[@pierremainstone-mitchell8290]

Thank you very much indeed Ian! Especially for your explanation of the "wandering zero" as the most I'd read in the past was that it was inherent to the rifle!

[@gruberstein]

That rubber butt pad is more a recoil concentrator than a pad. Even with reduced loads your shoulder will get bruised after about 10 shots.

[@markbecht1420]

Especially when the rubber has hardened over time. Years ago you could get reproduction pads. Didn't help a lot, honestly

[@stefanosemisa9288]

That’s beautiful! As always, great video!

[@19redmiata94]

I need an original WW2 bolt action of some kind. I do have a modern production Mauser "M63 tanker" carbine thats a lot of fun (that was never made in WW2).

[@c1ph3rpunk]

Travel back in time to 1985 and pick up an issue of Shotgun News, we could get anything for under $100. I remember Mosins for $29 in it and 98k’s for $60.

[@gooondie]

I picked up my first milsurp rifle a few months ago from Royal Tiger Imports (Ian works with them a lot). I got a Enfield No.4 Mk2 and I absolutely love it. Such a pleasure to shoot, and everyone at the range is always jealous of it 😎

[@jvleasure]

You need WW2 bolt actions of ALL KINDS😄

[@boingkster]

Enfield is hard to go past, but getting more expensive to find one in complete and usable condition, let alone 'good' condition. Worst thing is these were in the back of every Aussie gun shop in the 80's and 90's just packed into 44 gallon drums and selling under $20 each...

[@jvleasure]

@@boingkster i remember those days well. I think my dad paid $100 for the No. 4 Mk 1 he surprised me with one day. The 90s just flat out ruled.

[@s0nofp2l]

My Grandad used this rifle when he was in the army. Really interesting to see it and learn some more. He obviously didn't have zero issues as he won a marksmanship contest with it.

[@garypiont6114]

Yea right

[@s0nofp2l]

@@garypiont6114 Which part are you struggling with? The fact someone who was around during National service was in the forces? The armed forces having marksmanship contests? Me having a Grandfather? Him winning said contest with the service rifle of the time?

[@garypiont6114]

@@s0nofp2l would be great to have a milsurp shootout by conflict I never believed the zero nonsense.

[@Gordonseries385]

Thank you for sharing Ian!

[@amphibiousone7972]

Thanks for a great history of this. It brought back so many find shooting memories. I mis you Dad. Good Stuff Ian 🤘

[@turbogerbil2935]

I don't know anyone who has managed to replicate the "wandering zero" issue (myth, maybe?), and plenty have tried. If it exists, then the two most probably causes were (a) the barrel not being properly free-floated (its the only 303 Enfield that does have a fully F-F barrel), or (b) build up of fouling on the crown of the barrel where there is a narrow rim exposed by the flash hider mounting. The "lightening cuts" seem a very unlikely cause - just look at the difference between a No5 receiver and that of a Long Lee: the No5 receiver is a relatively massive structure with an integrated charger bridge, compared to the Long Lee, which is basically just two strips of metal!

[@georgesheffield1580]

Could be lazy un trained privates ,or high ranking officers that haven't shot a rifle since the Boer war .

[@hanktorrance6855]

Thanks for explaining the wandering zero so completely

[@bruceinoz8002]

As for "short service life": The proposed successor to the No5 had an even shorter "service life"; essentially being declared obsolescent the same day it was adopted. "Protocols", apparently.

[@danm7298]

Astounding. The last iteration of a design that started in 1889 with the long lee. Then changed very little since 1907 with the no1 mk3.

[@comiketiger]

I've had a Jungle Carbine for 30 some years. I have never had a zero problem and in fact I use to have surplus Greek ammo which was clean shooting and I could get 1 inch groups at times. I thought I just got lucky a couple of times. But it was consistantly doing this. Hundred yards 3 shot groups. Wish I could find it again.. My dad had one as well and he had no wandering zero either. A negative? It kicks hard. I think the rubber pad affected this in a negative ways as it reduced the force to a smaller area. God bless all here.

[@hansgruber9685]

Did you get it hot?

[@Esky_boi]

Legend has it that taking the wooden hand guard off the barrel and shortening it's length, messed up the harmonics of the gun given that the wood is no long touching in very specific places. Maybe that is the reason for the wandering zero or the general less accuracy?

[@axelpatrickb.pingol3228]

Doubtful. It might be just a way for the MoD to chuck the rifles off for SLR's, especially when the Commies are getting AK-47's...

[@cboetigphone]

The key is the No5 barrel is free floated forward of the Knox form. If the wood has contact it will throw off the harmonics. When I refurbished mine, I had to sand the inside of the stock a bit so I could run a strip of paper under the barrel all the way up to the knox form.

[@curious-relics]

As stated in the video, the wandering zero was determined to be caused by the lightening cuts near the locking recesses, which caused the receiver to flex.

[@genericpersonx333]

More seriously, the whole story of wandering zero is very poorly documented, with most all the discussion being in secondary sources that don't cite primary sources well, if at all. What Ian relates is basically the secondary-source story that had been repeated for decades, but we never really see or hear the actual armorer reports, ministerial discussions, or any of that. Collectors, owners, and later military users don't seem to see this wandering zero either. Very strange...

[@alfrede.neuman9082]

As a No.5 owner (‘47 Fazackerley), I can personally tell you the “wondering zero” thing is bullshit. Mine is original and very well preserved, and shoots dead straight every time. EDIT: I even spent years in tropical parts of Australia with it, and it still shot great.

[@poodlefluids]

Thanks for this! I am inheriting a jungle carbine from my Dad later this year and have been looking for info on it.

[@matthewspencer5086]

I believe that soldiers of the Black Cat Division of the 14th Army in Burma, mostly issued with the No4 rifle and spike bayonet, were also issued with Kukri knives for close-quarter fighting (especially in the dark if their position was infiltrated.) In theory, a knife bayonet as on the No5 would replace both the spike and the Kukri, but they could keep the Kukri with them at all times, which wasn't true of any rifle and bayonet. It was also a symbol of someone who knew what he was doing. In the absence of clearly-defined front lines, being armed 100% of the time was imperative.

[@corystreat7605]

Fabulous informative video as always!!!

[@TheLawDawg]

I have one of the very last Mk5’s Fazakerly made in late 1947. Cool rifle - no sighting problems that I have noticed but I have not fired it much.

[@alfrede.neuman9082]

I have the same (‘47 Fazackerley), and mine shoots dead straight too.

[@earlyriser8998]

nice comparison and very nice collection!

[@doublemeasure]

The Sergeant-Major who ran the CCF at my school had one. Very cool. He fired it from the hip one day on the 30 metre range, working the bolt between thumb and forefinger, and squeezing the trigger with his middle finger - very quickly. It made quite an impression!

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Love these things. Cheers Ian

[@patmancrowley8509]

I purchased a Mk 5 Enfield back in 1976. It is the first gun that I ever purchased. I still have it. It has a serial number with the AA prefix and three numbers after it. Build date is 4/47. I do believe that I'll never sell this rifle off. It hits 100 yard shots just fine. In this state shooting deer over 100 yards is prohibited by the vegetation (trees and vines). And yes I do have the bayonet for this rifle.

[@simonnormand2813]

We still had a number of these in Rhodesian army armoires. Left overs from the Malaya emergency. The recoil was quite lively with the standard Mk 7 ammo, and the muzzle flash was fierce.

[@AdmV0rl0n]

You are an amazing gun scholar. Every video is super interesting.

[@tommyblackwell3760]

I had a Fazakerly example made in 8/47 that sadly got away when I was hard up for cash in college. Great rifle, light and handy, slick action, and I never had a problem with it maintaining zero. Recoil was a bit stiffer than my buddy's No.4MkI though, and it was loud as hell thanks to that short barrel. I'd love to find that rifle again, still remember the serial number.

[@kennethbong9384]

Up to 1979 when we mentioned 303 in Singapore this was the rifle we meant. I remember these being used for parade drill in the Singapore police force and by police bank guards. Having said that, there were still Martini Henrys around carried by police bank guards in Singapore up till the early sixties. I wonder what happened to these museum pieces in Singapore.

[@alliwantisfinancialstabili7414]

This was one of the first milsurps I fondled. My high school had an alumni that was a collector who regularly spoke to our head of social studies, and he bought in a Lee Enfield jungle carbine to show us in class with permission from the school.

[@ovk-ih1zp]

I had a heavily sporterized no5 that was a former Illinois State Prison issue rifle. Once the rubber butt pad hardened,it made a very light, heavily recoiling rifle an absolute beast. It made a great pig gun if you could put up with the recoil though. Absolutely a light,handy rifle to hunt with.

[@sisleymichael]

I think it is the best looking of the series. Just looks cool.

[@aaronholmes8568]

Wonderful video, my grandfather used the No.4 way back when

[@edwardhawkey5714]

Hi Ian, good stuff. Nice little rifle. A number of years ago, i was in Mago Nat.Park in Ethiopia and i went into a building that was signed as "Museum" Inside nothing of major interest but some snares and warthog tusks, until i happened to look behind the door and there resting against the wall was a No5. On closer inspection, it had a fully loaded mag. There was nobody around and the little guy on my shoulder, suggested, i liberate it!!!! Of course sanity prevailed. Thoughts of ending up in a Jail in Kenya or Tanzania was enough. ( i was living n Tanzania at the time), cheers

[@blueeyeswhitedragon9839]

When I was a teenager (1950's) the local Army Surplus Store was selling the "Jungle carbine" for $15.00 in the Welland, Ontario store. I wanted one desperately but as I neared my 18th birthday, my attention was diverted to other themes and the reported recoil and muzzle blast, inspite of the flash hider, caused me to rethink my love with that particular weapon. I'm sorry to this day that I didn't buy and keep one of those carbines, though I did shoot one once in New Brunswick on a moose hunt.

[@Yorgar]

One of my favorites, purchased one in 2012. The dealer even showed me the cuts so I knew that I was getting an actual No5Mk1 and not a No4 cut down.

[@SirMatthew]

I've always liked how Lee Enfields have those wide rear aperture sights. I've never understood why so many combat rifles have those tiny little pin holes that block most of your vision

[@georgesheffield1580]

Desk jocky generals wanting and testing as if the gun is a target gun and not a weapon of combat/war.

[@elisorrells5314]

@@georgesheffield1580 every time you type weapon of war, a California legislator reduces the maximum allowable magazine capacity by 1

[@khairulhelmihashim2510]

smaller aperture, easier to focus on long range target with better accuracy. larger aperture, for quick target acquisition/ low light shooting (night/ dense jungle)

[@headshot6959]

No video on the No5 is complete without mentioning the 'wandering zero'.

[@bbainter7880]

Yeah that story has never been confirmed. I have had 2 No. 5s and both of them held zero just fine. The prevailing theory is that many troops would flinch while shooting these.

[@rogernicholls2079]

@@bbainter7880 wandering zero sounds like a good name for a band!

[@AtomBomb420]

@@rogernicholls2079 ya know, my dad always says that to random phrases

[@bbainter7880]

@@rogernicholls2079 yes....yes it does indeed.

[@headshot6959]

@@bbainter7880 Same experience here. I've never actually owned a No5, but they always shot straight for me, I put it down to flinching. I don't mind admitting I'm a flincher, it gets embarrassing when you don't count your rounds! :-)

[@RatelLaw]

Thank you for sharing

[@herbertliedel7019]

My first deer rifle. Bought at Kmart with 3 boxes of ammo for $15.00 about 1962. Took years to get all the cosmoline off all the parts. First deer at 150 yards with the military sights.

[@geoffhunter7704]

I owned one of these Lee Enfield No 5 Jungle Carbine for target shooting in the 60's and 70,s as really a novelty weapon of my longer range LE No 4 RIFLE an unissued model dated 1945 it still had preservative on it when purchased ahh the memories.

[@atsonaga5520]

How many variants smle have, damn Lee Enfield father of rifles

[@shawnr771]

All of them.

[@markfergerson2145]

There seems to be a near-infinite number of variants with and without stars, plenty of ground still to cover.

[@robertsmith-oh9mo]

At one time I owned a #3 smle, a #4 I bought new still in the cosomline never fired outside of the factory and a #5 jungle carbine. As I remember both the #4 and the #5 were of late production and had only a rear peep sights. I also remember that the #5 was not very popular with the troops due to it's lighter weight and shorter barrel length gave it a rather uncomfortable recoil as opposed to the #3 smle. I personally can attest to that as I have fired both. The #3 with it's greater length and the stock all the way to the end of the barrel and the greater weight made the recoil much more comfortable to fire. As I remember the #5 was just the opposite, had a recoil like being hit in the shoulder with a 2x4. Other people I talked to said the same thing. The #5 is a good looking rifle it's a shame they couldn't iron out the hard recoil.

[@hugeinjapan4635]

My 1945 No 5 has a slightly different cut on the fore stock. It's angled with an undercut under the barrel. Sadly, I think my dad (the original owner) removed the top stock and hacksawed off the bayonet lug sometime in the 50s. My grandfather had one, too. But his was 100% sporterized. Lost to the ages, unfortunately. My favorite rifle after my AR10. I wish I could find more ammo for it.

[@fechtbuch]

My dad loved that rifle when the RAF issued him one on overseas service, and was very unhappy when they took it away and gave him back the Mk IV when he went back to the UK.

[@herrgodfrey9563]

I'm inheriting my grandfather's No. 5. I have no idea where he got it but it's a beautiful rifle.

[@GlenCychosz]

The recoil force is intense.

[@TheLawDawg]

Yep my 1947 my 5 definitely lets you know it is there. The recoil buttpad does not seem to help much.

[@quentinwyne5917]

This is an understatement. It kicks like a mule.

[@robertwilliams2623]

Seen this brings back a lot stuff of my child hood.Me at 12 deer season opening the next day my dad came home with a new to me gun was this gun the deer live a hard life for years to come.Still have that gun 40 years after getting it love it shoots good

[@grahamovenden9007]

While playing around with some no"5 rifles it was found that the inside of the flash eliminator is not always machined true to the barrel axcess . Although this is not as much of an influence on the projectile as a poorly machined barrel crown it still has a similar affect .

[@hosedragger-2045]

I've got a No. 5 Mk. 1 that was made in July 1945. I made an interesting discovery with my rifle. I slugged the bore and it came out to 0.319" diameter, while the bullet is only 0.311" in diameter. That leaves a gap of 0.08". When firing, it's plenty accurate until the barrel heats up, at which point the group begins to grow.

[@connorgregory3986]

I know it’s a game but I have been using the Jungle Carbine in battlefield 5. Fun to see this video show up

[@stuarthutnick4089]

If I may. Back in the 90's I was at a dealers buying some Leica Parts. So happens he was bringing the new Leitz optics into Canada. At the same time there was a gentleman from our national rifle team, and as things do we wound up talking about shooting. His take based on the supporting evidence of his fellow shooters (bear in mind Enfields were aplenty and anyone who shot owned one or more examples of the rifle (mine was made by Savage in the U.S. but that's another story). These were precision shooters beguiled by the Enfield and it's rep over two world wars (We had a very successful Native sniper who is legend). Their conclusion was that the Lee Enfield by design or pure happenstance had a very "elastic" action which in and of itself compensated for the variance of military ball ammunition. Second, while the free floating barrel is an accepted must have for a precision rifle right now the extreme taper of the Enfeild (and just about every other bolt action service rifle of the time) lent itself to be supported by the extreme length of forestock and the overbarrel furniture. This opinion was somewhat supported by not being able to replicate groups with "Sporterized" stock conversions of the same rifle. My own experience led me to believe that the crown was a very fragile component but again another story. So, If in fact the elasticity of the action was a major factor, then the flycut MK 5 played to that as weakness and the lack of support of the forestock exacerbated that. It would be fun if we could do some actual measurements to see if MK 5 actions actually show deformation out of spec but I do suspect that would cost an incredible amount of money to verify. The one thing that leads me to believe halfway here is that "Fake" MK 5's without the flycutting seem to not exhibit the same zero characteristics.

[@gaughantony]

Great review. This reminds me of being an army cadet in the 1980s and using the no8 cadet rifle in 22 to shoot on the indoor range. Looks very similar and we assumed these were repurposed no 5s which maybe isn’t the case but an understandable assumption for a 15 year old..

[@robertdeen8741]

I had one come my way for $250 back in 1980. All matching. Just a lovely looking rifle. Problem was, I didn't have the $250. Ergo, my sister bought it for me and kept it in her collection till the time I could buy her out which never came to pass. Some Smith talked her into rebarreling it. I do hope she kept the original as it was all matching. Sad thing is, she passed on about 20 years ago and her live-in boyfriend got it. I felt one of her 2 daughters should of got it and her other specimens. Funny thing is, back then I thought the $250 CND was too much but it was in like new unissued condition so I wanted it. Suspect it's worth much more now even with the new barrel on it. That really bothered me. The barrel on it did not need replacing. Probably an attempt at stopping the wandering zero which really wasn't an issue. If she wanted to be accurate, she had a Sako .300 WinMag.

[@2009Berghof]

Have you ever seen the color WWII photo of soldiers overlooking, I believe it was, Mandalay. One is holding what appears to be a Carbine but look closely. It is a No. 4 that has the stock cut down in what we would refer to is a 'sporter' stock. This leads me to believe that UK soldiers were in fact cutting these down to lighten them and this may have prompted officials to consider looking into the possibility of lightening same. The photo dates from 1945, and I believe it is an Imperial War Museum photo. I found it in an old Marshal Cavendish Encyclopedia of WWII.

[@AsbestosMuffins]

Ian must have found a guy who really liked enfields

[@joshdixon795]

I bought one before I ever heard about the "wandering zero" issue, never had a problem with mine its a good deer rifle out to 200 yards with a quality mount and my cheepo 4x scope

[@russwoodward8251]

The best. Thanks again!

[@bennettroberts4155]

I have one of these. It's my favorite surplus rifle. All original except for the barrel and part of the stock. Which were replaced when it was imported bc they were damaged

[@SA-xf1eb]

Fascinating. I would like to see one on the Garand Tanker short model.

[@wolfehoffmann2697]

I have one of these myself, but it's been sporterized. The front most piece of furniture is long gone. The rear sight is gone and a crude scope mount welded in it's place. Front sight and bayonet lug has been cut off. The receiver, to the best of my ability to read as it's a bit worn, is No.5 Mk1 ROF (f) P4401. The band on the stock behind the receiver just says "England" on one side, and I can't make out the markings on the other side very well.

[@jacobbuxton932]

Absolutely love this gun

[@highboy72]

mine was used, had what was left of a thick green paint on the exposed metal. but it has a brllliant sharp bore in it. shoots fine. and mine has all matching numbers. reciever, bolt and magazine, lets just say i've owned it so long that i payed around $150.00 for it at a gun show.

[@Herr_Scheissemann]

I really want to show this video to my grandfather, too bad he's passed away a couple of years ago. He fought during Dutch recolonisation of Indonesia in late 40's. He used to say that he used "tek-dor" rifle or literally translated "clack - bang" rifle. At some point he told me that it was enfield rifle but now that I know there are so many version of it, I don't really know which one he used. I can only assume this no. 5 rifle is the one he used since Netherland is British ally and it's quite reasonable to assume that since most of the weapons used were captured from the KNIL army.

[@jimmieburleigh9549]

I'd like to have a short version but a full forearm and traditional stubby front barrel cap. Or exposed barrel with the cap if that's possible