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    Contributing Member bros's Avatar
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    No5 MK1 JUNGLE CARBINE SERIAL NUMBER......Help Needed

    Hello fellows, I need some help here.

    I for the life of me can't seem to figure out this BSA made Jungle Carbine's serial in it's full numerical sense. It's a 1947 produced rifle and I believe it's a fairly late made rifle so I'm a bit curious. I have Stratton's book and he states the production letter codes ended with "BM", elsewhere I have found "BK" . Needless to say I have got the calculator out and attempted to do the math using Stratton's book and ended up with a number that apparently exceeds the total number produced by BSA.

    As well it would be nice to know the serial number for the last produced BSA made No5 MK1 if someone can supply me with that info.

    The serial # I need help with is " BK 5373".

    Thank You.

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    Legacy Member Alan de Enfield's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bros View Post
    As well it would be nice to know the serial number for the last produced BSA made No5 MK1 if someone can supply me with that info.

    The serial # I need help with is " BK 5373".

    Iv'e seen a few CC prefix BSA No5 and heard of just one DD prefix, but, who knows if BSA had two production lines running concurrently.

    BK 5373 is certainly a 'lateish' 1947 rifle.

    Skennertons figures for the No5 are quite a bit awry in that he missed about 100,000 in his count of Fazakerley prodution. His S.A.A.S Booklet on the number 5 states they produced 169,807, BUT that is only up to the S prefix. We then need to take account of the rest of the S, the T, U, V, W, Y,Z AA, AB & AC

    Skennertons figure for No5s of BSA manufacture is 81,329
    Mine are not the best, but they are not too bad. I can think of lots of Enfields I'd rather have but instead of constantly striving for more, sometimes it's good to be satisfied with what one has...

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    BK6536 is the highest I have encountered. I have yet to see a DD serial number, however, this reported example might be mistaken and be a "DO" which I have documented existing but no reasoning for its existence.

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    Contributing Member bros's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lance View Post
    BK6536 is the highest I have encountered. I have yet to see a DD serial number, however, this reported example might be mistaken and be a "DO" which I have documented existing but no reasoning for its existence.
    Thanks guys for your help.

    Lance so turning that "Frenchicon into English" do you know how many rifles BK6536 represents then? I understand that in the second letter, they were not sequential from "A" thru "K", there were certain letters apparently omitted.

    Thanks

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    Legacy Member GeeRam's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lance View Post
    BK6536 is the highest I have encountered.
    My good friend has a virtually unused, mint BSA No.5 dated 12/47 with the number BK3945, and I've seen mention of a BK40** number, but nothing higher, so interesting to see a BK in the mid 5000's as well as mention of a BK in the mid 6000's.
    I wonder how many more above 6536 there were, can't have been many more made by BSA.
    Just the thing for putting round holes in square heads.

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    Advisory Panel Lance's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield View Post
    Iv'e seen a few CC prefix BSA No5 and heard of just one DD prefix, but, who knows if BSA had two production lines running concurrently.

    BK 5373 is certainly a 'lateish' 1947 rifle.

    Skennertons figures for the No5 are quite a bit awry in that he missed about 100,000 in his count of Fazakerley prodution. His S.A.A.S Booklet on the number 5 states they produced 169,807, BUT that is only up to the S prefix. We then need to take account of the rest of the S, the T, U, V, W, Y,Z AA, AB & AC

    Skennertons figure for No5s of BSA manufacture is 81,329
    I have a correction, the "DO" is really a "DD" as you originally noted. The photograph I had really looks like a "DO" but I just managed to acquire one of these very rare "DD" rifles and the body engraving is almost as distorted to make it look like a "DO" but it is "DD" on the rest of the rifle. Sorry for the error.

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