New to me No.5

Hello every one. I have recently acquired a "jungle carbine" which I believe is real but I don't know enough about these rifles. She shoots ok and would rather keep her as original as possible yet tighten up a bit. She got about 2 inches at 25 yards and about 4 maybe a little more at 100 yards. The rounds all went low. Shooting Sellier & Bellot 150 Sp and PPU SP BT 150 grains. I heard Lee's tend to like heavier bullets and I didn't realize it till I was done shooting the rear sight adjustment was turned all the way down as low as it can go. Not set at 200.

The shop I bought it from said she is of non matching numbers but I honestly cant tell as I don't know exactly what I am looking for. The lower forearm by the barrel band has what appears to be broken off and sanded smooth. And there is a gap where the butt stock attaches. Not big but I am sure I could put a knife blade all the way around.

And when I shoot dark oil seeps out a bit. I was told to use mineral spirits to get all that out .

I don't want or need a target rifle but I don't want to dick around and mess up something that might be a little special. If Any one knows what she is and which factory it would be nice to know If she is indeed a hot mess of mixed parts that is fine. I bought her as a shooter and not as a safe queen. Thanks you any one that has any info on how to get the best use and clean up a old rifle.

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Originally Posted by Ruzz

The shop I bought it from said she is of non matching numbers but I honestly cant tell as I don't know exactly what I am looking for

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Should be a serial number on the back face for the bolt handle and a serial on the left side of the receiver. If there was a serial on the stock it has probably gone due to being shortened. There may or may not be a serial number on the magazine.

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Originally Posted by Kiwi

Should be a serial number on the back face for the bolt handle and a serial on the left side of the receiver. If there was a serial on the stock it has probably gone due to being shortened. There may or may not be a serial number on the magazine.

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This correct? And your right I don't see this any where else. Thank you

The fore end timber looks all wrong for a No5, If you supply the details that are stamped and engraved on the left hand side of the action you will get all the answers you seek. If its a true No5 barrel it will have some lightening cuts on the knox form.

Regards

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Originally Posted by mike1967

The fore end timber looks all wrong for a No5, If you supply the details that are stamped and engraved on the left hand side of the action you will get all the answers you seek. If its a true No5 barrel it will have some lightening cuts on the knox form.

Regards

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The wood appears to be broken off around the barrel band and sanded / blended to some what salvage the wood

Looks like there have been holes drilled in the receiver just forward of the charger bridge too. The wood still doesn't look right, it's too blocky, the #5 wood has a rapid taper from the mag forward. Very slim at the front. It looks sanded because it was cut off and re-formed. The barrel looks right. There appears to be a whole serial number missing. The rear sight should be flat when you shoot the battle sight and there's no adjustment needed. The gap where the butt attaches is normal. This isn't a target rifle but it will be a shooter. They used a much bigger bullet than the 150 so that's part of the problem with accuracy. It'll all work out in time.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

Looks like there have been holes drilled in the receiver just forward of the charger bridge too. It'll all work out in time.

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Yeah its been drilled and tapped too. I'm just getting into these rifles and looking forward to just getting into the shooting part but any info is helpful thank you.

It's a BSA made No5 Mk1. As mentioned before, the lower fore-stock has been cut and reshaped just in front of the barrel band. It's a real No5 and not a reproduction made from a No4 Mk1. To restore it, you need to find a new lower fore-stock. No5 stock parts are hard to find though. In a pinch and if you're handy, you can use a No4 fore-stock and reshape it into a No5 fore-stock. it'll never be a collector's item due to the holes that are drilled and tapped into the receiver unfortunately. You can plug them with epoxy and paint them black to make them less obvious. Anyway, looks like a fun project. BTW, the correct metal finish is black Suncorite paint anyway.

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Originally Posted by army1882

It's a BSA made No5 Mk1. As mentioned before, the lower fore-stock has been cut and reshaped just in front of the barrel band. It's a real No5 and not a reproduction made from a No4 Mk1. To restore it, you need to find a new lower fore-stock. No5 stock parts are hard to find though. In a pinch and if you're handy, you can use a No4 fore-stock and reshape it into a No5 fore-stock. it'll never be a collector's item due to the holes that are drilled and tapped into the receiver unfortunately. You can plug them with epoxy and paint them black to make them less obvious. Anyway, looks like a fun project. BTW, the correct metal finish is black Suncorite paint anyway.

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Thank you very much. Those were the answers I was looking for. I will do my best to find suitable replacement stock.

You needn't look too hard for a fore-end. At the end of empire in Malaya in the late 60's, the fore-ends we were issued with and using were all converted No4 Mk1 fore-ends. As were the butts. They were all supplied from Ordnance like that, converted under contract by Westley Richards as I seem to remember.

As a little bit of history........ Now you know that I am going off at a bit of a tangent........
There was always a dire shortage of No4 Mk1 fore-ends in Ordnance in the early and well into the 80's, even for the conversion of fore-ends for the L42's. That's why they were were relegated to converting ex Mk2 fore-ends - badly - to fit to many newly converted L42's and later as spares for the same rifles. The quality was absolutely dire.........

The reason for this, as explained by the Equipment Manager responsible for trying to sort out this palava was that just previous to the L42 programme getting underway, all/most the Mk1 fore-end stocks had been taken away and sent out to contract for conversion by civvy contractors - to No5 spec in order to fulfill Far East demands.

That's the reason you could get new converted Mk2 fore-ends for the L39's and retro converted poorly to Mk1 spec for the L42, but you couldn't get Mk1 fore-ends for love nor money! And that's the reason why you'll find FTR No5's with ex No4 fore-ends.

Sorry to go off tangent with more useless info that you probably knew anyway

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

As a little bit of history........ Now you know that I am going off at a bit of a tangent........
There was always a dire shortage of No4 Mk1 fore-ends in Ordnance in the early and well into the 80's, even for the conversion of fore-ends for the L42's. That's why they were were relegated to converting ex Mk2 fore-ends - badly - to fit to many newly converted L42's and later as spares for the same rifles. The quality was absolutely dire.........

The reason for this, as explained by the Equipment Manager responsible for trying to sort out this palava was that just previous to the L42 programme getting underway, all/most the Mk1 fore-end stocks had been taken away and sent out to contract for conversion by civvy contractors - to No5 spec in order to fulfill Far East demands.

That's the reason you could get new converted Mk2 fore-ends for the L39's and retro converted poorly to Mk1 spec for the L42, but you couldn't get Mk1 fore-ends for love nor money! And that's the reason why you'll find FTR No5's with ex No4 fore-ends.

Sorry to go off tangent with more useless info that you probably knew anyway

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Thank you I have always loved these rifles and any thing I can learn is always appreciated.