The Cypriot "Jungle Carbine" Query

[Beerhunter]

But are you really certain that they were NOT made in a Cyprus jungle?

Jungle? Cyprus? The place is practically a desert.

[villiers]

Attachment 31204That´s why I asked (been there, in a DC3 on my way to Suez).

Here´s my absolutely genuine, one of a kind, Greek Jungle No. 5 with a .308 Bren barrel (to compensate the abhorrent `wandering zero´) on a No.4 Mk 2 action (to alleviate the well known weakness of the No. 5 `lightened´ action) made by Enfield Skunkworx to the exacting standards of the South Yemen Camel Corps

[barbarossa]

Gotta agree here with Yellowsled on this one. It seems an awful lot of bother for someone to go to to make a poor man's copy of the Jungle Carbine and sell it for a few more bucks than the standard going rate for a No.4 rifle. Bearing that in mind, I would tend to think some of kind of paramilitary/police connection such as the South African conversion of the Mark V SMLE to a police carbine or the bobbing off of Long Lees in New Zealand for game control. The sheer fact that someone went to the trouble to hunt up or modify parts off an existing No.4, tack on some J.C. bits and pieces and then to go to the trouble to engrave the receiver with fake markings all for a negligible profit margin boggles the mind and militates strongly against this rifle being merely a back alley bubba job!

[newcastle]

Unless of course they hid a stash of them to bring out some time in, oooh 2012 for instance

[yellowsled]

The one I posted pictures of came out of a large private collection that was being liquidated due to the guy was up there in years and you cant take them with him where he will be going. His collection consisted of multiple hundred high end firearms.

[yellowsled]

Check out this thread I dug up from 2005...

Enfield issues - TheFiringLine Forums

"The British did alter a large batch of #4 rifles into #5 carbines after WWII.
Apparently, these were done for use on Cyprus after the war and were a valid British official alteration.
These were imported into the US about 15 years ago.
They still had #4 rifle markings, but also had some kind of British ordnance conversion marks.
However, most of the #4 to #5 rifles you see around were altered by importers."

"That would be the Cyprus Police No.5 Conversion. They are engraved on the side with NO 5 CONV-CYP/NIC. Its been given the number 5 butt sling swivel and the old one has been filled in with a wood plug. It had nothing to do with the British, but used for paramilitary police roles in the 50s-60s.
From what I have heard they don't have the wandering zero problem due to their extra weight since they have none of the lightening milling done on it."

[browningautorifle]

That sounds like another long story to me...I was over there twice for extended periods and NEVER saw one. Everything but.

[yellowsled]

That sounds like another long story to me...I was over there twice for extended periods and NEVER saw one. Everything but.

in the 50's?

[browningautorifle]

Nope. I expected an answer like that. Sounds like you haven't been there at all. When I was there they were using almost exclusively Lee Enfields and the commonwealth equipment. If they were there before, they would have still been there. Nothing was thrown away.

[yellowsled]

Nope. I expected an answer like that. Sounds like you haven't been there at all. When I was there they were using almost exclusively Lee Enfields and the commonwealth equipment. If they were there before, they would have still been there. Nothing was thrown away.

Lets address this in 2 parts..

First, I saw my share of the world while serving in the Navy, and it did include Greece. It wasn't the mainland , but I was there.

Second, if they were converted for British forces for use over there, why are you so sure they didn't take them with them when they left?

to conclude, if you look at some UK websites, there is at least 2 right now that are selling these "fakes" as military firearms.

Here is one, and Ill try to find the other:
http://www.battleflagmilitaria.co.uk/ search for "Jungle Carbine" and you will see it

edit: here is another one..
http://www.gunshop-eb.co.uk/Military%20Rifles1.php


I am not going to convince anyone of anything they are dead set on not believing. Maybe Century Arms did all the conversions on the M91/59's too.