Project No 5. Need a flash hider.

[BurtonP]

Hi all,
Just acquired my next project. found it the day after I gave up on ever finding a messed about with No 5., and bought something else, but that's another story.

I will post some pics when I get a chance, it has had, shall we say, an interesting life after the war, as a hunting sporter. It is totally un-economic to restore and will cost a lot to do so, but hey, hobbies are expensive, no?

I have a full repro wood set, can weld the sling loop back on, might be able to fabricate the missing rear sight posts, can replace the cut-down magazine, and fill the scope holes, but it looks like I'm going to really struggle to find a flash hider. I will settle for a repro, but the usual Numrich source isn't selling to Canucks these days.

Anyone got one that they'd like to sell? Repro, bayonet lug missing, one I need to shim, anything really.
Plan B will be putting an M1 conical flash hider on it... Don't make me do that.

Cheers,
Burton

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[Daan Kemp]

Pictures would make the story so much more enjoyable, not to say interesting. Including the 'bought something else'.

[Havenot]

I did some repairs on a friends faux 'jungle carbine' which is an RFI 2A .7.62/.308 that somebody converted to carbine style complete with repro flash hider.

I will say the reproduction flash hider/front sight base looked pretty good....compared to my BSA No.5 the repro just had a single retaining pin....and despite looking pretty good there was no way a No.5 bayonet would plug onto the repro flash hider!....like the bayo-lug was crooked to the rest of it and just couldn't/wouldn't fit a bayonet around the cone and lug the geometry was so far off.....I have no idea who made the flash hider but obviously repro

As far as another reproduction No.5 Mk.I part goes that I bought for my carbine....A numerich rubber butt-pad fits perfectly....and is noticeably softer on the shoulder than the old 'England' petrified rubber oem part

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Numrich did have the reproduction ones. Perhaps they still do?

[BurtonP]

Yes, Numrich appears to still sell them, but they have shut down their operation to all but US customers right now. I'm in Canada, so out of luck.

[BurtonP]

As promised, some pics of the beast. It was a Fazakerley production 12/'46. Someone spent a lot of time making it into the lightest hunting rifle they could. I particularly like the cobbled together "Monte-Carlo" stock made from the original stock. The early Weaver K4 scope and Parker Hale 5 round magazine are also interesting features.

I bet it kicked like a mule though, without the flash hider.

I was going to try to restore it all, but that's a big job, especially since I now can see that the rear sight posts are missing too. Unless I can get a flash hider somewhere, I may as well see how it shoots and keep the vintage scope on it. The action is very very good, so I'm optimistic that it works a lot better than it looks. The scope too is clear and matches the bore sight.

So, help me out folks. Any spare flash hiders in people's discard bins?

Regards,
Burton

[Bindi2]

Removing the flash hider lowers the kick. Swapping the Butt for a No4 butt is good as well.

[BurtonP]

Removing the flash hider lowers the kick.

That's interesting. I just assumed that a shorter and lighter barrel would make it even worse.

[Bindi2]

That's interesting. I just assumed that a shorter and lighter barrel would make it even worse.

The shape of the exhaust cones on a rocket and the flash hider are similar. They do buck more because of the less weight and length. The rubber butt was not for recoil it was to protect the floor in air craft. These have now gone hard being smaller than normal butts impacts a higher recoil per sq in of contact. My go to work No5 came with a No4 butt. I don't find it unpleasant to use in fact I like it compared to some others.

[GeeRam]

Swapping the Butt for a No4 butt is good as well.

When I got mine, I was lucky to have a spare No.5 butt, which was also a L butt, and putting that on made it much nicer to shoot.

However, my late father carried a No.5 for 12 months when he did his tour in Palestine in 46-47, and he adored the wee beastie, so I had a first hand teacher in shooting it.
How they spent hours firing the things in the middle east wearing nowt but an airtex KD shirt for 'padding' is a mystery to me
I'll have to get around to ordering one of those repro Numerich butt pads for mine, as the butt pad on mine is well worn and like concrete.