Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Chadwick View Post
An intriguing idea. But have you measured the drop?

Try the following: stand the No.5 upside down on a table, i.e. resting on the foresight "ears" and the backsight. You'll probably have to use on hand to hold the butt. Now measure the height of the toe above the table. Would it fit in that case?
I have laid my No5 on top of the case and it would probably fit, unfortunately the leather has gone rock hard so I can't actually try it as there is no longer any "give" and I don't want to damage the gun. I came to a similar conclusion about the "43" it's probably just an inspectors mark and a bit of a red herring... The thoughts about "field gear" also crossed my mind but how do we explain what appears to be a stowage for a bayonet, or could it be some kind of spike to secure whatever was inside??