Real or Fake: This No. 5 "Jungle Carbine"?

[englishman_ca]

PatrickC and 5thBatt. Yes and no.....you are both correct.

With muzzle loaders, the barrel was the master component and carried the serial number (if it had one). This carried over to breech loaders where the barrel was still the master component. If the receiver was changed out, it would be marked to match the barrel.

Then in around 1925 this rational officially changed in that the receiver became the master component, so if the barrel was changed it would be marked to match the receiver.

This got me puzzled where I had a rifle with an BSA manufactured receiver and barrel but with a prefixed four digit EFD serial number on both barrel and receiver in BSA style font. Huh?

I did note that the rifle had several 'Crown BR' inspector markings which suggested that it had been through the Birmingham Repair facility at Sparkbrook a number of times.

The scenario was probably that an Enfield made rifle needed a new receiver, so it was replaced pre 1925 with a BSA made unit and marked to match the master component, the barrel.
Then later on in its life, post 1925, it needed a new barrel which was changed out with a BSA made unit and marked to match the master component, the receiver.