No5mk1 help!

[Biddle1990]

Bought a no5mk1. Someone has put no4 wood set on it. Anyone know sources of no5mk1 wood? I know it's pretty difficult to find, already been searching for days!

I've read that some piele have used no4 wood sets and cut them down to no5 dimensions. Anyone have any measurements for the individual parts?

Cheers!

Information

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[oldfoneguy]

You may look for years before finding a set Worth Buying. If your going to fashion a set from No4 wood you should determine what might have been on there originally. For that check the No5 survey at surplusrifleforum.com. There No5 rifles are categorized by date of build and manufacturer including what type of stock was originally on the rifle.
There were fore stocks used with and without end caps. It appears that the end cap showed up either very late in the war or just after it. But best to check for sure before starting. No matter what if you use No4 wood on a real No5 there will be a gap where the lug is on the right side of a No4. - Bill

[Peter Laidler]

At the end of its life, converted No4 woodwork was the norm for the No5 rifle. It was converted on contract for UK Ordnance by Westley Richards (if my memory is correct from the package markings) and unless you knew what you were looking at/for it was difficult to tell it apart as the workmanship was so good. Mind you, when you'd done hundreds to Base Workshop WORP standard and spent days range testing them until you were fed up at the sight of them it all went above your head. But converting No4 woodwork to suit a No5 is pretty simple. Some real experts will argue that the converted woodwork isn't the real McCoy. But I say if UK Ordnance supplied it, that's good enough for me

Whether the fore-end had an end cap or not didn't matter because while the drawing number changed, the part number didn't - so you got what Ordnance supplied. Steel end caps were NOT popular because once the rain and salt water swamps got between the wood and the steel, it was curtains!. First opportunity, the end caps were removed, fore-end made good, linseed bath overnight and didn't cause a problem thereafter

I wrote up a couple of times the whole scenario is anyone wants to resurrect it. Been there, done it, shot the shxx out of them until I was fed up to the back teeth with them!

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Numrich shows butt in stock. Repro I presume.

[Zorba]

Enfield-Rifles.com

[Biddle1990]

Cheers for the replies everyone. If I do go ahead, I'll not install an metal end cap, as one of you stated, they weren't well liked anyhow and it was the norm to have rifles without them anyway. Rifle is a faz 08-45 dated rifle.

Didn't know about Westly Richards restocking rifles. It looks as though someone has done it in their shed to be honest. The wood pretty much goes up to the flash hider. Someone's attempt to create a little no4 carbine I imagine. Bayonet lug has been removed also, but that could have been the Malaysia police. Going to look for that marking when I get round to it.

Any sources of info for going ahead with the conversation I'm going to attempt?

Thanks again!

[Peter Laidler]

All the Malay Police rifles we saw were bog standard as their Armourers as such were locally trained under the poms that were there and they also used the big UK Base workshop. So they'd be standard. The Malay Police were at all the major bridges and road intersections and had armed bases pretty much everywhere so you'd see them with their No5's and Mk5 Stens and Sterlings

[browningautorifle]

Bayonet lug has been removed also

Usually done by hunters. At least they left you enough wood to work with. There's an open channel that they cut in font of because they didn't know how to fill it. Peter said they filled and carried on...

[Biddle1990]

Cheers chaps. I'll probably use the existing wood and fill any holes. Should have enough wood to do that. Anyone know the measurement for where the stock band sits?

[oldfoneguy]

From the end of the reciever ring to the rear of the barrel band its exactly 8 inches on my 3/45 Faz. - Bill