Jungle Carbine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rifle No 5 Mk I (aka Lee-Enfield No 5 Mk I, aka Lee-Enfield Jungle Carbine) | |
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| Type | Service rifle |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1944-Present |
| Used by | United Kingdom & Colonies, British Commonwealth |
| Wars | World War II, Korean War, Malayan Emergency, British colonial conflicts, numerous others |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Royal Ordnance Factory Fazakerley, Birmingham Small Arms Company |
| Designed | 1944 |
| Produced | 1944-1947 |
| Number built | 251,368- 81,329 (BSA Shirley); 170,039 (ROF Fazakerley) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 7 lb. 1 oz. (3.2 kg), unloaded |
| Length | 39.5 in. (1003 mm) |
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| Cartridge | .303 Mk VII SAA Ball |
| Calibre | .303 British |
| Action | Bolt-action |
| Rate of fire | 20-30 rounds/minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 2539 ft/s (774 m/s |
| Effective range | 500yds |
| Maximum range | 1000yds |
| Feed system | 10-round magazine, loaded with 5-round charger clips |
| Sights | Flip-up rear aperture sights, Fixed-post front sights |
Jungle Carbine was an informal term used for the Rifle No. 5 Mk I, which was a derivative of the British Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk I, designed especially for fighting in the Far East and Burma and other terrain where the length and weight of the standard rifle made it unsuitable. Production began in March 1944, and finished in October 1947.
The No. 5 was about 100 mm shorter and nearly a kilogram lighter than the No. 4 from which it was derived. A number of "lightening cuts" were made to the receiver body and the barrel, the bolt knob drilled out, woodwork cut down to reduce weight and had other new features like a flash suppressor and a rubber buttpad to help absorb the increased recoil.
Despite the hard rubber butt-pad, the .303 round produced too much perceived recoil for the lightweight rifle to be a complete success; the butt-pad was actually of a smaller area than the buttstock, cross-sectionally, thus the force of the recoil was focused into a smaller area. It was never hugely popular with the troops - partly because of the allegedly fierce recoil, and partly because of an alleged "wandering zero".
There has been significant debate over the past 50 years or so as to whether the "Jungle Carbine"'s "wandering zero" was a real problem, or a myth exaggerated by soldiers to avoid being armed with a bolt-action rifle when the rest of the planet was equipping themselves with semi-automatic firearms.
Military tests at the time seemed to confirm the presence of the "wandering zero", leading to production of the rifle ending in 1947. However, modern collectors and shooters insist that the "Jungle Carbine" has no accuracy problems; theories of why the problem has not been observed in modern use include the idea that the issue occurs as a result of rapid sustained fire (something a modern collector is unlikely to encounter), or that it could have been related to the extreme temperature and humidity in the areas it was being used. How this alleged inaccuracy problem would have been a problem at the short ranges encountered in the jungle areas for which it was designed, is unclear.
The term "Jungle Carbine" was colloquial and never officially applied by the British Armed Forces, but the Rifle No. 5 Mk I was supposedly referred to as the "Jungle Carbine" by British and Commonwealth troops during WWII and the Malayan Emergency.
Due to the large conical flash suppressor, the No 5 Mk I could only mount the No. 5 blade bayonet, which was also designed to serve as a combat knife if needed.
[edit] Post-War Non-Military Conversions
Whilst they did not invent the name, the designation "Jungle Carbine" was popularised by the Santa Fe Arms Corporation in the mid to late 1950s, who imported and converted huge numbers of SMLE Mk III* and Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifles to civilian versions of the No. 5 Mk I, for the hunting and recreational shooting markets in the US. Prospective buyers must be very sure they can tell the difference between a real No. 5 and a conversion, although the easiest way to do this is to look for the markings on the left hand side of the receiver- a genuine No 5 will have "Rifle No 5 Mk I" electrostencilled there, while a post-war conversion will generally have either no markings, or will have markings elsewhere from manufacturers who did not make the No 5 Mk I (for example, Savage or Longbranch).
Companies such as the Gibbs Rifle Company in the U.S. have sold completely re-built Enfields of all descriptions, but most notably their copies of "jungle carbines" (made from original No. 1 and No. 4 rifles) and the "Bulldog" rifles (also fashioned from original No. 1 and No. 4 rifles). As long as a vendor is not trying to pass one of these rifles off as a genuine No. 5, there shouldn't be any confusion over their origin and type, but not every gun owner or gun dealer is a surplus military firearms expert and mistakes (both accidental and intentional). The deliberate, permanent modification of military surplus firearms (loosely defined in the US as any ex-military firearm that is eligible for possession on a 03 FLL C&R licence) is not only actively discouraged, but a source of constant despair to the military surplus firearms collecting community, especially when it causes as much confusion as it has with the No 5 Mk I and civilian conversions thereof.
[edit] References
- Skennerton, Ian. The Lee-Enfield Story (1993) Arms & Militaria Press, Gold Coast, QLD ISBN 1-85367-138-X
- Wilson, Royce. "Jungle Fever- The Lee-Enfield .303 Rifle". Australian Shooter, May 2006
| British & Commonwealth small arms of World War II | ||
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Side-arms
Machine-guns & other larger weapons
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| Weapons of the British Empire 1722-1965 | ||
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Anti-Tank Weapons
Field guns & Misc. weapons
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