A very British day at the range...

[bainter1212]

I recently picked up a British Lee Enfield No5 Mk1 from AIM Surplus. This carbine is a numbers matching gun that has a very nice looking stock and some honest wear.

It was built at the Royal Ordnance Factory in 1947. The wood is numbers matched to the receiver, and has straight grain with not too many dents. The bolt number also matches. The magazine is not matching, as usual.

There is some minor surface rust that doesn't affect function. The bolt cycles smoothly. Headspace on my gauges checks OK with a No 1 bolt head. Throat wear is visible ( the rifling is gone up to about a centimeter from the throat). The only problem it had was a missing extractor spring, which was corrected by replacing it with a new one.






I procured four different types of ammo to test today.

1) PPU 174gr FMJ BT
2) PPU 150gr SP
3) S&B 180gr FMJ
4) Hornady 174gr "Vintage match" BTHP


It was overcast and breezy today, threatening rain.....not ideal conditions, but WTH I drove all the way out here to Sac Valley so I might as well shoot.

All shooting done at 100 yds.

Tried the PPU 174gr FMJ first. Grouping not that great. Shot 10 shot groups....a pattern is apparent but not exactly a "group" as I understand it....still "minute-of-man". Of course it may have just been me





Next ammo to test was the Hornady "Vintage Match". I have heard good things about this ammo in these old milsurps so I was eager to give it a go. Here is my 10 shot group, with all shots accounted for:






I am very happy with this grouping. I am not the greatest shot with iron sights so this grouping told me that at least the gun is fairly consistent with the right ammo. I intend to shoot an "as issued" vintage match at some point so the very fact that I can keep it on paper gives me hope. At least I won't be completely embarrassed were I to compete.

I decided right then to call it a day.....first because it started to rain. Second, because my shoulder hurt like hell. This rifle is not for the knock-kneed or faint-of-heart. It will push back for sure.

Any day at the range is a GOOD day, in my book.

 

[nathan]

WErent these carbines had seen action in Malaya during the 1950s -60s against Maoist insurgents? PRetty cool indeed.

 

[dprice3844444]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=591979&highlight=jungle+carbine

 

[Cosmoline]

How is the flash and noise on these?

 

[Ignition Override]

nathan: One of my "Jungles" was used in, or just stored in Malaysia.
Supposedly all of them have the dark chocolate stain. My other "Jungle" is very different and has the yellowish look of beech.

If you ever see one of these chocolate "Jungles", make sure that the owner removed wood from the area around the chamber, because some of the Malaysian guns were stored in humid air for quite a while, which sometimes caused serious deep rust on the chambers or barrels.
My rifle's seller was disposing of guns which belonged to a sick, elderly friend, and he knew nothing about possible concerns.

This news about Some of those which were stored in Malaysia never reached me until after over one hundred rds. were used, but I was fortunate.
When I return home will look into the Enfield #4/#5 book by Charles Stratton and find out whether he discusses this problem.

Cosmoline: The recoil seems just a little bit stouter than with the Yugo Mauser. Sitting upright and raising the arm into a "chicken wing" seems to help.
On the other hand, if we now magically had access to surplus .303 ammo at .25/round, I would gladly shoot 50+ rds. on a given day, with these skinny shoulders.