Jungle Carbine - No fastballs for a while

[MissouriCrowinMass]

I've been selling my least favorite pistols to finance MilSurps, lately. I find the MilSurps more fun to shoot and more interesting to read about.

I picked up a what I think is a Lee-Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine (I guess there are a lot of immitations around? I might be wrong?) I usualy refinish the wood but this rifle looked so classy that I just cleaned it real well and put on one coat of Tung Oil Finish. I cleaned off the grease and cold blued the steel. The bore is faily bright....real good lands. The bolt head is a #3 which is funny because the rifle doesn't look like it was shot much.

So far I've read and learned a lot about Lee-Enfields. Interesting....our M1 Carbine was designed to shoot the .30 Carbine Cartridge. It's great to shoot. You can shoot an M1 Carbine all day. Lee-Enfield designed this Carbine and said, "Well, 'ow 'ard can it we make it kick, mate? Let's use the bloody .303 British Cartridge." Anybody that says these have a massive kick ain't pulling your leg. It feels like shooting 1 oz. slugs out of a 12 ga.

Great trigger on this one. Maybe a hair too light. I'm goint to tap the front sight over a 'air to the right and either get a butt pad or a padded Man-Bro. My shoulder is black & blue from 20 rounds. No fastballs this week........

Oh....did I mentioned this was a blast to shoot? The noise takes the paint off any cars parked too close. I can see the attraction for using this rifle on Water Buffallo and Moose. It's the blast-wave that does the damage not the bullet.

 

[dfariswheel]

The Jungle Carbine kills at the front end and maims at the rear.

 

[amd6547]

I never considered the recoil on my jungle carbine to be too bad. I miss it.

 

[alemonkey]

Does the barrel have lightening cuts under the handguard? If not, it's an imitation.

 

[MissouriCrowinMass]

Here are a couple of photo's.....are those flutes the lightening cuts?

Could you tell me what the hole is in the receiver on the left side. It allows you to see the Bolt Face and Cartridge Rim......I know it can't be a Loaded Chamber Indicator? Is it to vent gas in case a casing separates?

See the photo of the butt. The rubber has dried harder than concrete. I think it being only 3/4" wide creates the Karate Chop affect to the shoulder. I'm gettin' a recoil pad pronto for this British Bully.

 

[hank327]

Yes those flutes are the lightening cuts that are unique to the No5 carbine and that hole is a vent for gas in case of a case separation.

 

[gripper]

Does it hold its zero??IIRC,those lightening cuts tended to be weak point-allowed some torquing /twisting of the receiver under recoil.

 

[ARNETT44]

I have had mine for 30 years and learned more about it in the last 2 days from you guys thanks. Never new that the lighting cuts were unique to the Jungle carbine or what the hole in the receiver was. Any other little facts? By the way my butt pad is hard, but it always been that way. Have not shot it in years, but now I have to give it another whirl.

 

[amd6547]

Mine never suffered from the wandering zero problem, somebody always brings it up...guess it affected some and not others.
I find the recoil of my mosin M44 to be worse than the no5.

 

[cane]

I replaced the butt stock on my JC with one from a No4, makes shooting it much easier on the shoulder.

 

[Curator]

Try a "slip-on" recoil pad, right over the hard rubber one. It tames the recoil a bit by spreading it out. It also lengthens the "pull" about an inch as well, making the gun fit better for most of us average sized people.

 

[jdh]

All the way at the bottom of the page is a new replacment rubber recoil pad for $10. Makes a worls of difference.

http://www.ssporters.com/parts/enfield4.htm

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

you guys seriously have an issue with the recoil of a jungle carbine?

that hasn't been my experience with 174 grain/2440FPS loadings out of mine, or the others i have shot.

 

[MissouriCrowinMass]

Guys,

Those are all great tips. I have no opinion on the "Wandering Zero" having just shot 20 rounds?

I adjusted my front sight a tad. Can't wait to shoot it again. If I can move that Group over an inch left.....I'll take that and be happy.

I never shot the Mosin M44. Being a WUSS, I put the Rubber Recoil Pad on my 91/30.....it's like shooting a .22LR. I have M39's and they never bother me at all even with the steel butt-plate. Much like shooting K-31's. The steel butt plates are plenty wide to the distribute the force.

For $10 I'm ordering a new "soft" rubber insert.

I reload for 7.5x55 Swiss and .30 Carbine (and in the future 7.62x54R if Lee EVER sends me the shell holder for their Auto Prime)......I've always used use full length sizing dies. I'm reading about just neck sizing .303 British. Do you guys have opinions?

 

[ARNETT44]

I removed my forend top and the barrel does have the cuts (lighting) it is marked with 2/45 on the left receiver Serial number 1134XX so I am going to assume that is was made in February 1945????

 

[DougW]

ARNETT 44, probably a Fazakerley. Probably a very early produced rifle. My Faz is an 8/45 (left in the pic, R is a BSA).





BTW, the wandering zero is a myth. All other army's around the world were getting semiauto rifles. The British troops wanted the SLR more than a hot rodded bolt rifle. 5 shot group was at 100 yards, bench rest, open sights, 40gr IMR4895, 150 spitzers.