Enfield Jungle Carbine worth?

R

RikWriter

New member
I picked up what I was told was an Ishapore Enfield Jungle Carbine in 308 from a local dealer for $125 after tax Friday. When I got it home, I discovered that it was NOT a 308 and most likely not an Ishapore...it is a 303. The markings on it are "No.1 MK5", also "1945 England" and BNP is marked in a couple places. I don't see an import stamp. It is in very good shape, wood is nice, bore is in very nice condition, no corrosion or rust anywhere.
What is this gun worth and who made it, imported it or refinished it, most likely?
Any info you might be able to provide would be appreciated.
 
Hi, RikWriter,

Are you sure it says No. 1 Mk V? A real Jungle Carbine should read No. 5 Mk 1 and should be in .303, not .308. I have seen original Jungle Carbines sell for almost $500, so if it is a No. 5 Mk 1, you got a good deal, much better than a cut down rifle.
If a real Jungle Carbine, it will also have a flash hider, a rubber buttplate, and lightening cuts on the receiver and trigger guard.

Now if it is a No. 1 Mk V, and is cut down, someone ruined a nice collectible, as Mk Vs are scarce.

(The BNP mark is the British commercial proof, applied when the government sold the rifle; the "England" mark is an import mark.)

Let us have more info.

Jim

P.S. I know the British nomenclature system is confusing. Address complaints to HM The Queen, Buckingham Palace, London.

Jim
 
Dyslexia is a horrible thing...I meant No.5 MK1 and I did say it was in 303. I said when I bought it I was told by the dealer it was an Ishapore 308 conversion, but it isn't.
It does have a flashhider, but I didn't notice any rubber buttplate, unless that hard protrusion sticking out of the butt is considered a buttpad and is made of rubber. What are these lightening cuts and what do they look like?

[This message has been edited by RikWriter (edited January 02, 2000).]
 
RikWriter,

You seem to have purchased a No. 5 Jungle Carbine. This was an actual development of the Enfield rifle, not just a recent reconfiguration of the Ishapore No. 2 Mk1. The caliber is .303 British. This rifle was developed for the Pacific theater during WWII.

I recently purchased a No. 7 Jungle Carbine from J&G Sales for $159.95. This is the Ishapore version of the No. 5, and isn't really authentic, but I still love it. It shoots well and I'm enjoying it a lot. the caliber is .308, which I personally prefer, but your .303 is more authentic.

J&G listed the No. 5 carbine for a similar price when they had them in stock, so I think you got yourself a neat rifle at a very good price.

Nazman
 
Could any of you gentleman expound on the charateristics of the .303 round.
I am thinking of a purchase.( see other thread on this subject.)

Anyway I have been told the 7.62x39 is equivelant to a .30x.30.

What say you about the .303 British.

WOLF
 
.303 is a strange round. Shot it a lot in
my Enfields. It's approx. 20% less powerful than 30-06 or 7.62x54R, comes close to .308 Win. But it's sure deadly. Pretty accurate
too. Very good hunting round.

Some old 1942 English ammo I got is odd - bullet has soft tissue in front under the jacket(looks like hard fiber or some kind of heavily compressed paper), and very soft lead core. This bullet makes an awfully big exit holes even in relatively thin phone books. Never saw anything like that with SP or HP...
 
That ammo is typical Mk7 ball ammo. It is designed that way so that the bullet would destabilize easily in soft tissue causing it to tumble. It worked very well and is a very deadly round. It is corrosive so clean the gun well after shooting it. It's probably loaded with cordite (looks like strands of pasta) which can be a bit harsh on your bore. It should be perfectly safe to shoot just make sure you clean it well!
 
FWIW, interesting piece of absolutely useless information. If you wonder how they got that cordite through the case neck, they didn't. They loaded the cordite and a cardboard wad before necking down the case.

Jim
 
Wolf,

June 99 issue of Shooting Times had an article about the .303 Brit. Ranked by chamberings, the .303 is seventh in sales for Remington ammo, eighth for Winchester and tenth for Federal. By that measure it is in the top ten cartridges in the U.S. today.

Believe it or not, I once came into a Weatherby barrel blank in .312, left hand twist (I don't remember the rate). I got a retired local gunsmith to turn it down to drop in an H&R 12 ga barrel. we made a threaded ferrule for the muzzle and contoured it flush. Cut the extractor groove at the back, sweated it in and off I went. Pretty darned accurate! IMR 4964 worked excellent behind Hornady 150 gr spire points. Whatta hog gun!

Lo, it was too heavy for the woods. I sold it to a man for his son's first rifle. $75.00

The only .303 I shoot now is my No5, Mk1 Ishapore Jungle Carbine. The only technical authenticity flaw is that the bolt handle is not hollow. I swapped out the entire bolt assembly to solve a headspace problem when I first got it. I didn't know about the unique bolt handle.

The ST article showed a No 4, Mk1 for $190 from Gibbs Rifle Co. and a No 4, MkII for $189 from Century Int'l Arms.

I would hunt with the cartridge here in GA any time out to 200 meters on whitetail. The trick is getting a solid rifle and getting it tuned up. The cartridge is great.

So There,

Sensop
 
Ooops!

IMR 4064.

Sheesh!

Hey Wolf. I don't know about the 7.62x39 vs the 30-30, but I have a 30-30 Ack Imp that's a rocket!

Sensop
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top