No5 MkI Rifle

Images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first indication that a Lee-Enfield is a No5 MkI is it’s electro penciled nomenclature etched onto the left side receiver wall along with the factory that produced it, the date produced and it’s serial number. 

 

                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

The No5 incorporated a number of lightening cuts to reduce it’s over all weight. These cuts included a hollowed out bolt handle, scallops or flutes cut from the barrel’s knox form, and a couple of areas milled down on the receiver. The following pictures illustrate these modifications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From this picture, the tell tale gap between the rear sight and the receiver combined with the lightened bolt handle is a clear indication that it is a No5 MkI.

 

Again, note the gap between receiver and micrometer sight. For comparison, pictured below on the left is a No5 MkI and on the right a No4 Mk2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No5 MkI                                                                                                                                                                     No4 MkI*

 

 

 

Removing the handguard and forestock will reveal the lightening cuts to the receiver and barrel. Illustrated below for comparison is a No5 barreled receiver followed by a No4 barreled receiver pointing out the differences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No5 MkI barreled receiver.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No4 MkI barreled receiver

 

 

Another obvious modification made to the No5 MkI rifle was the rear sight’s elevation adjustment stopped at 800 yards unlike the No4 rifle which allowed for 1300 yards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The No5 MkI was also stocked in wood that was made specifically for it, they did not use cut down No4 rifle fore-ends or handguards. This is handy information if you are looking at buying a No5 rifle given the premium that they command on the market, for top dollar a No5 MkI should be original and not a home or commercial rebuild. The following pictures show for comparison a genuine No5 MkI stock and handguard and a well done fake made from No4 rifle lumber.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My first observations when looking at these two No5 rifles was the length of the fore-ends and the rear sling swivel cut outs of the butts, the differences led me to investigate further.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this image note the impressions left by the trigger guards. The top fore-end shows that the correct triggerguard has been installed (a lightened hourglass style guard), while the bottom fore-end show that a standard No4 rifle trigger guard has been installed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The handguards were a different length.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Closer inspection of the handguards show a difference to the inletting for the stock band. Notice the handguard on the left, the inletting is shallow and has been chiseled out. The handguard on the right has a deep inlet and is far more even.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The butts show a difference similar to the handguards. The one on the left has shallow inletting for the sling swivel, it also has a very pointed toe at the bottom where it meets the buttplate. The right side picture shows a butt that has a more pronounced inlet and a more sloping toe.

 

There were several other differences, all do to craftsmanship in the wood, but they don’t show up well in pictures. So in the end, one No5 was in original condition and the other wasn’t. One can be considered a collector piece and the other a fine example of a No5 but just a shooter, their values should reflect this difference. There is no right or wrong, but the buyer should know what he/she is buying.

 

Going back to the two top pictures of this segment, the bottom rifle is the original. The top one is a No5 MkI barreled receiver but has been stocked in a cut down No4 fore-end and handguard arrangement with an aftermarket butt and buttplate.

 

 

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