Jungle enfield bayonet

[bananamafia]

Anyone have any idea where i can find a good bayonet for my no5 jungle carbine?
preferably 1945 dated.
and preferbly without having to take out a second mortagage to buy it!!

[Lugerlout]

There are plenty out there but you are right with regard to cost, for some reason people seem to think they are some mythical object that only seems to increase in value like fine wine..............I have two in my collection, the cheapest of which still cost me £110...........I have not seen one recently for less than £125 and some nit wits are asking nearly £300 for them....persevere.....but honestly if you can get one for £100 you would be doing well.

[rbminis]

The one I have cost me as much as my jungle carbine.
Good luck!
Ralph.

[m3bobby]

The Stirling SMG commercial bayonet will fit the No.5 and will cost much less but I can tell you wouldn't be happy unless you got an original example. Just like me!

[bananamafia]

The Stirling SMG commercial bayonet will fit the No.5 and will cost much less but I can tell you wouldn't be happy unless you got an original example. Just like me!

Thanks everyone, but yes M3bobby, it would irritate me knowing that it isnt correct.
Am i right in thinking that there are lots of fakes out there too?

[Lugerlout]

I have'nt seen any fakes myself......I'm sure they are out there.........one thing to be carefull of is later pattern No5s being passed off as early pattern ones, the earliest No5s had the handles secured by a single screw and escutchon in the centre of the grips........not too many made as production switched to the more common type with handles secured by two screws, the bodge involves doctoring a genuine late pattern to resemble the earlier one and although I have not seen one I imagine it would be difficult to spot without dismantelling the hilt to check for holes in the tang. There are also some from India marked RFI on the ricasso (Rifle Factory Ishapore) when Enfield stopped making the No5 some of the tooling for this and other bayonets was sold to India so I suppose it could be argued that these are genuine examples (although there are inferior copies around also stamped RFI) they do fetch less when put on the market, There is one of these RFI versions currently on sale on a UK site for £75.

[bananamafia]

Many thanks Lugerlout, all the info I need to start my epic hunt for a great bayonet!!
if I find one ill post a couple of pics if that's ok to see if you think it looks ok?
kindest regards

[Time Bandit]

Anyone have any idea where i can find a good bayonet for my no5 jungle carbine?
preferably 1945 dated.
and preferbly without having to take out a second mortagage to buy it!!

I can't swear on it 100% but I'm fairly certain you won't find one with an actual 1945 date on it? I think the only ones which are actually dated are the Poole post war made ones from 1946 & 1947. I don't think the war time made ones are dated but I could be wrong???

Am i right in thinking that there are lots of fakes out there too?

One pointer to look out for regarding fake No.5's is that the fakes don't usually have the hole drilled in the pommel.

[KriegMann]

You could always go with a repro until you save the money and find the right one

[Lugerlout]

Time Bandit....you make a good point....I have re-examined the No5s I have and one has only a dispersal code N187 which is for the manufacturer 'Radcliffe' any example with a dispersal code will certainly be of wartime manufacture but not nesecceraly dated, dispersal codes were used to try and conceal the place of manufacture of equipment, My WSC stamped example (Wilkinson Sword) does however seem to have a very faint Crown over what appears to be the figure 42.......its very feint but I will try to get a better shot of it, my copy of British Military Bayonets by R J Wilkinson Latham dates the introduction of the No5 Mk1 as September 1944 and the Mk2 as 'early' 1945 so a production date of 1942 is obviously incorrect so its probably an inspectors mark........................meanwhile my No5s are pictured.