Editing Lee–Enfield (section)

==Rifle No. 5 Mk I—the "jungle carbine"==
{{Main|Jungle carbine}}
[[File:Lee-Enfield no 5-IMG 6559-white.jpg|thumb|Rifle No. 5 on display at the [[Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum]]]]
Later in the war, the need for a shorter, lighter rifle forced the development of the ''Rifle, No. 5 Mk I'' (the "[[jungle carbine]]").{{sfn|Wilson|2006}} With a cut-down stock, a prominent [[flash hider]], and a "lightening-cut" receiver machined to remove all unnecessary metal, reduced barrel length of {{convert|18.8|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} the No. 5 was shorter and {{convert|2|lb|kg|1|abbr=on}} lighter. Despite a rubber butt-pad, the .303 round produced excessive recoil due to the shorter barrel. It was unsuitable for general issue and production ceased in 1947, due to an "inherent fault in the design", often claimed to be a [[Jungle carbine#"Wandering zero"|"wandering zero"]] and accuracy problems.{{sfn|Skennerton|1994a|p=8}}

The No. 5 [[iron sight]] line was similar to the No. 4 Mark I and featured a rear receiver aperture battle sight calibrated for {{convert|300|yd|m|0|abbr=on}} with an additional ladder aperture sight that could be flipped up and was calibrated for {{convert|200|-|800|yd|m|0|abbr=on}} in {{convert|100|yd|m|0|abbr=on}} increments. The No. 5 Mk I was popular with soldiers owing to its light weight, portability and shorter length than a standard Lee–Enfield rifle.{{sfn|Skennerton|1994a|p=7}} The No. 5 was first issued to the British [[1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom)|1st Airborne Division]] and used during its liberation of Denmark [[Operation Doomsday|and Norway]] in 1945. BSA-Shirley, Birmingham produced 81,329 rifles and ROF Fazakerley, Liverpool 169,807 rifles. It was equipped with a [[No. 5 Bayonet|No. 5 Mk. I blade bayonet]] which had a large muzzle ring to fit over the flash hider. The No. 7 Mk. I/L bayonet, which has a rotating handle and a large ring on the cross-guard was not for the No. 5 Mk. I rifle as many collectors believe.

An Australian experimental version of the No. 5 Mk I, designated ''Rifle, No. 6, Mk I''{{sfn|Skennerton|2007|p=349}} was also developed, using an SMLE MK III* as a starting point (as opposed to the No. 4 Mk I used to develop the No. 5 Mk I). The Australian military was not permitted to manufacture the No. 4 Mk I, because the [[Lithgow Small Arms Factory]] was producing the SMLE Mk III. The No. 6 Mk I never entered full production and examples are rare and valuable to collectors.{{sfn|Wilson|2006}} A "shortened and lightened" version of the SMLE Mk III* rifle was also tested by the Australian military and a very small number were manufactured at SAF Lithgow during the course of the Second World War.{{sfn|Skennerton|2007|p=347}}

The term "jungle carbine" was popularised in the 1950s by the [[Santa Fe Arms Corporation]], a U.S. importer which refurbished many surplus rifles, converting many of the No. 4 marks, in the hope of increasing sales of a rifle that had little U.S. market penetration. It was never an official military designation but British and Commonwealth troops serving in the [[Burma campaign|Burmese]] and Pacific theatres during World War II had been known to unofficially refer to the No. 5 Mk I as a "jungle carbine".{{sfn|Wilson|2006}} The No. 4 and No. 5 rifles served in the [[Korean War]] (as did the No.1 Mk III* SMLE and sniper "T" variants, mostly with Australian troops).{{sfn|Wilson|2007a}}