Enfield 308 surplus rifle for $70! XMAS?

A

aztec777

New member
I just saw what I think was an Enfield rifle in original 308 chambering for $70! It was at Southern Ohio Gun. It looked like it had wood all the way to the muzzle. Does anyone know anything about these?
 
I see one for sale as "Tanker" Enfield for $100...I am pretty sure these are SMLEs converted to .308 much later. The one I saw had V-notch rear sight (dislike that part).

Does anyone know if they are any good?
 
It was most likely the Indian made Ishapore 2-A No.I Mk III. These were originally chambered in .308. Not a bad rifle, decent shooters, not gonna win any beauty contest, or bench rest matches, but hey it's a $70 battle rifle in a very common chambering. It is a pretty decent low dollar deer rifle, or one you can leave behind the seat of the truck and not worry about getting scratched up. If you don't like the military wood, you can get a synthetic Monte Carlo stock for $50 - $60. The forward mounted v-notch sight on the No I's is not as good as the rear mounted aperature on the No 4, but the 4 is only in .303. I have a No I Mk III .303 made by BSA in 1916, and the first centerfire rifle I ever shot was my dad's Lithgow (Australian) NoI Mk III .303
Merry x-mas :)
Bergie

[This message has been edited by bergie (edited December 09, 1999).]
 
Bergie-That sounds correct! I don't care about looks as long as it has reasonable accuracy and can take a beating. The ultra low price is the icing. It looks like it weighs just shy of a ton, though.
 
Aztec, Enfields are big cumbersome heavy beasts. And I love 'em. When you run the mag dry, just turn the gun around and use it for a club. :)

------------------
"The evils of tyranny are rarely seen but by him who resists it."
-- John Hay, 1872
 
Aztec,

Those Ishapores are great, in my opinion. Where else are you going to get a rifle with a 12-round mag chambered for a NATO caliber for around $100?

It is heavy, but you can do some no-cost home chopping to make it lighter. I just removed the whole bayonet lug assembly and about eight inches of the wood near the muzzle. It cost $0, removed about a pound and a half, and now it looks more like a modern rifle. I would shorten the barrel if I could do it myself, but that's a gunsmith job at about $50.

There are Williams Gunsight rear sights for $35 that will solve your rear sight problem, but I put a scope on mine, so I just took off the whole rear sight assembly, which saved almost another pound.

So grab that $70 Ishie for sure, and have some fun with no-cost customizing.

JP

------------------
Nehemiah 4:18 " ... and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top