Info On Enfiield?

V

Vukota12

Inactive
Hey all, I'm new here so please, be gentle!

1962 No1 MK3

I picked it up at a show recently and wanted to get some more info. Here are some pictures of the markings I am able to see without taking it apart. I have done a little bit of research and reading, but I prefer the opinions/knowledge of "regular people" in the firearms community. Any information you could provide would be great, especially value. Thanks if you can help!

enfield1.jpg

enfield2.jpg

enfield3.jpg
 
Well first off I would not shoot that rifle with that bolt since its marked DP for " Drill Purpose". Are there any other DP markings anywhere else on the rifle? On top of the chamber or the receiver ring?
 
Unless you can determine exactly what about that rifle cause the DP designation, do not fire it. DP does not necessarily mean the rifle is unsafe. It could mean that it is obsolete, or has obsolete parts, or has a shot out barrel, or is made for non-standard or obsolete ammunition. But until you know, best not to take a chance. If you must fire it, do so in a safe manner.

That rifle is a Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield, aka a Rifle No. 1 Mk 3* made at Rifle Factory Ishapore in 1962. It is in .303 British and is identical except for markings to the British Rifle No. 1 Mk III. Ishapore rifles are well made and have a good collector value among those who collect British Empire weapons. Later on, Ishapore modified the Rifle No. 1 and produced their own Rifle No. 2, made for the 7.62x51 NATO cartridge, for paramililtary units (the Indian army was armed with the Ishapore-made FAL in that caliber).

The inspection and proof marks read "GRI" for "Georgius Rex Imperator" or George, King and Emperor, instead of just "GR" for "Georgius Rex", or King George. Actually, those stamps were long obsolete in 1962. Not only had India become independent in 1947, but George VI had died in 1952; apparently the Indians were in no hurry to change the stamps.

Jim
 
A FWIW on DP. Many of the U.S. Model 1917 rifles sent to England prior to WWII (and prior to Lend Lease - FDR played games with "neutrality") came back marked "DP" solely because the caliber was not the standard British .303. Several people I know, including me, fired them and never found any problems.

Jim
 
A FWIW on DP. Many of the U.S. Model 1917 rifles sent to England prior to WWII (and prior to Lend Lease - FDR played games with "neutrality") came back marked "DP" solely because the caliber was not the standard British .303. Several people I know, including me, fired them and never found any problems.
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I've done a lot of reading on the "DP" marking and opinions seem to be all over the place in regards to why, when and/or by who they were marked by.

For the record I did have it looked at before firing. I have only out about 10 rounds through it but have not had any issues or cause for concern.
 
Does the bolt serial number match the rifle? If not then I'd say to just get a new bolt and keep shooting it. Someone may have just thrown a DP bolt it a perfectly good gun. Usually when a rifle was marked for Drill Purpose they marked almost every part so there was no question that it shouldn't be fired.
 
DP and the P14, I purchased 5 for $50.00 each, all had a hole drilled through the stock and into the barrel (and out the other side), every component as in receiver, barrel, bolt, trigger guard and band had its own little 'DP' stamp, I purchased the rifles for parts. There is nothing suspect about the parts, there was nothing wrong with the rifle before the barrels were drilled. I have a 308 Norma Mag with a bolt stamped DP, I am building a couple of bench rest types, one will have a DP bolt the other has a M1917 Winchester bolt with the face opened up.

Complete with the red and white band around the receiver, I have a P14 DP rifle with a M1917 30/06 barrel and bolt with all the changes to the bottom of the receiver and magazine.

When the rifle was stamped DP the person doing the stamping was thorough, if the rifle did not have a problem they gave it a problem such as welding and plugging and welding.

F. Guffey
 
You have an Indian made (not british) Rifle #1 Mk3* aka Short Model Lee-Enfield, or SMELLIE, made in 1965 at the Rifle Factory, Ishapore.

At some point it was relegated to Drill Purposes (ONLY) my italics.

It should be checked by an experienced smith familiar with Indian-made Lee-Enfield rifles & the history of them before firing to determine exactly what, if anything, was done to it to render it Drill Purposes (ONLY).
 
I saw several DP marked rifles at a gun show recently being sold as shooters. That had a hole drilled through the chamber and would greatly injure someone trying to fire them with live ammo. Century Arms was selling these for $89 a short while back. Take the wood off and and take some more pictures of the top, bottom and side of the chamber area. Also take some pictures of the end of the bolt.

TK
 
"GRI" stamps and a 1962 date tell me that this Ishapore is an older gun ( the reciever, at least) that went through repair/refurbishment in 1962.

As was pointed out earlier, some "DP" guns, while otherwise mechanically OK, had shot out bores, etc., and that bolt was probably slapped in your gun by someone, somewhere.

At any rate, I would follow the advice of the others and take it to someone familiar with Lee-Enfields and have it thoroughly checked out.

Also, it looks as though someone sanded the stock and then went a little overboard with the polyurethane.
 
Good possibility. I thought that the rebuild date would be beside the Factory Repair (FR) marking, but the idea that 1962 is the FR date would make more sense than my thought that they were still using "GRI" stamps that late.

Jim
 
Take the wood off and and take some more pictures of the top, bottom and side of the chamber area. Also take some pictures of the end of the bolt.
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Thank you all for your responses and insight. Here are more pictures as asked for above. And in response to "tater134", no the bolt does not match. Also would anyone have a general price for this rifle?

enfield5.jpg

enfield6.jpg
 
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Sorry, I forgot this earlier.
FR is thought by some to mean "Factory Repair", or "Factory Rebuilt" considered to be the equivalent to a British "FTR", others dispute this however.
 
Since the bolt doesn't match and there are no other DP marks on the rifle I would bet money that someone just put a DP bolt in it to replace the original. If it were mine I'd pick up a new bolt, check the headspace, and shoot it
 
It does look normal. If you have a gunsmith to take it to, I would do that. If you do decide to shoot it I would recommend a string and some distance.

TK
 
Hi, wogpotter,

What do the "others" say it means? I have never seen anything but "factory repair", a shortening of "factory thorough repair" or FTR used by the British.

Jim
 
well it's an indian enfield with a non matching bolt, probably somewhere in the $250 area unless there is something about the Ishapores that drives up the pricing but unless it was done in 7.62 nato(which I'm assuming is not the case here) there is nothing special or rare about it.
 
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