Someone please tell me about Enfield .308's?

T

twoblink

New member
I haven't read much about them, and so I'm just going to claim I know nothing about them.. But I might be interested in an Enfield .308. I would love for someone to give me a brief rundown of them, reliability, accuracy, accessories, a little bit of history maybe, links, personal experiences etc...

Thanks.
Albert
 
these divide into two families; the No.1-based Indian derivatives and No.4-based conversions from .303 to 7.62x51.
The former are newly made in the '60s and '70s out of stronger steel to counteract the weakness of the original design. Workmanship is somewhat variable.
The latter subdivide into military and commercial conversions. Some duplicated the appearance of the .303 ones but most have heavier barrels and woodwork cut back to approximate sporting dimensions. Some were used by the army as sniper rifles and some by the police while many others were used for match rifle shooting until recent years. The No.4 action is strong enough to take the .308 cartridge although some machining of the action is required to ensure reliable feeding.
 
The Ishapore (India) 2A rifles are based on the SMLE Rifle No 1, Mk III with, as Mk VII says, improved steel. These can be very accurate and reliable, but have a few problems like the notorious breakage of extractor springs. Many experts recommend that they NOT be fired with commercial .308 Winchester, which has a higher average working pressure than the mil spec 7.62 x 51.

Many of these rifles have been cut down (or cut up) to make phony Jungle Carbines. The real Rifle No. 5 (Jungle Carbine) was never made in 7.62.

The "Ishy" rifles were made for police and paramilitary units so they would use common ammunition with the FAL's of the Indian Army; there are credible reports that they were not designed or intended for hard or extensive use. I know of no one who has tried to cofirm this by endurance testing, but I know I have shot mine very little.

As to converted No. 4 rifles, they are scarce, and I don't know if the conversion kits which were once available are still on the market. You might try www.gunandknife.com and check the Lee Enfield forum. The guys there might know more.

Jim

Jim
 
I have now aquired 2 Ishapore 308s in the last 2 months. Don't ask me how this happened, I don't know. I am thinking it was out of desire and impulsiveness. I love them but they both needed some serious cleanup of wood and metal.

As far as shooting goes I have only put old British Military surplus through one of them. It shoots fine but I haven't put it on paper yet. Been doing some hiking with it (not so heavy really) and 700yd distance shooting onto dirt patches and clumps of rocks. I do hit what I am aiming at so it is reasonably accurate.

Both of the actions seem to have a little hang up as the bolt is turned down. Sometimes an extra hard forward push is needed before the bolt will turn down. None of the English MkIII 303s I have handled have this slight catch. I am assuming that this is something exclusive to the Ishapores but don't know if this is very bad or just happens. Does anyone know how to smooth it out? Also the cartrige casing is sometimes a little sticky in pulling out. After everything I have heard about the smooth Enfield actions I am going to try to find some way to improve this one. Possible touch up the bolt and action with some fine sandpaper. Again advice is welcomed.

I have not yet reloaded for the 308 so if anyone has some hard facts about chamber pressures I would appreciate it.

If you are interested in returning the MkIII to it's original state, you can find slings and MKIII Ishapore bayonets at sportsmansguide.com The sling costs $5 for a replica and the bayonet will run about $30 or more. I personally have a thing for getting my military rifles set up with all of the military accessories. As far as price for the MkIII Ishy 308 I have seen them for between $90 and $150 or more. I hope that this helps.


------------
Back flying again.
 
There were a very few No. 4's converted to .308 by the Brits and fitted with scopes for sniper use. IIRC designation was L42A1. Rare in the extreme.

-ric
 
twoblink,

I have two Ishy 2A1 Enfields.... I like them.

Quite solid feeling rifles with a VERY smooth bolt throw. Both shoot OK, though one tends to have slight feeding problems. This is all the fault of the mag however, and I just have not taken the time to "tweak" the feed lips yet.

These are already getting on the scarce side. All the big distributors seem to be out. If you can find one in decent shape and reasonable price, go for it.

In the last month I've seen two in two different pawnshops here in SW MO. Both were priced at $199. A bit high perhaps, but both of these seemed to have good bores and tight muzzles. If I didn't already have 2 decent ones in my safe, I'd have bought at least one of these.

my .02 cents,
Swampy
 
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