Lee Enfield Ishapore 308 Rifle
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
- Fun Gun Reviews Presents: The Lee Enfield Ishapore .308 Rifle. Built by India between 1963-1975, these were the last bolt action rifles issued to a regular army. These are not conversions, but were made specifically for the 7.62 NATO round.
Thanks for watching~ Sootch00
An Indian politician said that SMLE-armed police were helpless in the face of AK wielding terrorists after the Mumbai attack. I think they were ineffective because they weren't well trained enough to use the weapons they had effectively.
The cops involved in the 1997 North Hollywood shootout would have given anything for some 308 SMLEs at the time.
They were ineffective because the terrorists had automatics and the "battlefield" was an urban one with engagement ranges of less than 200m.
PS: Even with that, one Mumbai policeman gave his life to tackle one of them to the ground and capture him alive. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajmal_Kasab)
No one can beat AKs in close range battles. My observations from pubg...😊
Yeah no, you ain't going to bring down a motherfu**er with an AK going against him with a bolt-action rifle, we are talking about a very lethal semi-automatic weapon or a fully automatic weapon against a comparably very low rate of fire and weight of ammo.
also those cops would have killed for literally anything other than the pistols they had, even shotguns would have been a godsend to cut the range against the bank robers.
@@anarchyandempires5452 sorry but in the North Hollywood shoot out the police with their shotguns and pistols couldn't penetrate their body armor. A .308 bolt action would have went though the armor like butter.
Yeah that is sort off the case. Indian police is mostly expected to deal with riots, and because of strict laws, guns aren't really a threat for an every day cop. However now most major cities have a Swat like unit to cater to terrorist or attacks and incidents of similar intensity.
Frankly speaking, in most cases all a cop really needs is a decent stick, and that does the job, while US cops have to be trained to be prepared for a shoot out because guns are fairly readily available in the states. I think it has lot to do with perceived threats.
the 7.62 Lee enfields where not retired in the british army until the early 1990,s they were used in ulster as sniper rifles by various regiments.
I've got a 66 yr model been some wood took off to lighten rifle I bought for hundred dollars minus magazine from a 100 yr old man then gave about same for new 12 rd mag I shoot 147 gr soft points (silverbear) or seller be!liot fmj mine is scoped will hit coke can at 300:yrds these gunsare great hunting rifles unless your a walker ,! p!us all the fussing about ammo crap just use approiate ammo or actually 150 gr ammo and under you can shoot 168 gr or180 if u have too but just don't keep hanging g away but these rifles were pressure tested ten times amount and no face blownoff on ull hear lots of bull but never no proff I mean I can be a idiot with anything and get hurt
Designated L42A1 there was also the L39A1 military match rifle. Of course the Canadians kept .303 No.4 rifles in militia service up until just a couple of years ago.
@@snarkymatt585 Rangers only. The rest of the militia/reserves use the same rifle as reg force
I picked one of these up from a gun auction site last year, and I have no complaints with it. I love SMLEs, but I chose to buy the Ishapore largely based on ammunition availability and price. Had to buy the magazine separately (seller didn't have one for it), and then decided to complete the set by getting an authentic Pattern 1907 bayonet for it too. Even found stripper/charger clips for it. (On that note, I also learned that the clips I bought were actually designed for M14/M1A1 rifles, which I never knew even used stripper clips. Learn something new everyday, I guess).
I remember way back when you could buy L-E out of a barrel in various stores - for the princely sum of $9.95. Carcanos & Mosins were $6.95 and Mausers were $12.95. If only I had the foresight, and the cash, I'd be rich today!
I bought 2 of the 308 Enfields in the early 90s when I was 16 for about $60 each that were still packed in cosmalean and never fired. When I got up to around a hundred or so Enfields, Mousers, Mosin-Nagants, Carcano,03 Springfields and a few other old mil-surplus rifles my mom started bitching and made me thin my collection. I still haven't forgiven her.😢
Yes
Of course, you have to think about how much money a person worked to earn in the course of a week.
I think back to when I was buying silver, when I was a youngster, paying three dollars and forty cents an ounce.
I would hate to tell you what the price of gold was then...
Made in Ichhapur factory in Bengal, India. The metallurgy in these are world class. Good video mate, cheers 👍
Wao...
I lived in Icchapore side
I Proud of Icchapore Rifle Factory'
rajkul chowdhury Howrah?
@@jagannathbarman6712 no this Ichapore is in North 24 parganas near Barrackpore.
I have one. It is the best balanced rifle I've held. I love the fit.
I have one too. Also a very handsome rifle.
man this rifle is great, recently got one but now I have the lee enfield bug. must collect them all :P
I have an old police ishapore
Thanks! I've been looking for info on these, since I bought one some time ago (a 1965) at a gun show in the US for $75. I found the bayonet for it (17" blade) at the same show! I shamefully still haven't fired it, but I agree, these are very pretty rifles.
Have you fired it yet?
Bought my Dad a 59.00 Enfield from Big 5 for Father's day. he passed in 2012 and willed it to me. What a great rifle.
In normal practice, the magazine is never removed except for cleaning or unloading. Instead of magazines, this rifle was meant to be loaded from stripper clips.
I recommend that anyone shooting one of these rifles get some 7.62 NATO stripper clips. This makes the rifle even more fun. Insert the stripper clip into the notch in the bridge over the receiver, push the rounds in and leave the stripper clip sticking out of the top of the receiver. Cycle the bolt, and it will eject the stripper clip. It's very fun and very cool, and with a little practice, much faster than a magazine change.
Yes... And with a rimless. 308 round reloading with striper clips is super smooth....it requires a lot of practice to achieve the same efficiency with the. 303 enfields
I happen to buy one in the early 90's for $70, glad I did , great shooter.
I picked up mine in good condition and I have to say it is among my favorite rifles. It has a very fine front sight for a battle rifle but is a natural pointer if a soldier would have to shoot close. I just love shooting this gun. It just seems like you just point it at what you want to hit and it does the rest in a very strong caliber BUT it is almost like shooting .22's as a kid . I have a Lee Enfield .303 and some of the main WWII small (Garand, 03, Mauser, Mosins, Arisaka, etc) arms but this Ishy and my MAS 49/56 I got working correctly in .308 are my favorites.
Very cool review for the gun. This was my first firearm purchase, and I still have her to this day. It certainly is a beast of an old school, bolt-action rifle.
How much did it cost when you bought them? The civilian version costs nearly 700 USD at the Ishapore arsenal these days.
@@kakalimukherjee3297 I got it at a gun show for 5-600$ I believe, but I didn't take the extra goodies (Sling, bayonet, etc.)
Very informative. Tried one of these at my local range. Very nice action and it was a good shooter.
Just looking at that gun you can see the craftsmanship and character.
Awesome!
Of all the military rifles I have the Ishapore is the one I enjoy shooting the most, I paid $59.95 and was one the best buys I ever made.
Same here, I have AR's, HK91's and a few others, but the Ishapore Enfield is my favorite rifle to shoot.
I did buy it 6 months ago for a bit more than you paid, about $300 more lol. Times have changed
Just bought my first Ishy 2A1 on Saturday! Can't wait to take her to the range. Thnaks, Sootch!
AWESOME! I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE LEE ENFIELDs WERE ONLY MADE IN .303 CALIBER, SO THIS WAS A TRULY EDUCATIONAL VIDEO.
about 15 years ago I was present when one of these Indian 7.62 rifles had a bolt fracture using 7.62 surplus ammo NATO (in the dry, there have been a number of bolt failures in rain of various no 4 actions!} **bolt retained in receiver /breach** no injury . I have got the Enfield enforcer sniper version of this rifle produced for the British Police in the 1960 s to 1970 s, slick action ,very accurate (if shooting in wet conditions make sure the bolt is dry)
A note to all the “armchair ballisticians” out there: .308 and 7.62 are BOTH SAFE in this rifle. According to Cartridges Of The World, NATO ammo and SAAMI ammo are measured completely differently, so there is no direct comparison as far as pressures are concerned. NATO is measured at the case mouth (lower pressure reading) and SAAMI is measured at the case body (higher pressure reading). Velocity is the direct result of pressure. If the same diameter bullets, of the same weight are launched at the same velocity, then pressure can be assumed to be similar enough to be considered safe. I have fired and chronographed both NATO 7.62 (Radford Green 147gr) and SAAMI .308 (Federal 150gr SP) in my Ishapore without incident and they show such similar velocities that I am unconcerned about pressure differences.
Exactly, went to the range yesterday and shot 7.62 nato and 308 cartridges, there was absolutely no difference. (with my ishapore enfield)
Where can I learn more about this?
Bought one of these in '96. Shot 200 rounds of .308 out of it back then. All spent cartridges were ballooned on one side. Haven't shot the rifle since then. Recently thought about trying 7.62 NATO out of it. While cleaning rifle, inspected chamber, used head space and muzzle wear gauges. Seems good to go. I'm leary about firing it though because all the .308's ballooned like they did. Does anyone know why the .308's would've ballooned like they did? Could it be something defective with the rifle, or could the .308's have been the cause?
The full wood Lee Enfields are a beautiful classic military rifle. This 308 model is something very special, thanks for the vid, I'd not heard of these before. Very interesting.
Thanks for the vid Don. I have the SMLE No.4 in .303 incorperated into my 3rd or "CHARLIE" level battery of arms. these rifles will shoot very well, I can shoot sub 3" groups at 100yards with the battle sights with an occasional flyer. India's version are excellent examples. They're quality was so good someone told me that after Dunkirk England got some made in India and one could not tell the difference in performance. Hits count, eveything else is BS
I really miss my 303 SMLE Enfield, but this, in 308 looks like a right handy replacement. Thanks for sharing with us all.
I bought one of these fine rifles back in February. This weapon is truly one of the finest bolt action rifles i have come across.
I used to read all of the old big game hunter books. I had a huge collection of them at one time.
More than one of the old hunters who were British actually used leftover world war 1 303 Enfields.
To shoot elephants.
As they explained, placement is the key.
I love the old Lee Enfield. My great grandfather carried one in the Boer war, the great war(WW 1), and his son my great uncle carried one in WW 2. I have two of them my self. A Mark 3 and 4. I moose hunt and have harvested 2 with the Mark3. My uncle gave me the Mark4. He originally bought it out of a 45gl barrel in a Canadian tire store in the 70's for $9.99. I love the smoothness of the action and how fast and accurately they can be fired. I was hoping that you would have some stripper clips and shown how fast the rifle could be reloaded. The original intention was that the rifle was a breach loader and the clip is detachable for cleaning purposes. Good video.
I used to own a British Enfield 303. To de-cock my rifle, I would raise the bolt handle then pull the trigger as I closed the action again. That was easy as pie and less cumbersome than the way you did it.
You can Also simply hold the trigger and close the action and that will lower the striker safely. As with most all bolt actions, And thanks for showing the Unloaded rifle, I would hate to be shot from your computer. lol.
I picked one of these up in a pawnshop for 230 dlrs. Best investment ever, I can easily make a 200 yard shot at a 6x6in steel target and not miss! Buy them if you can and don’t let them go, they are just very accurate rifles ♥️
I honestly don’t have anything negative to say about this rifles!
1963 is when they first started making them I purchased one today!
Love these Ishys , own 3 of them , a 66 , 67 & 68 👍👍
I’ve got one of these but it’s been shortened down and now it my hunting rifle!
lee enfield ahhh what history. my great uncle served in africa for the australian army. used the mk2 no 4 recently just picked my self up the same model from a gun show for $700 awsome condition. got 3 stripper clips with it too wich i heard is abit of an ask around these parts. specially for free. got a mate whos gonna side mount a scope for me. cant wait to get out and shoot it again. man i would love to get hold of one these ishapores but. im have to start a lee enfield collection i think
I have one built in 1967, use Lithuania GGG M80 Ball. Beautiful
Love my Enfields!
I have an Enfield as shown, however it is 1965. It was given to me after purchasing a few other rifle and shotguns. I was amazed at my first 2 shot of the rifle out of the box hitting 2 100 yard center target shots. I am intrigued to see what kind of scope mount or mounting configuration you may or hopefully could research and show. Thank you for your time and your well formatted videos...
Great vid its good to see some of the old lee enfields still being used and enjoyed
Bought my first Lee Enfield (No.4 MK1) in my local gun shop about a year ago for $250. When I went in a week later, they commented on what a great deal I had made. They had just received the latest copy of the Blue Book of Gun Values. My gun was valued around $750 according to the book.
I picked up a Gibbs Jungle Carbine which took the Ishapore and made a shorter rifle. It’s a great gun and the bolt is smooth as glass.
I sold many of the Ishapore .308's in the late 80's. I did not know at that time that the steel in them is supposedly better than the English Enfields, and that is interesting. I found them to be reliable but not overly accurate. They also seemed a bit cruder made than the English guns with more mill marks, scratches and such. I found English built guns had much smoother actions than the Ishapores. It was also apparent that the Ishapores were not cared for by the soldiers they were issued to like most of the English .303's were. A very good buy for the money though. As I recall we sold them for 100 bucks or less.
I have 6 Enfield s love them. Need a second 7.62.
Cool gun. Like a Ruger Scout but better.
it was stamped 7.62 NATO on the receiver. Ive heard commercial 308 produce higher chamber pressure then it was meant for
I didn't know about the .308 hopefully I cab find one in near excellent condition like my 1916 enfield
Good job man love u from India Punjab Amritsar
800 meters with an ishapore actually is a very capable shot. Super fun
I really want me a Lee Enfield along with a few other nice firearms, dunno why but I kinda like the looks of old firearms and classic tried and trusted designs. Revolvers, Lever actions, Bolt actions, 1911's, Brownings etc.all seem to appeal to me.
Thanks for the video, Enjoyed it brother.
Ah, memories!
That is the single beefiest .308 boltie I have EVER seen.
Sootch I love ur rifle my brother bought one today 4 th of July 2013
Various 303's are still in service here and there with the police and para military units in India and Pakistan even today.
just bought one of these today, cant wait to take it to the range
I just got a 1948 G.R.I. Ishapore No. 1 Mk III* in .303 and it is my second favorite surplus rifle next to my M1903A3
prison guard gun in410.
The .303 was the standard calibre for the Lee Enfield Rifles. That "stretchy part" when you push the bolt forwards is because the action is cock on closing and it must be cocked in order for the firing pin to strike the primer. The Action of the 7.62x51 or .308 Indian Lee Enfields are slightly different due to the different calibre. The magazine looks different on the .308 version because the shape of the .308 casing differs form the .303 so they had to re-design the mag to feed reliably.
You should not tell anyone that this is a 308 caliber rifle. It is not safe to shoot308 ammunition in the Ishapore Enfield. It is built to shoot 7.62 X 51 military ammunition ONLY!!!
You should keep a cigar in the cleaning supply chamber. That would add a touch of class...
There's a story about a rhino being dropped by a single shot from an Enfield 308 . Perfect head shot at 200 yards. This ain't no toy.
where do you find these old school guns? Are they borrowed from a museum or are you a collector? Everyone's talking about polymer and this and that, and we sometimes forget about what the previous generations have used. it's amazing how many of these old guns are still working and we shouldn't forget about the evolution of guns
Sweet! I just purchased one in great condition..
Great history lesson there Sootch. Always enjoy the history of firearms.
had one of these, was fun to shoot.
I picked one of these up back in the early '90s when they were $90, it's pretty beat up but still mechanically in good shape. I have yet to fire it though. I've seen a couple that people have really cleaned up and restored the stocks on, they're very nice looking that way. Haven't really decided on what I'll do with this one, as for ammo being an issue right now, I have plenty of time to wait, but I wouldn't mind finding out where I can get a couple parts for it.
I just bought one of these. Didnt even know they existed so I had to buy it
last of a long line of excellence
good review.. this was my first high powered rifle and they preform so nicely
thanks for all the info
I really want an Ishapore, going to get one once I get my UK firearms license.
They were not designed for 308. They were designed around the nato standard 7.62x51mm.
I love the old Enfields. I have three of them. No Ishapoor, though, although I've always wanted one. Shoulda bought it back in the 90s when I first had the chance.
I had opportunities back then to buy Ishapoors for reasonable prices -- like
$150 or so, and I shoulda bought one then. Nowadays, clean examples have gotten very pricey.
Is Lee enfield rifle better than Mosin Nagant.
in ways but mosin ammo is cheaper and .303 is sometimes hard o get but not expensive and you know the story on .308
The action is soooo much smoother and .308 isn't going anywhere any time soon. Most Mosins lack the bent bolt of the Ishapore and there really isn't any real difference in accuracy. The main difference is that the Ishapore's action is so smooth that it allows much faster accurate follow up shots. The Chinese often thought they were under machine gun fire during the Sino-Indian war when facing Ishapore rifles.
Sean G hell yeah dude
Having to ask something like that tells me you are really dumb
is 12 rd over 5rds better u tell me.
saw one of these at a gun show, it was absolutely beautiful. best finish ive ever seen on a stock. but in the end not being able to shoot 308 through it stopped me from buying it.
I bought a saiga 223 instead.
got one of these, just love it. keep your AR, this is my bug gun
nice group for that old war horse. you do some of thee best reviews! thx. always informative.
Mine is a 1966. Got it in 2001 collectors re arsonaled condition. Paid Xtra $350.. My furniture and metal is perfect.
Yes, you can, but why? The normal operation of the rifle did not detach the magazine, it was loaded via stripper clips. The mags were considered a gun part and serial numbered. Aftermarket mags require a lot of fiddling to get them work properly. I've had a Ishapore for over 25 years and I speak from experience. A mag should never be removed except for cleaning.
If the G3 works out, then that would be a good thing. I am pointing out that the original mag was only detachable so the soldier could clear a jam and for cleaning, normal operations it stayed in the rifle. I've had problems every time I took it out, getting it to seat again takes some doing. I can't imagine trying that in battle. Stripper clips are just as fast to reload with practice, so the mag issue doesn't bother me at all.
Instead of slowly letting the firing pin in when pullin the trigger, open the bolt slowly and let it "uncock" itself and hold the trigger as you slide thebolt back in.
I've got one of these,picked it up for around 150 back in the early '90s. Boy it looks rough and needs some cleaning up,but it operates well although I haven't shot it yet,figured it's worth keeping for a while,the nato round isn't going anywhere.
I would advise shooting the round the rifle was made for, namely NATO 7.62 x51. The .308 cartridge is more powerful than the cartridge for which the rifle was designed.
We were firing 7.62 through 303s
Alistair Ewen thats a horrible idea
+Alistair Ewen Imposible.......
toby Hogan apologies, it was the other way round.
that is noticeably more confusing ... how did you fit a larger case into the smaller .308 chamber ?
I have a Gibbs No. 7 "jungle carbine" Lee Enfield 7.62x51. I love that rifle and have yet to see a nicer one.
Australian International Arms (AIA) produces new No. 4 Mk 2 type rifles chambered for .308 (the official designation is Mk 10). Unfortunately, due to some components coming out of Vietnam they have been unavailable for import here in the U.S.
Very interesthing riffle, loved the review. Best of luck for the TVC award! Thank you sir!
The classic WWl .Lee Enfield 303 rifle is in my top 5 all time fav's. The Canadians just refer to it as the .303 (being part of the Commonwealth and all). Too bad the .303 round is so darn expensive. Great vid, my brother. I really enjoyed watching and listening to it.
You do not need to check headspace if using commercial 308, external dimensions of the 308 are the same as the 7.62X51 military round. The difference is that the military cases use thicker brass, so any difference in dimensions would be internal, which means less powder capacity, which is why the commercial ammo shoots at a higher pressure....because of the thinner brass the commercial ammo can hold more powder: more powder means higher pressures. When reloading surplus military brass, you should always drop your powder charge by 10% compared to your commercial brass loads and work up, checking for high pressure signs. I don't hand load near max levels anyway so it would not be a problem.
shoup2882 so as long as you are shooting store bought 308 you shouldn't have any problems?
I wasn't talking about store bought ammunition, I was talking about handloading commercial brass versus military brass., I handload every round I shoot, except for 22LR. The issue is handloading military brass. People try loading military brass to commercial round velocities and this is where they run into pressure problems. Don't use "hot" loads and you won't have any issues. I find that my weapons are often more accurate and pleasurable to shoot if I stay about 5 to 10 percent below max loads when using commercial brass. When using military brass I start at 10 percent below max charges and check often for signs of high pressure.
+shoup2882 !
+Robert Harden Glens i wrote that?
Awesome video. I did not know that there was a .308 version of the Lee Enfield. I really hope to find one in a future gun show or gun store.
Thanks for the info.
The British army used L.E 7.62's as sniper rifles in Northern Ireland I believe these were phased out in 92.
My mag sucks, and I vastly prefer a detachable mag, one that's meant to be detached. I posted that 7 months ago, and I have since found that a G3 magazine will work with extensive work done to each mag. I wanted to try the G3 first because the aluminum ones are really light and cost $3. That was too much work though, and I'm now in the process of getting it to feed from LR308 pmags. The setup will work with an 80% AR10 lower and a free float aluminum chassis.
good find!
Oh wow someone's just imported a bunch of them into my country yay!
@sootch00 mine is 187, i put a used nylon gi sling on it, has character just like the gun and works great for support with the off hand, and its cheap. love you videos keep them comming
Indian cops still use these Ishapore 2As.
In a crowded bazaar they d drill 4/5 people!
Mike Berg hardly any shooting is done by the police, it's mostly for intimidation purposes and the rifle butt makes a good impression on being in contact with a criminal's face
Mike Berg Unlike USA, Indian cops aren't trigger happy jerks.
Well, they are only used by the cops in our correctional services in our state.I know, I'm a cop.
Nicholas Pietrzak from what I heard, it only for export markets. Shotguns are mainly used by villagers, which are generally double barrels
I bought mine for $275 i think. It has everything original except the stock which was replaced by a synthetic stock. I plan on getting the mark 3 stock for it later on but it's a great gun. Word of advice don't shoot it laying down, it hurts a bit. But other than that the recoil it's pretty good. Better than a 30-30 in my book.
You should make a video of you loading this with stripper/charger clips. It takes alot of practice, but you can get really fast with it--and its a ton of fun!
Lee Enfields are a bit heavy for my liking, but put a polymer stock on this (while keeping the original stock in storage, of course) and it would make a damn fine general-purpose rifle.
Also, the .303 British Lee Enfield is still used by the Canadian Rangers, but they aren't really regular military.
I don't get to talk much on the forums much, so could you guys tell everybody thanks, for sending me to Gunsmithing School today on Judgement day. Thank you very much, even the haters.
They sell 22 rimfire bolts and a gunsmith can reline the barrel. At my range, 22 rimfire seems to be more in demand cause the price of Pork bellies or is it Oil? I think its folks are starting to looks stupid running $90 in gas a day. We'll never know, so I couldn't agree with you any more. Good stuff, Good job.
Excellent rifle! Thank you sir! --- I'd be interested in seeing how you store your guns sometime if you ever decided to share your setup!
Was used as a sniper rifle in 7.62 Nato
Up to the early 80's
I think all the "jungle carbines" in .308 were converted long after service. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's the case.
I was going to just use stripper clips, but I could never get them to feed over reliably or quickly. And then I also decide to put a forward scope mount on it, where the scope would end up in the way of using stripper clips, so I figured I'd try to get another mag or convert it to feed from something else. It's looking now like it'll feed from the 308 pmags and have similar furniture as an AR10 would. I have the extra AR parts anyway. I could even change the fire control out group if I want.
Great review, great weapon!