Ishapore 1941 SMLE

Guys,
What do you think about this? I've had a heckuva time finding a straight up WW2 Ishapore, matching. IMHO, many have been "restored" by the Col. :ugh: I think the bands on the stock are perhaps cadet or unit indicators? No screw, "No.4" forend brackets, and the stock ISA is WW2 correct I believe. The font on the bolt looked a little odd at first until I did a close comparison and it looks like the same on the receiver and rear sight leaf. The Col. seemed to mostly use ANSI type dies for his "restorations". Appreciate the feedback.
Regards,
HB

Who is the Col.? Colonel Sanders?

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Originally Posted by breakeyp

Who is the Col.? Colonel Sanders?

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Col. Repop Pimpshine

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Originally Posted by breakeyp

Who is the Col.? Colonel Sanders?

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That's the chap, he gets gun oil over his white suit and traps his beard in the bolt!

Thats chicken fat he's got and I have never had nor ever seen kentucky fried chicken come out of KFC like it looks on the TV ads.
Once in a drive thru with my wife I was feeling rather fanciful so when asked for my order I replied X amount of Kompletly F***ed Chook and chips! (KFC.....) well the silence on the intercom was only matched by my laughter I did apologize for the merriment sadly our local KFC's do not deliver the goods and we do not eat it any more I just order Red R**ter (Rhymes with hooter) that too at times gets stony silence gads I must be the top of their HR list:confused::surrender:

Nice looking rifle Ham B wish I had brought one ages ago when they were rotten eggs cheap....

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

Nice looking rifle Ham B wish I had brought one ages ago when they were rotten eggs cheap....

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Cinders, that's not even real food in those ads. It's plasticized ideal versions of what they think perfect fried chicken looks like. I made the mistake of going to a KFC in south London, near the pub where I worked, and I don't think it was even chicken.

Thank you. I was wondering if everything looked right for a WW2 Ishapore, and perhaps what the bands were. I reckon a cadet / training / unit indicator with a rack no.?
Cheers,
HB

Very nice WWII Ishapore you have there. Super hard to find without post-War II additions and markings. The Col. mostly monkeyed with rifles from Springfield Sporters. Yours is a pre-1968, import so I think your safe.

Thanks Husk. I just picked it up and have it in hand. It's right. Looks like the only thing "modified" is the cut handguard "arms". It's all Indian parts, mostly "FI" and all blued. Looks all 1941 factory correct and after some Ballistol, good brushing and about 20 patches, the bore is a mirror. The seller's bolt pics were misleading. The Col. didn't get this one. This would have ended up back in England due to troop and material movement after WW2 or some form of sales through England? Any idea what the painted bands are for ?

Attachment 101326Attachment 101325Attachment 101327

I suspect the coloured bands = a unit flash; two of the colours are in the national flag, and are used, for example, in the Indian Air Force fin flash.

Is that forend Indian

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Originally Posted by RobD

I suspect the coloured bands = a unit flash; two of the colours are in the national flag, and are used, for example, in the Indian Air Force fin flash.

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Thanks Rob. At what point or what reason would it have picked up an “England” importation stamp and English nitro proofs? That is, if Indian used (as opposed to British used) how would it have made it to England? As part of surplus / import / export sales? As part of transport of English supplies and arms back to England after WW2? Appreciate the help.

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Originally Posted by Bindi2

Is that forend Indian

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Yes it is. Any ideas fellas?

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Originally Posted by Hambone

Cinders, that's not even real food in those ads. It's plasticized ideal versions of what they think perfect fried chicken looks like. I made the mistake of going to a KFC in south London, near the pub where I worked, and I don't think it was even chicken

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Met Col. Sanders in his early 80's pulled up to a KFC franchise and jumped out of his limo before his driver had stopped. He is spinning in his grave if he knows what it has become. He was quite the ramrod.

After Dunkirk, India shipped much of its reserves of rifles to England. Some Indian Army service & LoC troops had to go unarmed, for a while at least.


A more prosaic explanation is that any Sht L-E was seen by the importers as English at one time, before The Master began to publish his books, there wasnt much that was in print on the subject.