In January of 1936, King George V passed away, thus making Edward the Heir to the British Empire. Five months later, Edward abdicated the Throne, and King George VI became Monarch.

India continued to make the No.1 Mark III SMLE rifle during this time period. The Royal Cypher on the butt stock was changed from GRI to ERI. However, production during this five month period must have been very limited.

Does anyone have any records of the ERI marked SMLE rifles?

While the present trend is to downgrade Ishapore rifles, we have to remember that India was a British controlled country until 1947, and the rifles produced there were to standards set in Englandicon, and the factory was supervised by English Officers.

Here is the marking on my 1936 Ishapore SMLE No.1 Mark III.

.
Information
Warning: This is a relatively older thread
This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.