Mystery(?) SMLE

[Bundook303]

Bumped into this old girl at my friendly local gun store, where the lady owner had deposited it in the hope of finding out some information. It looks like an old Ishapore Mk3* but what caught my eye was the lack of markings on the right side of the receiver wrist, although there is what seems to be an Indian repair marking on the left. There is also an Indian roundel on the buttstock and a GRI stamp on the receiver by the breech. The bolt, stock and nosecap have mismatched numbers and it has a number of repair patches on the woodwork. Can anyone have a stab at the date of manufacture and why there is no cypher on the right side of the wrist? Any other observations would be very welcome. Enjoy the photos, thanks for looking.

Information

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[Patrick Chadwick]

Well F.R. means "Factory Repair". And GRI is an Ishapore mark. The solid boss of the unfinished lug for the sling swivel was apparently a wartime saving of machining operations ca. 1942-44. Seems to be an Indian "bitsa" cooked up in Ishapore from whatever was lying around. An armorer's apprentice piece, "lunchbox special"; or just wartime emergency production? Impossible to say now just when all those bits came together.

[Flying10uk]

The "51" next to the F.R. mark is most likely the date of the Factory Repair (1951).