Getting started as a SMELLY - Ishapore 2A1

[Alan de Enfield]

I understand the discussion of 7.62x51 vs commercial .308 ammunition, that the headspace tolerances for the 7.62 are a little more slack and the cases a little thicker so it is best to stick to 7.62 in a milsurp. Now the topic that you don't see discussed: what milsurp vs. commercial 7.62? Are you okay as long as you stick to NATO spec and lower grain values such as 146-150? There doesn't seem to be much milsurp ammo floating around during the rush but there is quite a bit of commercial 7.62.

It is better to stick with low bullet weight 7.62 Mil spec ammo as that is what they were designed for.
The action on the 7.62 Ishapore 2A rifle did not take kindly to being used for 7.62 and it failed the proof testing and the bodies twisted / warped and locked up solid so they reverted back to the original specified British EN steel.
Some internet sites suggest that the 2a is manufactured from an improved, or better steel, but in fact they are simply manufactured from the original specification steel, whilst after independence the No1 Mk3 was manufactured from an inferior steel

There was a fair bit of 'fiddling' going on after 1949 with Ishapore unilaterally changing the testing requirements & steel specifications in the No1 Mk3, then changing the specs in the 2A's.

The Ishapore proof-master (Rtd) did an interesting write up :


Extract from “Gun Digest 33rd Anniversary 1979 Deluxe Edition”
Article Author : Mr A G Harrison
Qualification : Former ‘Proof Master’ of the ‘Rifle Factory Proof House, Ishapore, India’

From 1908 to 1950 all military bolt action rifles made at Ishapore were proof tested with a dry-round, followed with by an oiled proof round. The proof cartridge was loaded to 24 tons psi breech pressure, or 15% higher than the service pressure. In 1950 (after the departure, in 1949, of India from British control) the material for the rifle bodies was altered from an EN steel to SWES 48 steel with the recoil shoulder and cam recesses being heat treated. With this change the rifle receivers distorted when oiled proof cartridges were fired. This was discovered when hard and sometimes impossible bolt retraction was experienced. Large quantities of rifles were rejected.
To avoid rejections the authorities ordered discontinuance of the oiled proof round. Therefore from 1950 to the end of SMLE production, rifles made at Ishapore were proof tested with one dry proof only, although the specification still called for both dry and oiled proof. All bolts and bolt heads issued as spares were always proofed with a dry proof round only.

A bolt action rifle similar to the SMLE MkIII*, modified to fire the 7.62mm NATO cartridge, was produced at Ishapore, first in February 1965. The receivers were made of SWES 48 steel (as per the SMLE MkIII*) and with the NATO proof cartridge the receivers were found to distort with both the dry and oiled proof round. The material was changed back to the EN steel so now the rifles stand up better to dry and oiled proof. After passing proof the barrels are impressed with the Indian national proof stamp. The bolt handles and bolt head claws are struck with the crossed flags only.

Basically it 'just' works with original 7.62 144-150gr bullets and NATO loadings, Use heavier bullets, hotter loads or 308Win hunting loads at your peril.


Just being pedantic, but the term SMELLY referred to the 303 calibre 'Short Magazine Lee Enfield' and predates 1926, after 1926 the whole rifle pool were renamed, so we now had :

Examples :

Rifle No2 MkIV* (replacing 22 Short Rifle MkIV)
Rifle No1 Mk3* (replacing ShtLe Mk3*)
Rifle No3 Mk1 (replacing the 'Pattern 14'or P14)