ishapore No.1 rifles in .410 Shotgun configuration.

[newcastle]

I have limited exposure to these having only seen about 15 or so. However I have noticed something and wondered whether it is pure coincidence or not. The only ones i have seen with 3" chambers for commerical ammunition were all dated 1949 (post independnce I think) they also did NOT look like they were converted from No.1 rifles (no stamps on buttsocket etc), though admittedly this is a small data set (about 6 rifles). the other ones i have checked out were definitely converted from British or Indian made No.1 Mk3 or 3* rifles, still had buttsocket stamps to indicate dates etc, were chambered at 2 1/" for the fireformed 303 cases and the date on th left of buttsocket was 1947 / 48. First question is: Did they make these from scratch as 410 single shots post 1948? Second is, is this just coincidence due to small sample size or did they consciously decide to go to 3" for commercial ammo when independent and maybe they weren't using british supplied ammo any longer?

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[Baal]

If it accepts 410 commercial ammo it's been reamed out after being sold out of service.

I used to have a 1913 LSA No 1 Mk I** IP that was converted to 410 Musket in 1935. It had been reamed out to accept 3 inch commercial ammo.

I currently have a 1917 BSA No 1 Mk III* converted in 1936 and still in its original 410 clambering. Have been working on making my own ammo for it.

[newcastle]

That is the common wisdom, I'm just pointing out that all the 3 inch chambers I've seen are post British control and do not look like conversions, so i wonder if there's a story there?

[Beerhunter]

Second is, is this just coincidence due to small sample size or did they consciously decide to go to 3" for commercial ammo when independent and maybe they weren't using british supplied ammo any longer?

That would defeat the raison d'etre of the guns. That is to say, if one "fell into the wrong hands", even if it were loaded the miscreant would have just one shot and then the gun would become a heavy club. The special ammunition only being available from Government sources. As has been said, if it will accept regular .410, it has been reamed.

The muskets and ammunition were not British but rather Indian Government. The British never made any muskets nor ammunition, which IIRC, was sourced from Kirkee Arsenal.

[breakeyp]

For what it is worth, when Springfield Sporters imported the Indian .410 Muskets I was able to watch their man convert some to .410 3 Inch. He ran a chambering reamer in and later fired one round into a dirt bank located behind the barn. It was not high tech. No change in identification markings was done. They must have done a number as there was a huge box on a pallet filled with fired .410 hulls.

[RoyalTW]

I remember 410s featuring in Elderkin of Spalding's catalogue in the late 1960s/early 1970s. They are I think still in business and run by the son of the then owner. Perhaps they might be able to help.

[A square 10]

having owned both - sorry i dont recall the date on my modified one , both were fun but i doubt it was a concentrated thing on a particular date unless that happened to be surplussed to a single source as a group then converted [remmed to the commercial chamber] as discussed above