Ishapore Mk.III?

[Bob Womack]

Local gun store has a consigned Ishtapore Lee Enfield they've ticketed as a MKIII in .308. They consider it a conversion, though they don't know much about it. A little research hints that the Ishtapore SMLEs in .308 were built in 7.62 NATO and were 2As and 2A1s. This rifle has a gorgeous stock and the parkerizing is good. It appears to cock on closing - there is spring pressure to be over-ridden as you close it. What do I need to know about this rifle? What is a reasonable price?

Bob

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.

[Daan Kemp]

Good guns.

[Singer B]

It should say "2A" or "2A1" on the right wrist. While many will say you can fire .308 out of them (and I've seen it done), they are actually 7.62x51 and that is what I use in mine. I believe that most were manufactured in the 1960's. I purchased mine because I looked at it as having a relatively "new" SMLE type rifle that was in a caliber that would be easy to obtain far into the future. They usually do have some beautiful wood underneath the layers of Suncorite brushed or sprayed on them. If it's in good shape, it would be a good buy at 400 to 500 on today's market here in southern California.

[Bob Womack]

Thank you kindly!


Bob

[Singer B]

You can see mine under the title "Ishapore 2A Restoration" in the "Restorers Corner" section.

[Bob Womack]

You can see mine under the title "Ishapore 2A Restoration" in the "Restorers Corner" section.

That's a lovely restoration indeed. Thanks!

Bob

[Bob Womack]

I dropped by the store and got more info and a closer look. The Rifle is stamped on the right wrist as a 1967 Ishapore Type 2A1 in 7.62. The tag calls it a Mk.III. The blacking is reasonable. There are a couple of grooted-up screw heads and the front sling swivel is a tad bent.. The front sight is off-center to the right, presumably having been adjusted by the last owner? The lower stock is in excellent condition. The rear hand guard was split near the breech and has been repaired with two splices to stabilize it. The front hand guard has a brass pin through it forward of the rear sight but I couldn't see a split. The consignee is asking $500. Should I ask for a lower price?

Thanks in advance.

Bob

[Singer B]

If this was 2 years ago, I would say no to $500 and maybe gone $350, but the current market in California would probably support $500. If you like it, I would say buy it. There are available parts for it and if it needs something serious, you can send it to Brian Dick. Plus, you will have an SMLE style rifle with 20-50 years less service on it than the standard SMLE and an ammunition source that should be available for a long time. They are well made and fun to shoot! Good luck, I hope you get it!

[Eaglelord17]

I had one a few years ago in very good shape I bought and sold for about 1k. Kinda wish I hadn't sold that one as it was a lot of fun.

[Bob Womack]

Here's an oddball question: the trigger guard assembly is held in by two screws. One of these is a round headed screw that protrudes from the left-hand rear side of the trigger guard. On this example, that screw is kind of goobered up and is sharp. I am a left-handed shooter and it dug into my left hand enough that I can imagine it could eat me up while firing. I know that replacement screws are available for about $3 online so my questions to the gang are: Are there any lefty SMLE owners out there? Can a righty with an un-goobered screw try out a lefty grip and tell me whether they think it would gouge up a lefty's hand? Thanks again!

Bob