Here is my Ishapore Enfield 2A so not quite the end as the 2A1 is that last rifle but the differences are really small. The 2A was simple modification of the standard No1 Mk3 designed to fire 7.62x51mm. As the Indians were putting FN FALs into service this was simple modification of the Enfield. They are still serving to this day.
Picture of Police at then Mumbai bombing in 2008.



Ishapore 2A 7.62mm




Indian Military Ownership Roundel


There are minor modifications from the the standard SMLE in 303. One obvious change is the extractor needs to be different going from a rimmed 303 to a rimless 7.62x51.


Standard numbering in ishapore rifles, receiver, barrel, bolt, forestock.

I have an Ishapore as well. Dont remember if its a 2A, or 2A1 though. Can't seem to ever find them. Always looking for more.

Nice. Is there a consensus as to whether it’s safe to fire full-power .308 from these?

The receiver design was upgraded by use of 1960's technology. Much stronger. The Ishapore 2-A's have a standard SMLE design but are dimensional fractions different from the 1890's design, then in use for producing .303 Brit SMLE's at the Enfield Factory, Ishapore, Bengal. India.. Have owned 4 or 5 2-A's, never failed to handle anything except 30-30.

I read a lot about 308 and 7.62x51 nato in these guns the last week since I got this one. Key things for me...gun proofed to 100k psi, the 7.62 nato is approx 52k and hot 308 is like 62k. Most people seem to think commercial 308 is more like 50sk. I only have 308 so going shooting Saturday, if I don't come back? Lots of stuff on internet but enough for me to say 308 should be ok.

As for the gun, basically 95%+ is smle design and interchangeable, few exceptions, extractor, rear sight, barrel and magazine.

2A and 2A1 are virtually identical. There are just more 2A1's so more common.

bought it cause I didn't have one...now have 8 enfields....its becoming a problem

I'll post a warhorse Long Branch next

If you find more, or want to offload that one, I'm always in the market. Thanks for the info. You're more up to speed thane me.

3 pieces of good news.

1. I'm alive in one piece and so is the rifle.
2. 308 150 gr commercial fired great.
3. rifle shoots great and is really accurate.


These were Freedom munitions commercial 308 reloads. Good primer strikes and no pressure signs in cases. Most rds were fine but had a few split cases, in the neck. All rds are hard to extract, much harder that 303. 25 rds shot 5 split necks.

Ewww, those split necks are disappointing. Not so concerning from a safety point of view I think, but if you're a reloader then it's sad to see that brass get destroyed!

Haven't posted on here for a while. But I dug out a rifle you all might like to see.

1918 WWI ends and the old empires are in chaos with nations fighting over land. In 1919 Mesopotamia predominantly under Ottoman Empire control until then was declared a British Protectorate by the League of Nations (wasn't about oil at all) until 1932 when they were declared independent with King Faisal I as leader. During this period Britain supplied the Iraqi Army with weapons through contracts with the Iraqi government. From 1936-1939 Iraq contracted with BSA to make Lee Enfield No1 MkIII's as their troops were familiar with them. BSA delivered 15,780 rifles at a unit price of £5, 14shillings and 10d. This is one of those rifles.

The rifle is marked with Iraqi ownership marks throughout and the BSA commercial manufacture mark. There are obviously no British Army acceptance marks.

Wow, that's cool -- I didn't know that tidbit of Enfield history.

I assume these rifles are chambered in .303 British . . . ?

yep 303...right after this one was made Germany invades Poland, Britain enters the war and no more Enfields are going to Iraq.

Dug out another interesting Enfield from the safe. At 1st it looks nothing special and really it isn't but it marks something interesting as a time stamp.

1st glance: It's a 1944 Long Branch No4 Mk1*, matching numbers on receiver, bolt, wood and magazine. It even has a nice rack number. So a nice rifle.





But if you look closely. Some parts are Long Branch marked as you would expect and are correct.


But others are Savage marked.


So is this a "humped" rifle, or a rebuilt sporterized rifle? Neither. After Savage completed their contract in 1944 with the British government they sent all their spares and extras to Long Branch in Canada. If you look more closely the wood is Savage but has the original serial number stamp and 2 other key stamps. Right above the serial number is a Canadian acceptance stamp so this Savage stock was in the Canadian army. And right above that is a Maltese Cross. The Maltese Cross is an armorers mark that indicates "non-standard parts", the Savage parts. This is a 100% original rifle made during the rush of 1944. This is a period correct rifle.

I love that you know so much history about your guns.