My Indian Enfield & Accessories

[karkee]

Hi Guys,

I know that this subject is covered in far greater detail on other forums that are devoted to firearms, but I thought I would share a few pictures of my Indian-made Enfield and its accessories.



This rifle was made by Rifle Factory, Ishapore (RFI) in 1942. The factory was setup in 1904 and started producing Lee-Enfield rifles in 1909. During the British Raj, these rifles were produced to the same standards and specifications as British manufacturers. Production reached 600,000 during the Second World War, with many rifles being shipped to commonwealth forces in different theatres around the world.



Rifles made by the Rifle Factory, Ishapore were marked with a King’s Crown and G.R.I., for Georgius Rex Imperator, prior to 1948-49. The receiver is also stamped with the date of manufacture and ‘No.1 Mk.III*.’



The buttplate on this example is brass.



The distinctive Ishapore Screw, or ‘Ishy’ Screw, that is very common on rifles that saw service in India. These screws were likely used by Indian Armourers to reinforce the fore stock and repair splits.



The stock on this example has multiple repairs that speak to its service as a functional military rifle.



The nose cap on this Indian-made rifle lacks the stacking swivel.



Bayonets made by the Rifle Factory, Ishapore. The top Bayonet is the No.1 Mk.I with its fullered 17 inch blade, while the bottom two bayonets are the shorter No.1 Mk.II that first appeared in 1941. The Mk.II featured unfullered 12 inch blades. Although it is difficult to see in this photograph, the bottom bayonet has been plated in nickel or chrome for parade use.



The maker’s marks and dates on all three examples. These bayonets are stamped both ‘G.R.I.’ and ‘R.F.I.’.



The inspection marks bear an ‘IS’ for Ishapore. Note the bending test ‘X’ on the Mk.I.



Brass oiler, Mk. IV and pullthrough.



The oiler lid is marked ‘RFI’ for Rifle Factory, Ishapore and features a broad arrow.



The oiler base is marked “M.S.F.” for Metal & Steel Factory, Ishapore and features a broad arrow.



An Indian-made ‘sling, rifle, web, G.S., Mark I’.



This sling is marked ‘ca’ for the Government Harness & Saddlery Factory, Cawnpore and was made in 1942.

[reneblacky]

Lovely post yet again! back in the day when I had a BSA 1915 SMLE MKIII* -I had some Indian WW2 surplus ammunition and the buggers would take 2-3 seconds to discharge!! scary stuff!!!!

[bichon]

Hello karkee
many thanks !!
cordially
Didier

[karkee]

Wow René, that ammunition does sound scary! I'd be afraid that one round would be to weak to leave the barrel, and the next round would hit it and cause the gun to explode!

Too bad you didn't save the Indian-made bandoliers and chargers, I've never seen the latter...

[Larboard]

Dang, I thought I was going to see a motorcycle ;-)

Truly outstanding 303, jealous... I love the way they mark their bayonets, which are beautiful anyway.

[AZPhil]

To keep it simple. FANTASTIC.
I love the three variations of bayonets you have with it.

Semper Fi
Phil

[Alex W]

Have you shot it? How does it shoot compared with other commonwealth SMLEs? The Indian made rifles are dirt cheap here compared to other commonwealth 303s. All the ones I've seen have had very hard lives.

Alex

[karkee]

I've only used it once in the past and it shot fine. All Enfield rifles (including Aussie) seem to be cheap over here.

By the way, I didn't think you Australians were allowed to own guns anymore. Do you have to have your Enfield rifles deactivated like the Brits?

[Alex W]

Good to hear it shoots well. Yours looks far better than all the ones I've ever seen for sale.

The average person here is still allowed to own useable rifles as long as they are not semi or full auto. You have to be licenced which includes background checks and then obtain approval before buying each one. It's a little more restrictive than the US laws but we have very little gun crime in comparison.

[karkee]

Oh, okay. That's a lot less strict than I had thought!

You're right that many Indian Enfield rifles have seen a lot of use. I think a lot of them rusted away in SE Asia as well...