Excellent video of Lee Enfield .308

[getitdone1]

Yeah, that's right, it's chambered for the .308/7.62x51.

Picture quality is very good as is his demonstration of how fast you can shoot this very fast bolt-action. There's a debate about whether this gun is as fast as the very few straight-pull bolt guns. It's fast enough, as you'll see.
Believe they often use their middle finger on the trigger when shooting for top speed.

You may recall this is the guy in the video I posted here recently about his, literally, smoking AK-47. I notice he also has videos of other military rifles I intend to see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41gy62X4QXI

Pretty neat to have such a great gun chambered for the .308.

This guys is no pro with this gun. A highly trained/experienced shooter of this gun would be even more outstanding to see shooting for speed. Actually speed and accuracy. Would be something to see, especially in person.

Don

[MrMurphy]

Has to be an Ishapore No.2, developed after WW2 as a reservist/militia rifle for the Indians, who were switching from the .303 to the FAL.

They're still in use. The Mumbai massacre, you'll see some pics of various street cops armed with them.


The world record for accurate, fast bolt action firing was done with a No.1 Mk III (SMLE) by a British riflery instructor, I believe it was 37 aimed rounds in one minute.

[Borregos]

I used to have one that had been converted to .308 in Canada, did not have the correct magazine though so had to be fired single shot, sold it about five years ago to a collector. It was originally a No4 Mk1.

[cas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41gy62X4QXI

[getitdone1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41gy62X4QXI

cas,

thanks for your help. I finally got it right.

Don

[wecsoger]

AIM Surplus (amongst others) was selling a big batch of these when they came into the county about 8 - 10 years ago.

Not too bad looking for mil-surps. I was down at AIM and going to grab a couple. Both rifles they kindly brought out were dirty chambers (expected) and they swallowed a No-Go head space gauge with out the slightest resistance. (unexpected)

I passed at the time.

I love the Lee Enfields. Got a couple in the cabinet somewhere.

[tman]

Thanks!

[getitdone1]

I read that the Lee Enfield and the .303 British cartridge have killed more game in Canada than all other guns and cartridges combined. Is this true---or----did it used to be true?

Another plus for the Lee Enfield I haven't mentioned is the short 60 degree (right?) throw of the bolt handle. Helps with the fast shooting-- along with a slick action.

My biggest complaint with most bolt-action guns is the bolt handle comes too close to a mounted scope. One reason I've kept my Browning A-bolt, .243. Also have an A-bolt, 22 mag rim-fire. Light, lovely gun.

Don

[Bruce Scott]

This guys is no pro with this gun. A highly trained/experienced shooter of this gun would be even more outstanding to see shooting for speed. Actually speed and accuracy. Would be something to see, especially in person.

Don

"The current world record for aimed bolt-action fire was set in 1914 by a musketry instructor in the British Army—Sergeant Instructor Snoxall—who placed 38 rounds into a 12-inch-wide (300 mm) target at 300 yards (270 m) in one minute.[10] Some straight-pull bolt-action rifles were thought faster, but lacked the simplicity, reliability, and generous magazine capacity of the Lee-Enfield. Several First World War accounts tell of British troops repelling German attackers who subsequently reported that they had encountered machine guns, when in fact it was simply a group of well-trained riflemen armed with SMLE Mk III rifles."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee-Enfield

[gundownunder]

I believe some of the Lee Enfield 303s were converted to 7.62 for use in Israel.
The practice of using the middle finger to fire the weapon stems from the fact that the rifle could be easily cycled with just the thumb and index finger on the bolt so there was no need to let the bolt go in order to fire the rifle.
The 303 was also used extensively by Aussie troops, as it was by all commonwealth troops.
Back in the early 70s I was in the air cadets and the "three o" was the first rifle I ever fired, apart from a couple of shots from a friend's airgun.
They were cheap as chips here in years gone by. You could pick one up for as little as $10 back when I was a young'un and I was earning $50 a week. Many here in Oz were rechambered to 22-303, 25-303, and 270-303 for use as sporting rifles.

[getitdone1]

Been watching several videos on YouTube about the Lee Enfield Ishapore in .308. One guy said he had one in the Jungle Carbine version. Really? Did the Indians really make this in the Jungle Carbine version? Did Great Britain or elsewhere also make this gun in .308 Jungle Carbine. That would be my choice for the Lee Enfield.

12 rd magazine, short bolt throw, slick action and chambered in .308 and can be had for, I think, about 4-500 for one in very good condition. Am I correct on this price?

Only one negative thing I can think of about this gun and that's it's weight but you can say that about nearly every battle rifle. The Jungle Carbine would help with this. Might even be a synthetic stock for this gun that would help reduce it's weight.

Very few guns have proven themselves on the battlefield to the extent this gun has.

Also watched some videos about the Swiss Schmidt-Rubin and they talk about it's accuracy and meticulous metal work. Problem is, this gun HAS NOT proven itself on the battlefield and the precision metal work they brag about that leads to it's accuracy just might be it's downfall in the dirt and real world of the battlefield.

Don

[J Miller]

I have an Ishapore 2a No1Mk3 in 7.62 NATO. It came to me still in the cosmoline with ALL numbers matching and a cherry bore and chamber.

I like it, it shoots nicely, but I have three issues with it.

One, the magazine will not hold 12 rounds like I keep reading over and over. I think I can FORCE 11 in it, but it will hold 10 properly and feed them well.

Two, the bolt in this rifle seems to want to bind unless it's wet with oil.
( Remember all numbers match, so it's not a parts gun.)
So there's no rapid fire for this one.

Three, with any ammo but Mil Spec it shows excessive pressure signs. So using commercial ammo is out of the question with this one.

As for being heavy, that's fine, it soaks up what little recoil the 7.62 has.

Joe

[JB]

Been watching several videos on YouTube about the Lee Enfield Ishapore in .308. One guy said he had one in the Jungle Carbine version. Really? Did the Indians really make this in the Jungle Carbine version? Did Great Britain or elsewhere also make this gun in .308 Jungle Carbine. That would be my choice for the Lee Enfield.

12 rd magazine, short bolt throw, slick action and chambered in .308 and can be had for, I think, about 4-500 for one in very good condition. Am I correct on this price?

Only one negative thing I can think of about this gun and that's it's weight but you can say that about nearly every battle rifle. The Jungle Carbine would help with this. Might even be a synthetic stock for this gun that would help reduce it's weight.

Very few guns have proven themselves on the battlefield to the extent this gun has.

Also watched some videos about the Swiss Schmidt-Rubin and they talk about it's accuracy and meticulous metal work. Problem is, this gun HAS NOT proven itself on the battlefield and the precision metal work they brag about that leads to it's accuracy just might be it's downfall in the dirt and real world of the battlefield.

Don

Those 308 Jungle Carbines were built by Gibbs, Navy Arms, and other companies. They weren't original military firearms.

The Swiss K31's I've owned or fired have all been more accurate than the various Enfield rifles I've owned. Although they were never battle tested, the Swiss insist the rifles were subject to severe battle like conditions in their training drills. But who knows for sure?