How to get My Ishapore SMLE running

[Texian Pistolero]

A few years ago, I bought an Ishapore SMLE at a gunshow, rechambered in India for 7.62 NATO.

It is beat-up looking, but has excellent sights, trigger, and bore.

I got three inches at 100 yards, close enough for government work. (Though I'm starting to get OFSOCEF "old fart stretchout of close eye focus" syndrome.)

The seller was "middling honest", he said that it had all matching parts, except the magazine.

Being a mere Ishapore initiate, I thought this was just collector info, I was a shooter.

What it means is that the mag is rather beatup, doesn't fit well, resulting in:

1) Failure to feed unless I manually press the front of the mag up tight to the feed ramp.

2) Faulty/weak ejection. I understand that the rear of the mag IS the ejector on the Ishapore.

I'd like to get this rifle up to speed for minimal bucks, it's a tad bit of history, and would be a GREAT trunk gun!

I have seen replacement (like new ) Ishy mags for about $45 bucks steep, but a deal if it fixes the problems.

Seems like I'd STILL need a smith.

That "use of the magazine as ejector" kinda bugs me. Does anyone have an Ishapore that feeds and ejects flawlessly?

I only want to do this if is makes the rifle COMPLETELY serviceable. I can make it go bang at the range as is. I don't carry an arm I can't bet my life to function.

Comments appreciated! Thanks!

 

[lee n. field]

Does anyone have an Ishapore that feeds and ejects flawlessly?

Yes.

What did you pay for yours?

I understand that the rear of the mag IS the ejector on the Ishapore.

The ejector for Enfields is a short screw through the receiver from the left hand side (looking forwards from the butt). I will double check mine over lunch to make sure that is the case.

 

[jefnvk]

A few years ago, I bought an Ishapore SMLE at a gunshow, rechambered in India for 7.62 NATO

Not rechambered, newly manufactured.

Mine works fine, does about the same as yours at the range. Looks like it had never been shot, but isn't exactly pretty.

I paid $100 for mine. No one knew what it was, gun store had it labeled as 308 British. Of course, when coupled with the '308 British is hard to find', no one wanted it.

Except me, who knew they were wrong

 

[ScottsGT]

The ejector for Enfields is a short screw through the receiver from the left hand side (looking forwards from the butt). I will double check mine over lunch to make sure that is the case.

Almost correct. the screw is a holdover from the original .303 design. I fought with this problem for weeks while I was "Bubbaizing" my Ishy for hunting purposes. I had an "Enfield Doctor" walk me through the ejection process at a gunshow. It is the lip of the magazine that ejects the shell. If you slowly open the bolt with an EMPTY shell, watch it as it moves back. Older mags get flat on the top from being dropped, mishandled, etc. It needs to come up high enough to catch the rim on the .308 brass and cause it to flip up and out of the action. The mag has a nice high curve to it. Carefully working a pair of needle nose pliers around this area is how I repaired mine.
If you ever look at a .303, it has a really large rim that can catch the screw. I tried many different length screws on the .308, and it just won't work that way.
$45 is a lot for one of these mags, but only buy it if it is an original .308 Ishy mag., others might not work.

 

[Texian Pistolero]

Many thanks for all replies!

Sounds like the needle nose tweaking may work on present mag.

If not , will try to find a clean original.

Any addition comments welcome.

Also, I paid $127 plus tax. Not bad, if I can get it to work. I found that gun fits me well, hence, recoil moderate.

 

[IronLance]

That's interesting... sitting here with my Ishy 2A in lap and ejecting a few cases... the brand new magazine lips are below the extracting case rim, the case contacts the screw in the wall every time and flips the case out. Even doing it sans magazine the case flips out every time. Perhaps yours is different, but mine works the way every SMLE pattern rifle has ever worked.

YMMV

Wayde

 

[JohnKSa]

Sportsmans Guide usually has .308 Enfield mags in stock.

 

[IronLance]

Unfortunately, SG is listing them as out of stock.

I found another website that usually has a full page ad in Shotgun News. Pretty expensive, and beware that the price listed on this page is about $20 - $25 cheaper than the same ad in the last SGN. Left side of the page is the 2A magazine.

http://www.hunterslodge.com/Latest_Ad1.pdf

HTH

Wayde

 

[swingset]

Springfield Sporters or BDL will probably have the parts you need.

www.ssporters.com

www.bdlltd.com

Good luck.

 

[Shootcraps]

Jefnvk is right. These were built in .308. I paid $100 for mine about 7 years ago. Still had cosmoline in the bore. Shoots nice.

 

[Texian Pistolero]

Thanks for the replies!

As for how the ejector works, I'm starting to wonder whether they built them BOTH ways, one to use the screw, the other to use the mag lip.

The screw on mine is ground down to where it is flush with the receiver, it's not knocking out any thing.

The screw head has has been coated over with black enamel,(as has the whole receiver) it will be a pain to get out.

Do people with the screw working NOT have the black enamel?

 

[ScottsGT]

When I bought mine, it too was covered with the black enamel paint. My screw was also flush with the inside of the receiver. For the life of me, I cannot see how IronLance's works Especially since a .308 round has such a small base to it. When I installed a longer screw, it interfered with the loading of a new round. I really came close to tossing the whole rifle into the round file until I found out about the mag being the ejector.
Here's a couple of old low res photos I took after my "Bubbaization" of this rifle. I now wish I had kept it all original.

 

[IronLance]

Scott,

I'm assuming that your scope mount is a B-Square. How do you like it? I've been thinking of getting one for my Ishy, but have been reluctant to after watching a couple other fellows with 'No Gunsmithing' mounts get pretty frustrated.

When I first got my Ishy it had the original 'yellow stripe' magazine, which I'm assuming is some sort of training marking. I had all sorts of feeding problems with it. As soon as I spotted Sportsman's Guide had them, I got two and the problems disappeared. I can't recall having any ejection problems, though. I do notice that the extractor claw forces the case head/rim against the reciever wall as it's drawn from the chamber. And as for feeding, I note that the case head doesn't come out of the magazine until it's past the ejector screw, and feeding is somewhat similar to the Mauser 'controlled feed' action. My rifle was also covered in stove paint, including the ejector screw. The screw itself extends into the reciever about 1/32". Not far enough to allow the bolt head to hit it, but far enough that the case head will contact it.

One of the things that endeared me to the Ishy, besides the caliber ( it meant I didn't have to buy another ammo type or get new reloading dies and such), was the cock-on-lock. It just felt much nicer not trying to work the cocking cam from a disadvantaged position.

Texian, the first thing I'd do is get a new magazine (don't be fooled by low priced ".308 Enfield" mags, they're usually aftermarket mags and not worth the effort to even look at them, look for mags that actually look like the one in your weapon). It'll be worth it. Next you might want to check the extractor claw tension. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the specs should be for tension. I can move mine with finger pressure, but not easily. Also check to make sure the claw itself isn't broken or filed down.

HTH

Wayde

 

[ScottsGT]

I'm assuming that your scope mount is a B-Square. How do you like it? I've been thinking of getting one for my Ishy, but have been reluctant to after watching a couple other fellows with 'No Gunsmithing' mounts get pretty frustrated.

So far, no complaints. Haven't done a lot of shooting with it, just sighting it in, and ocassional shooting. It doesn't look like the best mount since it is in place with set screws. I'd prefer a "real" mount, but could not find anything else made for the Ishy. I had to use scope rings that had adjustment in them since the mount would not center. It locks into the stripper clip holder and locks into the back of the chamber. Not the best, but as I said, all I could find.

 

[IronLance]

I hear ya. It's either that mount or the "scout" mount made also by B-Square. Another 'no-gunsmithing' mount that replaces the rear sight leaf.

Now, if I were a decent machinist with a decent shop.... I'd bet I could come up with something utilizing one of the gunsmithing blank P-rails from Brownells. As it is, unfortunately, I'm not a machinist and do not have access to a machine shop to try out my theory.

Thanks, Scott.

Wayde

 

[Tower06]

I just noticed something while playing around with my ISHY. If the magazine follower gets stuck in the mag, and is not all the way up, the round does not eject. I played around with it, and if you makesure the follower is all the way the round ejects everytime. It doesn't consistently land in the same place, but it does eject. I think a number of the ejction problems everyone is seeing has to do with compressed mag springs that don't provide enough tension on the follower to keep it all the way up. Try is out and let me knw what you all find.

 

[ScottsGT]

IF the follower is ejecting the round, then your left mag lip is bent out of shape. The lip should hit the base of the shell and kick it up and out.

 

[redactor]

I had the same problem(s) with mine.

The problem is your magazine feed lips. The rear ones should be bent in such a way that when you look down inside the open action, you can just barely see them. I found this article a couple of weeks ago, after having a "broken" Ishy for over a year.

I haven't taken it to the range yet, but it cycles dummy rounds all day now.

I came across http://www.ishapure.com/ which is an excellent resource for these rifles at the bottom of the Allan's Armory page.

 

[redactor]

I now wish I had kept it all original.

Don't. That thing looks good from the pictures you have.

If you want to restore it to original, put some wood stocks on it, and beat it against a telephone pole for a while.

 

[ScottsGT]

Old post......Sold it a long time ago.