Opinion needed: Enfield Ishapore A2 Sporterize?

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jame

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I have a problem with my current project.

As I clean up the Enfield Ishapore 2A1 that's the current resident on my workbench, the stock is falling apart as I clean it. Many stock repairs are disintegrating as I strip off the old grease and crappy finish. Pieces everywhere. I'm using a medium duty furniture stripper.

Restocking is quickly becoming the choice. Do I try to find another Ishy stock to cleanup, and take my chances, or just say to hell with it, throw on a Ramline or ATI plastic stock, some Mojo sights, and be done with it?

(Or do I just try to "Gorilla Glue" the whole mess back together?)
 
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My own preference is to keep old military rifles in stock condition. I inherited a Bubba-ized 1903A3 and can't restore it to military configuration.

Look for replacement wood parts in the Enfield listings at Numrich Arms.

http://www.e-
gunparts.com/model.asp?idDept=231

I bought a deliberately Bubba-ized Enfield - the infamous fake "no.7 Jungle Carbine" as made by Gibbs and others. It's a 2A sporterized to look like a no. 5 Jungle Carbine. The sight radius sucks. :D

Jungle%20carbine%20right%20side.jpg
 
I bubba-ized a .308 Ishy years ago. Sold it after I realized it was too long for our hunting stands. If it was still original, I'd still have it. Just look for a replacement stock and enjoy. BTW, all the thick black paint on the metal, that's original. they were painted, not blued or parked. But I would park one if I was to build another.
 
I gave $100 for a 2A1 that had a disintegrating stock a few years ago.

After a new stock, cutting the barrel to 19" with a re-crown, and the addition of a LER scope and mount it makes a very seviceable "pseudo-Scout".

I have never lost one minute of sleep for changing this rifle from its original condition.
 
Yup, the paint on the metal is coming off, too. That will get replaced with KC Gunkote, in black, or OD green.

My big question is whether or not anyone can provide a replacement stock without a ton of repairs. I don't want to risk yet another one falling apart on me. That happened to me on a Mk 4 I refinished some years ago. I was lucky enough to find a new replacement from someone that was making them at that time, but the stock cost as much as the rifle, and that wasn't my intent on the Ishy. I want a shooter, and a cheap .308 fits the bill.

I'm not going to cut any metal. Too much work/too expensive.
 
I gave $100 for a 2A1 that had a disintegrating stock a few years ago.

After a new stock, cutting the barrel to 19" with a re-crown, and the addition of a LER scope and mount it makes a very seviceable "pseudo-Scout".

I have never lost one minute of sleep for changing this rifle from its original condition
Click to expand...

Where did you find a new stock for a 2A1, Sistema?
 
There is a guy that hangs out at surplusrifle.com he gos by candyman he is real good with stocks he could probably give some good ideas on how to fix your stock heck he might even fix it for you.

Mike
 
i know for a fact that numrich has the stocks in stock if i remember correctly they were like 70 bucks

now remember theses stocks arent just beech or some hardwood these are mostly mahogony and ive heard of a teak stocks too
 
Personally, I wouldn't mess with glueing it together. If Numrich has the stocks, like the man said, then that's what I'd do.

If they don't (if a replacement stock is not readily available), then I'd just sporterize it - you can cut the bbl to any length you want.

I have a very low opinion of gorilla glue. It's so bad that I think Elmer's wood glue is superior. It won't keep anything together that I've tried it with. Superglue is better for glass, metal, ceramic, etc. And liquid nails - anything - is better for wood.
 
I have a Lee-Enfield No1MkIII and an Ishapore 2A. The Enfield is a 1917/1918 Lithgow, so I won't be altering it in any way. The Ishapore is from the mid 1960s, and while I appreciate its place in history, I would not hesitate to put it in an aftermarket stock IF the original stock were falling apart like yours.

I am a C&R holder and a milsurp collector, but I'm not the sort of Cruffler who buys these rifles to put them under glass cases. I strip them down, clean them up, and keep them in good working order so I can shoot them all regularly. I do my best to keep them in original condition, but if one of them ever had a rotting or broken stock, I'd buy a synthetic in a heartbeat.
 
Either choice would be acceptable.
IIRC, a regular SMLE stock will fit the Ishapores.
I also wouldn't fault you for sporterizing it. I've seen pics of Enfields from the Boer war that were sporterized to make them more useful to their owners. Throughout history people have taken good military rifles and made them better so why should you be any different?
At the end of the day those guns were made to be used. Whatever you have to do to get the most use out of it...
That's what you should do.
 
There is a Ishy 2A with a bad stock down at the local pawn shop for $300. I am slowly building up a good rep with them to see if I can talk them down...the metal is a great shape.
 
Whoa... $300 seriously? Don't buy a beat-up Ishapore for anywhere near that. If you can't talk them down VERY far from their asking price, just check out AIM Surplus. They have Ishapores for under $200 right now. Of course, you'll need to do an FFL transfer unless you're a C&R holder, but if you can get a FFL near you to do it cheap, then you're set.
 
My local shop has to have four or five WWI vintage No. I Mk III SMLE's that have been sporterized hanging on the wall. They're all tagged in the $125-150 range, and they've all been there for ages. Everyone seems to want to sporterize an Enfield, but it seems it's quite difficult to resell the result.
 
I have cleaned up several C&R rifles for eventual resale, but this never was one of them.

All marks and screw heads look as if the armorer had a butter knife, a hammer, and a paintbrush for tools. The deeper I dig on this thing, the rougher it looks.

On the upside, the bore looks great, and it shoots well. If I'm able to restore, I'd like to do so, but I've thrown money down a restoration rathole before. I'd like a rifle I can either actually use and enjoy, but if the rebuild looks like it would be more of a legacy, that's fine too.

This one is starting to look like a sporter. If anyone can convince me otherwise, I'm sure willing to listen. I just doubt anything like my sample would ever end up in a museum.
 
I don't know what people have against superglue. Every woodturner and cabinet maker I know swears by the stuff. Use Loctite brand original formula, not the junk from the supermarket. Strip your stock very well and glue it up. Keep it tightly clamped until it completely dries and use a sharp chisel or razor blade to cut off the excess. Stain it kinda darkish and you will hardly be to see the cracks. Honestly, it's an old stock - what have got to lose?
 
I bought three Ishy's a year or so ago. They DO have finish under that hideous paint:
AllthreeIshys-closeup-1.jpg

The top rifle is the original paint, the middle has had the paint stripped to expose the underlting, worn Parkerizing, and the bottom rifle I re-Parkerized the entire rifle. Replacement stock should be easy to find.

35W
 
shepherd, I have my No1MkIII and my 2A right here next to each other. They're nearly identical except for the shape of the magazine, since .303 has a tapered case and 7.62x51 is more squared.

I am inclined to say that the aftermarket No1MkIII stocks will work just fine. IF there is a problem, it would be a slight fit adjustment around the mag well. The ATI aftermarket stock says it will fit the 2A and the No1MkIII, so it probably is just a drop in fit.
 
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