I had shot this rifle a few times when I was a cadet, As of now, no security agencies in India is using this rifle anymore except for a few State Home Guard units ( Not state police). This rifle is rare even in India now. May I mention that in the late 90's A homeguardsman of the Assam Home Guards armed with this rifle, killed three and wounded two insurgents armed with AK's. He survived to tell the tale.
During ipkf operation in srilanka,almost same thing happened, soldiers Thapa defended 10s of Tamil tigers fighters armed with AK47s for 24 hours in a hut with injured co soldier
Its a beautiful gun. This gun is still used in remote corners of the country. The Ishapore Rifle factory is 20mins drive from my house. Thanks for making such an informative video..
Back in the 70's I picked up one of these and had a big shock. It weighted about half of what I was expecting. The stock was poplar. The hardware was aluminum (and looked like brass). And the barrel was lathed down and sleeved back to size with aluminum. The gentleman who had it, told me it was an honor guard rifle.
Back in the 70's I picked up one of these and had a big shock. It weighted about half of what I was expecting. The stock was poplar. The hardware was aluminum (and looked like brass). And the barrel was lathed down and sleeved back to size with aluminum. The gentleman who had it, told me it was an honor guard rifle.
Schmidt Rubin I spent some time in India last year. The police and security forces that I saw were armed with about a 50/50 mix of FAL and INSAS rifles, plus I saw a few aged AK-47s used at guard posts.
Ys it's true but Winston Churchill formal Pm of Britain said Very bad words for India inspite of Indian sacrifices In the WW1 or WW2.... Today Indian economy and Army have left England way behind!!
They never truly got the recognition they deserved, my granddad worked with a lot of non British mainland troop in the war and like the exiled European fighters would not have a bad word said about troops from the colonies stating they where among the bravest lads he had ever known.
Hey Ian! I've been watching forgotten weapons for quite some time now, and I know others are probably said this but I'll say it myself. the work work you do is absolutely fantastic, I find it is a very valuable source for very obscure knowledge pertaining to firearms. Please keep up the good work, I will always enjoy these videos!
India didn't lack the workforce, they lacked skilled workers. Which is kinda understandable if you consider that the Indian education system was under British control & Indians were forbidden for most part from any technical education or training. Also it's hard to be an indian gunsmith when "illegal construction of a firearm" can get you hanged & setting up a proper gun factory was not allowed by the British Government. Until they wanted to set one up & realised they couldn't find anyone who could work as machinists & gunsmiths.
@@gobimurugesan2411 naah as per chinese traveler indian at that time didn't had slave or beggar it was during 15th century that income gap led to caste divide ..like travancore breast tax was introduced in 18-19th century.so this discrimination was bought by slaving of people which didn't consider some people human this used to be done in middle east..and then it came to india so hope it's clear....and talking about British they were the one who traded slave mainly tribal and poor people irrespective of caste
@@gobimurugesan2411 manusritir is not our vedas or religious text book it is just linked to Hinduism...even no one keeps manusmriti wasn't known to much people till britisher wrote about it....and before saying WhatsApp University go read about Balinese hindusm...which was untouched by britisher and Mughal...a shudra can become Brahmin he can be priest and same with other classes..first go n read before just shitting your thinking that is based on perception.
@@gobimurugesan2411 Actually gunsmiths and machinists existed in india the British proposed harsh laws which discouraged them to experiment and improve firearms although i do agree about the caste system
Shouldn't be a surprise at this point. We built a barely functional bullpup, pressed it into service, then hired a German to fix it when it would be cheaper to better guns from elsewhere. Why wouldn't we have a mess of markings?
love from india that gun is really working well tell us that our factory is not that bad. plus what you have there is 1949 when the indian goverment was in the transition period when indian administrative just took over the administrative control. it became republic in 26 january 1950
Rather than Shortage of Skilled Laborer / lack of mechanical Knowledge It was the insecurity of the Brits to teach us technology. Mind you Rockets were first used in India for warfare. Which was taken back by Brits for Anglo-French war
@@rajasekhe I think you misunderstood the point i was trying to make. Read the wikipedia page for mysorean rockets. Tipu Sultan's rocket corps used rockets with swords attached to the nose end of the rockets and fired at the enemies. Once the propellant ran out, the rockets came down blade first and inflicted damage on the enemies. The outlandish but innovative use of technology is something similar to the one used in a video game character. *I think either there is a need for you to do more in-depth research before commenting or you should stop asking someone to not play video games, in the youtube comments.* ........ en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysorean_rockets?wprov=sfla1
@@pixellivesmatter8409 the way you read wikipedia and trusting it makes it clear. The purpose of Wiki is to people update it as they need and distort the views.th-cam.com/video/9ZBhjlPp-mg/w-d-xo.html .go through the video. A great deal of knowledge is still missing and need to evaluate the functions. Please see 32:01 for clarification
It's interesting that this rifle is 1909 because my friends Mk1 SMLE is 1909 and is almost identical to that apart from his has a moving stripper clip guide and a magazine cutoff.
I will obtain one of those 7.62 Ishapore Enfields made to look like a jungle carbine someday. Then I will just pull it out and let my friends suffer from it all they can stand. I have a 2007 Indian made Royal Enfield Bullet 500 BTW. MOtorcycle, duh. It is a fine bike. Never has leaked, is as reliable as a 1953 era design can be as long as you do your regular (and frequent) servicing. It does seep a tiny bit around the barrel. Point being, I am not afraid of Indian made machines. ( 80's thru 90's bikes were a nightmare as the old tooling wore out, I will concede that.)
I have one and it is avery accurate firearm. The one I own had a 1961 stamped on it. I can't seem to find much on it. I'm having a problem keeping the front stock on the rifle. It comes apart after 5 rounds. I just bought someone's chop shop sporter stock that they hacked up and I use that when I shoot it.
the bayonet's length was designed to make up for the shorter length of the rifle...the 'S' in SMLE stood for 'short' meaning the overall length of the rifle...it was 'short' compared to the Lee-Metford which it replaced...during tests the troops allegedly missed the reach of the longer rifle as compared to the new, shorter rifle and the longer bayonet was designed to compensate for the lack of 'reach'. The *', pronounced 'star', designated the absence of the magazine cutoff. By the end of the first year of the Great War the uselessness of the cutoff became glaringly apparent, so in January of 1916 it was officially dispensed with (IIRC the date was 16 Jan 16)and after that date no more were produced with that piece of sheet metal...it made production easier, quicker and less expensive....in fact even before the official elimination of the cutoff, armorers were removing them as they came into the British version of Depot Maintenance. I personally own a MkIII* that was converted back to a MkIII (the star has been struck out) with the cutoff replaced. It was part of a lot given to the Austrian border police (surreptitiously) during the last days of the British occupation post-WWII. The Brits were way ahead of the curve, expecting Soviet shenanigans. and armed the Austrians in their zone of occupation, prior to the withdrawal of the four occupying powers from Austria...that country was the ONLY country which the Soviets willing left without first installing a puppet government or fomenting a violent revolution...On the Knox form is a stamp reading Osterreich Gendarmerie...
Mohammed Cohen yes, some figures within the British army were concerned that soldiers armed with G98's would and a distinct advantage in hand to hand combat due to the rifle's longer length. To combat this the 1907 pattern bayonet was produced. There were still quite a lot of people opposed to using the same short rifle across all arms. With the end of WW1 it was realised that bayonet combat did not take place that often, and in the confines of a trench a shorter and more handy weapon could be more useful. As such on subsequent British rifles like the No.4 the bayonet was short and simple.
Just got a 2A1, I'm pretty excited for it to arrive. I love my Savage US PROPERTY No.4 Mk I and I'm excited to have this piece of history, in a caliber that's easier to find. In Afghanistan we recovered a No.4 Mk.1 off some Taliban dudes, I tried so hard to take it back but I couldn't. Great video, I'd love to see a video on the Ishapore 2A and 2A1 specifically, that'd be awesome. If you ever have a lot with some Ishapore Enfields, that'd be awesome to do a vid on them, thanks!
Fact. 303 is still in service in state police departments and for training to new army and police recruits..its very very famous here india even a small child knows about this legendary rifile..ishapore 303
Ian do you know if all these Indian rifles were used by Indian troops only or were they used by other commonwealth soldiers? I have a nice condition 1908 Ishapore like this one and im in New Zealand.
Luke Youngman They were used by Pakistan till the 1950's I suppose. Nepal Armed Force, Royal Bhutan Armed Force, And the Bangladeshi Mukti Bahini in 1971-72.
I have a late production Ishapore No.1 Mk.III from 1952. They are beater rifles that never saw a day of proper care in their lives but they are solid rifles through and through.
I had an Ishapore 1920 a few monthes ago I sold for $250. It looked like it had been in a fire a long time ago. Also had a large spot chipped off the front top of the buttstock. Kind've regret selling it.
My first SMLE was an ishapore arsenal .303 rifle, and i still have it. The front ears are more geometric and square, but otherwise it matches most wW1 period rifles except for an excessively blonde stock. shoots very well.
you are right sometimes in north eastern or in jammu kasmir police use berrets sub machine gun dont know the name and indian reverse engineered ak 47 name kalantak
My great uncle may have used one of these rifles, or not. He was an English man in an Irish Regiment (Inniskilling Dragoons) which was part of the Indian Army at the time!! Unfortunately his was in the battle of the Somme and didn't make it home.
I remember when SMLE was something you could pick up for next to nothing. I wish I would have picked one up then! But in a way, their price at the time was so low that it made you wonder what the heck was wrong with it. But a buddy bought one and it was a fine rifle. A far as it's chambering, there is nothing wrong at all with .303. I think we get caught up in the macho aspects of the bigger is better. I shot my buddy's SMLE across a canyon, guessing three hundred yards or so and split big rocks with it, once I figured out where to hold, (I doubt he even knew how to zero a rifle) I think that is more than plenty enough accuracy and power.
"The first thing to remember: There's no substitute for cold steel. They do not like it up 'em, they DON'T LIKE IT UP 'EM": ―Lance Corporal Jack Jones. !2 inches is probably enough too.
Curently a new type of infield is in production in indian ordinace factories known as .315 bolt action rifle (8 mm) for civilians which is enfields using 8 mm ball ammo.
My girlfriend bought me one of these mfg 1968 for 99.00 bucks in 1998. We got married a few years later had a couple of kids and are still hanging out together. We need to get that weapon out of the safe and go shoot it. Excellent rifle. Great wife.
Ian acts like the British Indian Army was somehow independent of Britain and the overall Imperial system, whereas it was mainly run by British officers who would make the decisions regarding logistics etc.
Ahh yes, the three not three rifle.... I keep hearing the name,offcourse from the vets of the 1962 Sino Indian war, One vet said,"Chinese military came at us with SKS and the Ak47(type 56,Indian guys call it Ak56) while we had the three not three as our primary battle rifle, most of the time they ambushed us and most of the time I had to rely on a Bren to save my life". Just after the war Indian army adopted the SLR(FN FAL).
There is video footage from the Mumbai massacre which showed how obsolete the SMLE (or any bolt action rifle) is against the AK-47. An Indian policeman fires one shot from his SMLE at the terrorists armed with AK-47s, and then is forced to take cover from automatic gunfire behind a corner. All the policeman could do after that was throw a plastic chair around the corner, helplessly contained.
Awww, this one looks exactly like the 1918 dated production SMLE for kingdom of Siam, which I had pleasure to handle year ago. The wood stock's color was exactly same gorgeous dark walnut.
The longer bayonet would presumably keep the bad guy an extra 4” away from you. Not a bad idea and you would hope that he had a shorter bayonet to increase your advantage.
Thanks Sir. We in India also don't know the things you described here. It's kinda culture in India that if you allow people to know stuff, they'll kinda use it for themselves and for insurrection.. Govt is sceptical of this.. This is what it is in India..
Ian - Great video as always. Interesting to note that the markings on the receiver indicate that it was stamped 'G.R.', presumably denoting, as you point out, shorthand for 'George Rex'. However, if the rifle was manufactured in that original batch posited, I.e. between 1908 - 1909, the monarch would have been Edward VII, who reigned until 1910. Just wondered if you had any thoughts and apologies if has been previously pointed out.
The SMLE cocks on closing the bolt. This particular rifle is cocked. It can be de-cocked, thereby relieving the stress on the firing pin spring by either pressing the trigger as you close the bolt on an empty chamber, or by lowering the firing pin by hand on an empty chamber while squeezing the trigger. All the while making sure the rifle is pointed in a safe direction. A cocked SMLE action always raises the red flag for me. Excellent review as usual.
the only thing I don't like about this channel is the guns never get fired. besides that I love the content and seeing all these cool and historic weapons
Ian please review and have a look at other made in India weapons too, like insas rifle and LMG, Indian version of sterling 9mm carbine, Webley inspired revolvers chambered in .32 and .22, Indian SLR ( FN FAL) ,Indian version of browning high power 9mm, Indian made Bren LMG etc...
For INSAS rifle and LMG, Ian would have to do a lot of research. And even if he did that, he can't easily procure INSAS rifle, LMG to display them in the video, like he does with historical and current firearms. He would have to ask Govt. of India to permit him, to display INSAS rifle and LMG for his video explaining the features and problems about them.
There is not much difference in our stens, revolvers, slr, browning hp, bren to global variants and above insas he can't unless our government allowed it which they won't because rifle has more bad than good and i don't think our government would allow to let those bad side of insas to get know globally.
2020 may 7, and Still a service rifle carried by the Indian Home guards , guarding government banks, police officers residence etc , the only original Lee Enfield 303 service rifle still in service , I suppose
I have that rifles twin. It has been converted to a copy jungle carbine but has all the old original early Ishapor mark 1 markings. No value, but a cool truck gun.
A slight error in there - the 1926 LoC entry that created the Rifle No. 1 designation specifically excluded Marks I, II ConD, and IV ConD. As such, there is no Rifle, No. 1 Mk. I.
Note the "I" is found only on the Indian rifgles....the "I" stood for "Imperator"...Emperor...British rifles bear thew initial G R Georgius Rex - George the King.
I have had 2 of them. One was the original length barrel that I no longer have and the one my dad bought and it has a much shorter barrel. My rifle had a production date of 1959 where as the shorter one has a 1961 date I believe. The only thing I'd after I put 5 or do rounds through it the front pieces of the stock fall off. The main stock has a what appears to be a thick dowel rod in it that helps hold the shorter front lower stock in place along with the barrel band. I have been told that it may have been a experimental rifle but everyone has a opinion and I really haven't looked too hard into it. I just bought a lower main stock on eBay for $8.00 that someone had hacked at it and made a sporter stock. I think it looks horrible but it works and I don't want to take the chance of it coming apart and damaging the original stock parts. I would love to hear s real experts opinion ony rifle. It was my dad's and he paid $117 for it in the late 1990's from our gunsmith. He was always looking for deals on odd or antique firearms for us. I am a turn of the century 1900's small pocket pistol junkie. He had found me several of them that I haven't seen in most of the collector books I have and I have a lot of them. At one point I had about 25 or so of them. Back to the point. If anyone has some credible information on it I would love to hear your opinion. It is one of the most accurate iron sights 7.62x51 rifles that my dad had ever owned and the government taught him how to shoot in 1964 with his M-40. I love the rifle and won't sell it for anything even a straight up trade for a 50 cal rifle.
I'm sorry, but the Indian army is a professional fighting force. Of all colonial combatants in the first and second, we stood out. It's a shame what we've turned our country into.
The only reason Indian military was under equipped and not up to the mark in terms of technology was because the british were fearful of another revolt, anf handing out the latest tech probably did not make sense to them.
Is the finish on this Indian rifle bluing or is it black paint like the 2A1? I still have an early Enfield with the charging guide on the bolt. Is that worth anything?
Mauser M98 (Long infantry version) and K98 (Short carbine version) are still better and more reliable as well as more precise. Mauser cartridge is still in use today and therefore easier to get.
The British Indian Army was in fact held to a higher standard than the British Army from officers to sepoys....excellent military and that continues on after independence.
Just today, I acquired a No.1, Mk3 Ishapore musket dated 1918. It's not the 3* because it has the magazine cutoff slot but the markings are crisp and clear. It's definitely a G.R.I. from 1918 and appears to have seen heavy use as a constabulary musket with a lot of butt stock stamps. I'm thinking the Mk1 you've displayed was faked for some reason... especially because it the royal cypher doesn't read "E.R.I." for Edward VII, who was monarch at the time... a stupid mistake, unless the G was an overstamp of the original E. Still the wrist markings are strangely faint for a rifle in such otherwise good shape.
If the rifle was made in 1908 or 1909, the monarch was King Edward VII. Perhaps, the extant initials were added when the rifle was revamped. The crown and GRI stands for Georgius Rex Imperator- King George V - Emperor of India. I find it odd if the rifle was made in Edward's reign why his cipher is not present- suggesting, that this part of the rifle was replaced.
G R I- King George as you say. However, the I is from the Latin- Imperatur - emperor no less. He visited India in 1911 for the Delhi Durbar with Queen Mary. I don't know if he had time to visit the rifle factory! Probably he was too busy meeting all the various maharajahs and other dignitaries. I suppose if he wanted to visit a rifle factory, Enfield was more convenient! Anyway, he was a navy man!
There's a problem... George V or G.R.I. in India, didn't ascend the throne until 1910. The Receiver should be marked E.R.I. if it dates to before 1910.
Ian, do you think you'd ever be able to do a full info-breakdown and disassembly of an INSAS Rifle? That rifle has always fascinated me and I would love to see an in depth breakdown of it
Now where will he get an INSAS rifle from? Once the Indian Army replaces these INSAS with the new OFB 7.62X51, the INSAS will go to the state police to replace the SLR (Stupid Long Rifle) still in service with some police....
@@uttamjeetsingh7451 What is stupid is having a 7.62X51 calibre rifle as a standard issue police weapon. Imagine the collateral damage with that. 5.56 will be much much better. Also, the crap version of INSAS 1B has already been phased out of service. The current INSAS 1B1 and Mk1C are loads better with all major issues corrected.
@@death_parade It's a bolt action rifle so the rate of fire would limit the collateral damage. Now the insas would be fully automatic with larger magazine capacity, that's the real collateral damage. Even with newer versions the insas is shit, that's why govt is purchasing new assault rifle for army.
@@uttamjeetsingh7451 What? SLR is a bolt-action rifle? Wow. Just wow. When you do not even have the basic knowledge required to reply to my comment, why waste my time and yours? Please don't speak about topics which you have no knowledge about. Reading reports of INSAS in the oh-so-honest media is one thing and firing it downrange is something entirely different. I have fired INSAS and a couple of other assault rifles down range. I know what I am talking about. When you say that SLR is "bolt action", it becomes painfully obvious that you derive your knowledge from our media. The same media that can not differentiate between a F-16 Fighting Falcon and a C-17 Globemaster. Need I say anymore?
The world war 2 in real time channel recently covered the Japanese invasion of India. I wonder if there was a large rush at this place to get rifles out as fast as possible. Like they did in the USSR and other countries.
I had shot this rifle a few times when I was a cadet, As of now, no security agencies in India is using this rifle anymore except for a few State Home Guard units ( Not state police). This rifle is rare even in India now.
May I mention that in the late 90's A homeguardsman of the Assam Home Guards armed with this rifle, killed three and wounded two insurgents armed with AK's. He survived to tell the tale.
In right hands it is deadly and during ambush this gun is nightmare. Accuracy is 100%.
good thing i bought a first production ishapore
During ipkf operation in srilanka,almost same thing happened, soldiers Thapa defended 10s of Tamil tigers fighters armed with AK47s for 24 hours in a hut with injured co soldier
Its a beautiful gun. This gun is still used in remote corners of the country. The Ishapore Rifle factory is 20mins drive from my house. Thanks for making such an informative video..
It is still used by ansars in my country
As a 2A1 owner, I'm super excited to hear that we'll revisit Ishapore Enfields.
Back in the 70's I picked up one of these and had a big shock. It weighted about half of what I was expecting. The stock was poplar. The hardware was aluminum (and looked like brass). And the barrel was lathed down and sleeved back to size with aluminum. The gentleman who had it, told me it was an honor guard rifle.
I love my Ishapore 2A1. Such a sweet shooting rifle.
it's rare to see a rifle made from my country in U.S.
It's rare here too, it's rare to see a non shotgun / revolver example amongst civilian here.
There are LOADS of Lee Enfields here in the UK. You can pick them up from around £200.
G3 ? No, that was never adopted. The FAL is in service with the police, and I guess as a reserve for the central paramilitary forces.
Back in the 70's I picked up one of these and had a big shock. It weighted about half of what I was expecting. The stock was poplar. The hardware was aluminum (and looked like brass). And the barrel was lathed down and sleeved back to size with aluminum. The gentleman who had it, told me it was an honor guard rifle.
Schmidt Rubin I spent some time in India last year. The police and security forces that I saw were armed with about a 50/50 mix of FAL and INSAS rifles, plus I saw a few aged AK-47s used at guard posts.
Britian would have been pretty screwed without India without during ww1 and 2.
Rightly told
That is the Best thing i ever have liked to listen
Ys it's true but Winston Churchill formal Pm of Britain said Very bad words for India inspite of Indian sacrifices In the WW1 or WW2....
Today Indian economy and Army have left England way behind!!
They never truly got the recognition they deserved, my granddad worked with a lot of non British mainland troop in the war and like the exiled European fighters would not have a bad word said about troops from the colonies stating they where among the bravest lads he had ever known.
Well of course , Britain would of quickly crumbled under the strain of totalwar without its many colonies to drain.
I'm still SM(i)LE(ing).
I see what you did there
? What on battlefield 1?
I'm having a S(i)M(I)LE(r) Experience!
Hey Ian! I've been watching forgotten weapons for quite some time now, and I know others are probably said this but I'll say it myself. the work work you do is absolutely fantastic, I find it is a very valuable source for very obscure knowledge pertaining to firearms. Please keep up the good work, I will always enjoy these videos!
I love the darker finish along with the little circular plate on the stock
"India lacked workforce"
Oh, how the turntables...
India didn't lack the workforce, they lacked skilled workers. Which is kinda understandable if you consider that the Indian education system was under British control & Indians were forbidden for most part from any technical education or training. Also it's hard to be an indian gunsmith when "illegal construction of a firearm" can get you hanged & setting up a proper gun factory was not allowed by the British Government. Until they wanted to set one up & realised they couldn't find anyone who could work as machinists & gunsmiths.
@@gobimurugesan2411 naah as per chinese traveler indian at that time didn't had slave or beggar it was during 15th century that income gap led to caste divide ..like travancore breast tax was introduced in 18-19th century.so this discrimination was bought by slaving of people which didn't consider some people human this used to be done in middle east..and then it came to india so hope it's clear....and talking about British they were the one who traded slave mainly tribal and poor people irrespective of caste
@@gobimurugesan2411 manusritir is not our vedas or religious text book it is just linked to Hinduism...even no one keeps manusmriti wasn't known to much people till britisher wrote about it....and before saying WhatsApp University go read about Balinese hindusm...which was untouched by britisher and Mughal...a shudra can become Brahmin he can be priest and same with other classes..first go n read before just shitting your thinking that is based on perception.
@@gobimurugesan2411 Actually gunsmiths and machinists existed in india the British proposed harsh laws which discouraged them to experiment and improve firearms
although i do agree about the caste system
@@gobimurugesan2411 oh you poor child don't even know about british class system
Love me a NATO Ishapore. Thanks for the video Ian!
Wait the stars are part of the designation?
Jesus Christ
Yes, they most certainly are.
Shouldn't be a surprise at this point. We built a barely functional bullpup, pressed it into service, then hired a German to fix it when it would be cheaper to better guns from elsewhere. Why wouldn't we have a mess of markings?
You do mean Gun Jesus i hope ?
Sibb Wolf Talking about the L85 (?) I'm asssuming?
Thank politicians for the L86, the m16 would have been a cheaper better choice
I have a 1949 Ishapore No 3 and it is of excellent quality.
zoggy2 I have one as well. Great shooter and accurate, still in .303 cal.
love from india that gun is really working well tell us that our factory is not that bad. plus what you have there is 1949 when the indian goverment was in the transition period when indian administrative just took over the administrative control. it became republic in 26 january 1950
Great video, super informative and helpful. Thank you!!!
The best channel on YT. I always learn something new and interesting. Keep up the great work.
Rather than Shortage of Skilled Laborer / lack of mechanical Knowledge It was the insecurity of the Brits to teach us technology. Mind you Rockets were first used in India for warfare. Which was taken back by Brits for Anglo-French war
The swords attached to the rockets used in mysore??? 🤔 That is some video game boss battle stuff.
@@pixellivesmatter8409 I think either there is a need revisit the source of your knowledge or stop playing video games
@@rajasekhe I think you misunderstood the point i was trying to make. Read the wikipedia page for mysorean rockets. Tipu Sultan's rocket corps used rockets with swords attached to the nose end of the rockets and fired at the enemies. Once the propellant ran out, the rockets came down blade first and inflicted damage on the enemies.
The outlandish but innovative use of technology is something similar to the one used in a video game character.
*I think either there is a need for you to do more in-depth research before commenting or you should stop asking someone to not play video games, in the youtube comments.* ........ en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysorean_rockets?wprov=sfla1
@@pixellivesmatter8409 the way you read wikipedia and trusting it makes it clear. The purpose of Wiki is to people update it as they need and distort the views.th-cam.com/video/9ZBhjlPp-mg/w-d-xo.html
.go through the video. A great deal of knowledge is still missing and need to evaluate the functions. Please see 32:01 for clarification
@@pixellivesmatter8409 read history of Tipu Sultan and his use of Rockets on British army. It's documented in there history books.
It's interesting that this rifle is 1909 because my friends Mk1 SMLE is 1909 and is almost identical to that apart from his has a moving stripper clip guide and a magazine cutoff.
I will obtain one of those 7.62 Ishapore Enfields made to look like a jungle carbine someday. Then I will just pull it out and let my friends suffer from it all they can stand. I have a 2007 Indian made Royal Enfield Bullet 500 BTW. MOtorcycle, duh. It is a fine bike. Never has leaked, is as reliable as a 1953 era design can be as long as you do your regular (and frequent) servicing. It does seep a tiny bit around the barrel. Point being, I am not afraid of Indian made machines. ( 80's thru 90's bikes were a nightmare as the old tooling wore out, I will concede that.)
Royal enfield bullet in 50s that quite rare. in those indian public cannot buy those motorcycles it was just for military and for export market
I have an Ishapore Jungle Carbine. Kicks like a mule :)
I have one and it is avery accurate firearm. The one I own had a 1961 stamped on it. I can't seem to find much on it. I'm having a problem keeping the front stock on the rifle. It comes apart after 5 rounds. I just bought someone's chop shop sporter stock that they hacked up and I use that when I shoot it.
Are you drunk
the bayonet's length was designed to make up for the shorter length of the rifle...the 'S' in SMLE stood for 'short' meaning the overall length of the rifle...it was 'short' compared to the Lee-Metford which it replaced...during tests the troops allegedly missed the reach of the longer rifle as compared to the new, shorter rifle and the longer bayonet was designed to compensate for the lack of 'reach'. The *', pronounced 'star', designated the absence of the magazine cutoff. By the end of the first year of the Great War the uselessness of the cutoff became glaringly apparent, so in January of 1916 it was officially dispensed with (IIRC the date was 16 Jan 16)and after that date no more were produced with that piece of sheet metal...it made production easier, quicker and less expensive....in fact even before the official elimination of the cutoff, armorers were removing them as they came into the British version of Depot Maintenance. I personally own a MkIII* that was converted back to a MkIII (the star has been struck out) with the cutoff replaced. It was part of a lot given to the Austrian border police (surreptitiously) during the last days of the British occupation post-WWII. The Brits were way ahead of the curve, expecting Soviet shenanigans. and armed the Austrians in their zone of occupation, prior to the withdrawal of the four occupying powers from Austria...that country was the ONLY country which the Soviets willing left without first installing a puppet government or fomenting a violent revolution...On the Knox form is a stamp reading Osterreich Gendarmerie...
Mohammed Cohen yes, some figures within the British army were concerned that soldiers armed with G98's would and a distinct advantage in hand to hand combat due to the rifle's longer length. To combat this the 1907 pattern bayonet was produced. There were still quite a lot of people opposed to using the same short rifle across all arms. With the end of WW1 it was realised that bayonet combat did not take place that often, and in the confines of a trench a shorter and more handy weapon could be more useful. As such on subsequent British rifles like the No.4 the bayonet was short and simple.
Just got a 2A1, I'm pretty excited for it to arrive. I love my Savage US PROPERTY No.4 Mk I and I'm excited to have this piece of history, in a caliber that's easier to find. In Afghanistan we recovered a No.4 Mk.1 off some Taliban dudes, I tried so hard to take it back but I couldn't.
Great video, I'd love to see a video on the Ishapore 2A and 2A1 specifically, that'd be awesome. If you ever have a lot with some Ishapore Enfields, that'd be awesome to do a vid on them, thanks!
Ishapore is very close to where I right now.it is the next town from where I am. I have been through the front of ishapore rifle factory many times
Fact. 303 is still in service in state police departments and for training to new army and police recruits..its very very famous here india even a small child knows about this legendary rifile..ishapore 303
Thanks for the content Ian. I have one of those Ishapor 2a1 and I LOVE it! Very interesting to see an Indian made .303 enfield.
Holy shit, I didn't knew about the .308 indian lee enfields, need one NOW >_< !
The British made .308 enfields too and they saw some military use right up until the 1990's ...
srspower not smle's :v
The British ones are L42A1 sniper rifles.
The SMLE Mk4 was supposed to be accurate to 1 mile with iron sights, though I suspect most sniper types would have had a scope :)
I have one. It's a delight to shoot. Everyone loves to shoot it.
Ian do you know if all these Indian rifles were used by Indian troops only or were they used by other commonwealth soldiers?
I have a nice condition 1908 Ishapore like this one and im in New Zealand.
Luke Youngman They were used by Pakistan till the 1950's I suppose. Nepal Armed Force, Royal Bhutan Armed Force, And the Bangladeshi Mukti Bahini in 1971-72.
Afaik, they were exported too. It used to be made in the Ichapore Gun Factory which is about 20min drive from my house.
I have a late production Ishapore No.1 Mk.III from 1952. They are beater rifles that never saw a day of proper care in their lives but they are solid rifles through and through.
I ordered an Ishapore in 1999 from Shotgun News Navy Arms for $90.
I put a FAC scope mount on it. It got good groups with steel case 308 surplus.
No wonder I haven't been getting notifications, TH-cam unsubed me! This is one of my favorite channels
Build the skill into the machine--the production engineer's mantra.
No magazine cutoff, ahead of their time.
I had an Ishapore 1920 a few monthes ago I sold for $250. It looked like it had been in a fire a long time ago. Also had a large spot chipped off the front top of the buttstock. Kind've regret selling it.
My first SMLE was an ishapore arsenal .303 rifle, and i still have it. The front ears are more geometric and square, but otherwise it matches most wW1 period rifles except for an excessively blonde stock. shoots very well.
this rifle is still in Indian police force service..
Please, may I refer you to my comment below.
it's mostly FAL rifles now except in medium to small towns and villages
first of all those are 7.62 nato enfield mostly police use fal or insas
you are right sometimes in north eastern or in jammu kasmir police use berrets sub machine gun dont know the name and indian reverse engineered ak 47 name kalantak
The Police uses Lee Enfield chambered in .303
My great uncle may have used one of these rifles, or not. He was an English man in an Irish Regiment (Inniskilling Dragoons) which was part of the Indian Army at the time!! Unfortunately his was in the battle of the Somme and didn't make it home.
I remember when SMLE was something you could pick up for next to nothing. I wish I would have picked one up then! But in a way, their price at the time was so low that it made you wonder what the heck was wrong with it. But a buddy bought one and it was a fine rifle. A far as it's chambering, there is nothing wrong at all with .303. I think we get caught up in the macho aspects of the bigger is better. I shot my buddy's SMLE across a canyon, guessing three hundred yards or so and split big rocks with it, once I figured out where to hold, (I doubt he even knew how to zero a rifle) I think that is more than plenty enough accuracy and power.
"The first thing to remember: There's no substitute for cold steel. They do not like it up 'em, they DON'T LIKE IT UP 'EM": ―Lance Corporal Jack Jones.
!2 inches is probably enough too.
Thanks for this video Ian. I really love the SMLE.
Curently a new type of infield is in production in indian ordinace factories known as .315 bolt action rifle (8 mm) for civilians which is enfields using 8 mm ball ammo.
Welcome to another episode of Forgotten Lee-Enfields! :)
Got a 1968 2A1 jungle carbine in 7.62
My girlfriend bought me one of these mfg 1968 for 99.00 bucks in 1998. We got married a few years later had a couple of kids and are still hanging out together. We need to get that weapon out of the safe and go shoot it. Excellent rifle. Great wife.
Yep... I'd certainly consider marrying a gal who bought ME an SMLE! lol
They cost 650 USD at the Ishapore factory these days. Nice story :)
Ian acts like the British Indian Army was somehow independent of Britain and the overall Imperial system, whereas it was mainly run by British officers who would make the decisions regarding logistics etc.
JohnyG29 after 1919 Indians were inducted into the officer class
British or India it is cool
That's why I love British markings! They're so unique!
Ahh yes, the three not three rifle.... I keep hearing the name,offcourse from the vets of the 1962 Sino Indian war, One vet said,"Chinese military came at us with SKS and the Ak47(type 56,Indian guys call it Ak56) while we had the three not three as our primary battle rifle, most of the time they ambushed us and most of the time I had to rely on a Bren to save my life". Just after the war Indian army adopted the SLR(FN FAL).
There is video footage from the Mumbai massacre which showed how obsolete the SMLE (or any bolt action rifle) is against the AK-47. An Indian policeman fires one shot from his SMLE at the terrorists armed with AK-47s, and then is forced to take cover from automatic gunfire behind a corner. All the policeman could do after that was throw a plastic chair around the corner, helplessly contained.
OldContemptible those were beat cops and station cops..since then better arms have reached the police
OldContemptible yeah,sad bitter truth
Awww, this one looks exactly like the 1918 dated production SMLE for kingdom of Siam, which I had pleasure to handle year ago. The wood stock's color was exactly same gorgeous dark walnut.
Still waiting for INSAS in this channel
No... That Would be a big embarrassment lol. I hope the world never learns about the INSAS.
Ian - "I want to take a moment and touch on this bayonet..." - proceeds to poke it....
The 1907-pattern British 16" bayonet was practically a short sword attached to the rifle.. Like carrying a lance that also works as a rifle.. :D
The longer bayonet would presumably keep the bad guy an extra 4” away from you. Not a bad idea and you would hope that he had a shorter bayonet to increase your advantage.
Thanks Sir. We in India also don't know the things you described here. It's kinda culture in India that if you allow people to know stuff, they'll kinda use it for themselves and for insurrection.. Govt is sceptical of this.. This is what it is in India..
Ian - Great video as always. Interesting to note that the markings on the receiver indicate that it was stamped 'G.R.', presumably denoting, as you point out, shorthand for 'George Rex'. However, if the rifle was manufactured in that original batch posited, I.e. between 1908 - 1909, the monarch would have been Edward VII, who reigned until 1910. Just wondered if you had any thoughts and apologies if has been previously pointed out.
The SMLE cocks on closing the bolt. This particular rifle is cocked. It can be de-cocked, thereby relieving the stress on the firing pin spring by either pressing the trigger as you close the bolt on an empty chamber, or by lowering the firing pin by hand on an empty chamber while squeezing the trigger. All the while making sure the rifle is pointed in a safe direction. A cocked SMLE action always raises the red flag for me. Excellent review as usual.
the only thing I don't like about this channel is the guns never get fired. besides that I love the content and seeing all these cool and historic weapons
Mushroom Surprise because a lot of them are auction/museum pieces. If he doesn't get permission to fire them, then he can't
Alex Moore that's what I assumed. thanks for the clarification
You can feel the Indian-ness from the screen. You can smell it, you can feel it.
Smells of curry?
Likely. One should consider their vast arsenal of modern crowd control spices.Oh and no, I'm only partially joking, they Do exist. =)
Smells of poo
He who controls the spice, controls the universe... I mean, Empire!
Berk Karşı
POO IN LOO
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I had to google the word Elucidate. I just increased my vocabulary by 1 word. Good video. Thanks.
I have a 1962 Ishapore No.1 Mk. III but it's chambered for British.303
It could before Sino Indian war after that they started producing in 7.62 NATO
My ishapore is a 1964 762x 51
The 'India Pattern' designation has some serious heritage - going back to the Brown Bess musket in favour at the time of Waterloo.
I really like the fact that this SMLE has a darker wood colour.
Ian please review and have a look at other made in India weapons too, like insas rifle and LMG, Indian version of sterling 9mm carbine, Webley inspired revolvers chambered in .32 and .22, Indian SLR ( FN FAL) ,Indian version of browning high power 9mm, Indian made Bren LMG etc...
For INSAS rifle and LMG, Ian would have to do a lot of research. And even if he did that, he can't easily procure INSAS rifle, LMG to display them in the video, like he does with historical and current firearms. He would have to ask Govt. of India to permit him, to display INSAS rifle and LMG for his video explaining the features and problems about them.
There is not much difference in our stens, revolvers, slr, browning hp, bren to global variants and above insas he can't unless our government allowed it which they won't because rifle has more bad than good and i don't think our government would allow to let those bad side of insas to get know globally.
thank you for not bad mouthing us indians.......
India Pattern Rifles are quite well known!🤔👳🔫🇮🇳
Are you killing the Indian man 🤣🤣🤣
2020 may 7, and Still a service rifle carried by the Indian Home guards , guarding government banks, police officers residence etc , the only original Lee Enfield 303 service rifle still in service , I suppose
Looks like a great Rifle!😀👳🔫🇮🇳
I really appreciate all your detail and insight. Thank you for all you do.
I have that rifles twin. It has been converted to a copy jungle carbine but has all the old original early Ishapor mark 1 markings. No value, but a cool truck gun.
I own a 1952 made RFI no 1 mkIII*. Fine rifle.
A slight error in there - the 1926 LoC entry that created the Rifle No. 1 designation specifically excluded Marks I, II ConD, and IV ConD. As such, there is no Rifle, No. 1 Mk. I.
Note the "I" is found only on the Indian rifgles....the "I" stood for "Imperator"...Emperor...British rifles bear thew initial G R Georgius Rex - George the King.
I have had 2 of them. One was the original length barrel that I no longer have and the one my dad bought and it has a much shorter barrel. My rifle had a production date of 1959 where as the shorter one has a 1961 date I believe. The only thing I'd after I put 5 or do rounds through it the front pieces of the stock fall off. The main stock has a what appears to be a thick dowel rod in it that helps hold the shorter front lower stock in place along with the barrel band. I have been told that it may have been a experimental rifle but everyone has a opinion and I really haven't looked too hard into it. I just bought a lower main stock on eBay for $8.00 that someone had hacked at it and made a sporter stock. I think it looks horrible but it works and I don't want to take the chance of it coming apart and damaging the original stock parts. I would love to hear s real experts opinion ony rifle. It was my dad's and he paid $117 for it in the late 1990's from our gunsmith. He was always looking for deals on odd or antique firearms for us. I am a turn of the century 1900's small pocket pistol junkie. He had found me several of them that I haven't seen in most of the collector books I have and I have a lot of them. At one point I had about 25 or so of them. Back to the point. If anyone has some credible information on it I would love to hear your opinion. It is one of the most accurate iron sights 7.62x51 rifles that my dad had ever owned and the government taught him how to shoot in 1964 with his M-40. I love the rifle and won't sell it for anything even a straight up trade for a 50 cal rifle.
I actually fired this rifle it was very comfortable for me we always have training with this rifle
I'm sorry, but the Indian army is a professional fighting force. Of all colonial combatants in the first and second, we stood out. It's a shame what we've turned our country into.
The rifle factory is still operational in Ishapore or Ichapore as its now called .
I love these old rifles
Another great video, love it!
The only reason Indian military was under equipped and not up to the mark in terms of technology was because the british were fearful of another revolt, anf handing out the latest tech probably did not make sense to them.
I'm not sure why but I like this rifle.
Is the finish on this Indian rifle bluing or is it black paint like the 2A1? I still have an early Enfield with the charging guide on the bolt. Is that worth anything?
Mauser M98 (Long infantry version) and K98 (Short carbine version) are still better and more reliable as well as more precise.
Mauser cartridge is still in use today and therefore easier to get.
SMLE rifle is still in use with the law enforcement agencies in india
No it's not it's used for training
I want to see a "best of" blooper reel for the videos you've done
The British Indian Army was in fact held to a higher standard than the British Army from officers to sepoys....excellent military and that continues on after independence.
which were the most well made????
Just imagine indian soldiers armed with this rifle against Chinese who were armed with Type 56 assault rifles
Just today, I acquired a No.1, Mk3 Ishapore musket dated 1918. It's not the 3* because it has the magazine cutoff slot but the markings are crisp and clear. It's definitely a G.R.I. from 1918 and appears to have seen heavy use as a constabulary musket with a lot of butt stock stamps. I'm thinking the Mk1 you've displayed was faked for some reason... especially because it the royal cypher doesn't read "E.R.I." for Edward VII, who was monarch at the time... a stupid mistake, unless the G was an overstamp of the original E. Still the wrist markings are strangely faint for a rifle in such otherwise good shape.
Elucidate, Ahhhh Ian the word personifies you.
If the rifle was made in 1908 or 1909, the monarch was King Edward VII. Perhaps, the extant initials were added when the rifle was revamped. The crown and GRI stands for Georgius Rex Imperator- King George V - Emperor of India. I find it odd if the rifle was made in Edward's reign why his cipher is not present- suggesting, that this part of the rifle was replaced.
Later ones are chambered in 7.62mm NATO but is this one chambered in .303 or 7.62mm ?
my dad is an ex employee of this ishapore rifle factory.
G R I- King George as you say. However, the I is from the Latin- Imperatur - emperor no less. He visited India in 1911 for the Delhi Durbar with Queen Mary. I don't know if he had time to visit the rifle factory! Probably he was too busy meeting all the various maharajahs and other dignitaries. I suppose if he wanted to visit a rifle factory, Enfield was more convenient! Anyway, he was a navy man!
Any chance of a review of the Ishapore 7.62 SMLE?
There's a problem... George V or G.R.I. in India, didn't ascend the throne until 1910. The Receiver should be marked E.R.I. if it dates to before 1910.
Ian, do you think you'd ever be able to do a full info-breakdown and disassembly of an INSAS Rifle? That rifle has always fascinated me and I would love to see an in depth breakdown of it
Now where will he get an INSAS rifle from?
Once the Indian Army replaces these INSAS with the new OFB 7.62X51, the INSAS will go to the state police to replace the SLR (Stupid Long Rifle) still in service with some police....
@@death_parade That slr is way better than the insas garbage
@@uttamjeetsingh7451 What is stupid is having a 7.62X51 calibre rifle as a standard issue police weapon. Imagine the collateral damage with that. 5.56 will be much much better. Also, the crap version of INSAS 1B has already been phased out of service. The current INSAS 1B1 and Mk1C are loads better with all major issues corrected.
@@death_parade It's a bolt action rifle so the rate of fire would limit the collateral damage. Now the insas would be fully automatic with larger magazine capacity, that's the real collateral damage. Even with newer versions the insas is shit, that's why govt is purchasing new assault rifle for army.
@@uttamjeetsingh7451 What? SLR is a bolt-action rifle? Wow. Just wow.
When you do not even have the basic knowledge required to reply to my comment, why waste my time and yours? Please don't speak about topics which you have no knowledge about. Reading reports of INSAS in the oh-so-honest media is one thing and firing it downrange is something entirely different. I have fired INSAS and a couple of other assault rifles down range. I know what I am talking about. When you say that SLR is "bolt action", it becomes painfully obvious that you derive your knowledge from our media. The same media that can not differentiate between a F-16 Fighting Falcon and a C-17 Globemaster. Need I say anymore?
Gun store down the road from home just added a 2a1 to their wall and I'm first in line to buy it
The world war 2 in real time channel recently covered the Japanese invasion of India. I wonder if there was a large rush at this place to get rifles out as fast as possible. Like they did in the USSR and other countries.
Good info, Thanks.
you can't find the sliding charger guides anywhere....
Is this rifle most accurate while aiming from a elephant?
Would it be possible to get your hands on a Charlton Automatic Rifle?
Thanks.