INDIAN ARMS CORP. All Numbers Matching Indian Enfield 2A1 RFI No.1 MkIII .308 7.62mm 1967

Seller Description For This Firearm

The Rifle 7.62mm 2A/2A1 (also known as the Ishapore 2A/2A1) is a 7.62×51mm NATO caliber bolt-action rifle adopted as a reserve arm by the Indian Armed Forces in 1963. The rifle is a variant of the Lee–Enfield rifle. The design of the rifle – initially the Rifle 7.62mm 2A – began at the Rifle Factory Ishapore of the Ordnance Factories Board in India, soon after the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

Production of the 2A/2A1 started in 1962 after the SMLE Mk IIIs* was phased out of service with the Indian military. The Indian-made SMLE Mk IIIs are known as the Type 56, made between 1956 and 1965 although any rifles made in the latter are rare due to the transition to the 2A. Externally, the Ishapore 2A/2A1 rifle is based upon (and is almost identical to) the .303 British caliber SMLE Mk III* rifle, with the exception of the distinctive "square" (10 or 12 round) magazine and the use of the buttplate from the 1A (Indian version of the FN FAL) rifle. The bolt and receiver were made out of nickel steel. The 2A was designed to allow the British Pattern 1907 (P'07) sword bayonet used on the SMLE MkIII to be attached. Other difference included the use of improved steel (to handle the increased pressures of the 7.62mm NATO round), and a redesigned extractor to cope with the rimless round. The original (2A) design incorporated the Lee–Enfield rear sight which has graduations out to 2000 yards. The re-designated "Rifle 7.62mm 2A1" incorporated a more realistic 800 meter rear sight in 1965. The stock is recycled from the No. 1 Mk. III armory stock, with the addition of a cross screw forward of the magazine well.

The weapon was produced at a rate between 22,000 and 115,000 rifles annually, averaging 70,000 a year. Around 250,000 rifles were made in total before production ended in 1974. The Ishapore 2A/2A1 has the distinction of being the last bolt-action rifle designed to be used by a regular military force other than specialized sniper rifles. While it is no longer in service with the Indian military, the rifle is still used by the Indian police.

UPC	ECOM00311587
Action	BOLT ACTION
Barrel Length	25" BARREL
Caliber	.308 WIN/7.62MM NATO
Capacity	12 ROUNDS
Finish	WOOD
Weight	NOT SPECIFIED