A British colony for many years, India maintained a force of British soldiers as well as its own troops.  The Ishapore Arsenal (Bengal, India) had been around for some time but around 1909, it was modernized in preparation for production of the No.1 Mk III SMLE (Short Magazine Lee Enfield).  Production got off to a slow start but continued to pick up over the years.  The quality of the first years rivaled or exceeded many of the British examples but as time went on, there were many changes made at the Ishapore Arsenal (some good, some bad, some just different).  I have chosen to collect various pieces from this little-studied Arsenal and develop an inexpensive yet unique collection.  I am not very advanced along in my collection at this point but I do have some neat variants to start with:

* GRI ** RFI *

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Currently, my current 'oldest' Ishapore is a 1942 #1 Mk III* that has been converted to a 'riot gun' for crowded areas such as prisons and cities, in a caliber that closely resembles the .410 shotgun and wasn't quite as overpenetrating as a .303 round.  Rather than choose the original 2" chamber and attempt to form my own rounds from .303 brass, I elected to get it in 3" .410 shotgun so that I might try it for foraging/hunting one day.  A single shot, it has been converted as such by boring out the original .303 barrel and filling the magazine bay with a solid piece of wood.  It still retains the original sights and appropriate metal fittings, and is otherwise all-matching.

I also possess a 1952 #1 Mk3* that was set up as a grenade launcher (with a cup dispenser) for the Indian Military Forces.  Wire-wrapped handguards are present to keep the wood from shattering upon firing.  I look forward to the day when I can load some launching blanks, wrap some tennis balls in duct tape and experiment with the launcher.  Everyone has said it is great fun, so I'll have to give it a whirl.  If only I had a dog to retrieve the balls.... ;)

I also have an original 1965 Ishapore 2A in 7.62x51mm.  One of approximately 50,000 2As produced (not to be confused with the later 2A1 variant), it is all-matching, although a little worn from its service life.  As a supplementary weapon for the Indian Forces support units, it was developed so as to have commonality of ammo with the Ishapore FALs during the border skirmishes with the Chinese.  Using an improved steel, the Indians took the tried and true 50+ year old design that they were familiar with and produced a handy rifle with a boxy 12 round magazine that could be counted on as needed.

I also own a 1967 2A1 in 7.62x51mm (made in the year I was born :).  One of approximately 350,000 2A1s built and all-matching with a beautiful mahagony stock, it is a great looking rifle.  A slight improvement on the original 2A (basically the rear sight being graduated to 800m instead of 2000m and the sling swivels were changed to flat steel stampings), it is a nice addition to my collection.

Another unique piece I have that is just a little out of line with the primary Ishapore collection is a No.4 Mk1* that has had all English stamps removed and is stamped RFI 1963.  A 2-groove barrel suggests Savage or Longbranch as the original manufacturer but until I get the time to break it down, I'll leave it up to the imagination.  It just goes to show that Ishapore was working hard to keep weapons coming off the line, even if it was simply remarking ones that were already built.  A fellow collector has also reported a No.5 Mk1 Jungle Carbine similarly marked, therefore throwing another twist in the Ishapore story for others to discover.

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To further complete the collection, I am currently seeking out other Ishapore No.1 Mk III, No.1 MkIII* and No.1 Mk 3* variations, as well as the S.L. (Single Loading) variant.  From WWI to the early 1970s, I am aiming to pull together representative examples of the periods and markings for a complete collection (I might also have to get the 'Line Throwing' & Spigot Grenade Launcher models as Springfield Sporters lists.)  As I find and add these pieces to my collection, I will update this page as well as attempt to provide links to photos as I get them published.
 

So there you have it: how my Ishapore collection has started and where I am headed with it.  Not for everyone, I feel it will give me a unique collection amongst my friends.  That is one of the fun things about collecting and I urge you to be a little different too. Have a great day and come back often to see what changes have taken place in Njanear's C&R Collections.

Want some more info on Ishapores?  Take a look here.  Fletch also hosts the Ishapore Forum, so stop by and post any Ishie questions you may have.

Now back to the Collections Page...