Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

[Paulie771]

I've been wanting one of these for a while, and today I managed one for $250 out the door. Not a great price, but not horrible and roughly what gunbroker is showing them recently after shipping and transfer fees.

Anyways, I was wondering how they do as precision rifles? I know the L42 was a pretty accurate rifle. Can you rebarrel these with aftermarket barrels, trigger job or after market trigger, get modern stocks (McM, B&C, Manners, etc) for them, bed it, and true up the action?

If I did it, it would be an incremental build, a barrel here, a stock there. Maybe a tad overkill for this rifle, but I think it would be sweet as all hell to shoot an F-class match (600-1000 yards) with one if it were possible. Something besides the standard Savages, Remingtons, and the usual fair.

I've seen pics of a guy shooting a match with a moderized Mosin in Europe, which is what gave me this idea.

Thoughts?

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

I saw them make an AK-47 snipper rifle on Sons of Guns the other nite, so I suspect they can make you a snipper rifle out of your Indian Enfield too. Give 'em a call.

 

[ArmaHeavy]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: _9H_Cracka</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I saw them make an AK-47 snipper rifle on Sons of Guns the other nite, so I suspect they can make you a snipper rifle out of your Indian Enfield too. Give 'em a call. </div></div>

Sounds like a game changer.

Up next, a Springfield '03 submachine gun.

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ArmaHeavy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Up next, a Springfield '03 submachine gun. </div></div>

Already exists:

 

[ArmaHeavy]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

If Red Jacket didn't make it then it doesn't exsist...in their world.

 

[Paulie771]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: _9H_Cracka</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I saw them make an AK-47 snipper rifle on Sons of Guns the other nite, so I suspect they can make you a snipper rifle out of your Indian Enfield too. Give 'em a call. </div></div>

This is definately a game-changing idea, but they wanted $10,000 for it.

Had to pass.

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

My bet is you could adapt a McMillan Tac-50 stock to that two piece Enfield design with a Dremel tool, some Gorilla glue, a can of 3-in-1 Oil, and some gauze pads.

 

[bmt]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

FWIW:

I helped a friend build an Ishapore and the absence of after market parts for the 308s was a pain. Mosin's have more stuff.

I build a scout on a 303 (SMLE) platform--it was a pain.

Keep the Ishapore and have fun with it.

But it would be a labor of love to build in "sniper" gun.

BMT

 

[671RTO9513]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

The old Enfield actions are a little spindly to hang a big barrel off. I'd tune her up and have fun as is. The stock trigger can be made to work very nicely.
If you want a really nice rear sight, find a Parker-Hale micrometer target sight for it. The old man used to shoot a No.4 and a Lee Metford (with a #4 barrel) out to 900 yards with those sights and did pretty well.

 

[BasraBoy]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

Another vote for leaving as is.

I think the work involved in making it into a "low cost" precision rifle would be extensive and the money better spent buying a 700 Remy of some sort.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

I liked my Ishy 2a .308, but it was clear right off the bat that this was a moderate-to-lesser accuracy battle rifle; and that expectations of stellar accuracy were guaranteed to cost lots for little return. It shot battle pack Berdan NATO Ball fodder easily; but efforts with 175gr handloads at 1000yd off the F Class line were totally a guessing game, with benefits..., recoil..., lots of it.

Mosins, M-39's, M-96 Swedes, probably more to be had on the delivery side of the equation.

Greg

 

[jagged77]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

I had an Ishy .308 a while back. Had great fun with it using milsurp ball but it was never better than 4 MOA at 100 yards. The advice given so far is pretty sound - leave as is and go with something more suited to the task.

 

[Remoah]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

better off trying to find a real L42.
Included is the sentimental value that a reproduction job will never have.

 

[BasraBoy]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

Good luck finding an original L42 - nice to have for sure, but harder to find than rocking horse sh!t.

There was one on an Aussie site earlier this year at AU$10,000 with transit chest etc. It went in munutes!!

 

[Remoah]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

I saw that one go up and i almost cried.
L42 is the second on my list, below an FR F2.

Guess they're as rare in the US as they are down here.

 

[BasraBoy]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

I asked the guys in Fulton's about one a year or so ago.....without batting an eyelid they said, if they had one, they'd expect around £8000 for it! Can't think I've ever seen one up for grabs on the open market in the UK in the past 5 years........

There's a couple of L39 and an Envoy floating around on UK Guntrader at the moment for around £1000.

By the time you get a decent repro mount, and a genuine 7.62 BDC No32 MKIII scope you're going to be at well over £2500 in the UK without the cost of the smithing.

I've done a number of replica projects but I'm not sure I'd really want to be carving up either an L39 or Envoy as they are collectable in their own right.

So, as above, keep the Ishy as is and go and buy a Remy 700 or similar as a precision project.

 

[Remoah]

Re: Ishapore Enfield .308 built as modern prec rifle?

I'd settle for an L39, i like the cut down stock. But agreed, it's not worth butchering one to create an L42.

As for the Ishapore, it's not worth cutting up either. I mean, you CAN. But for the money you'd outlay on a quality stock, and all the work done on it, you'd still only be hovering around the MOA mark at best given the Enfield platform.

if you want a decent, accurate, rear-locking action, then get a Remington 788.
if you want an enfield pattern 'sniper' rifle. Then look out for a No4 T*
if you want a precision rifle. Buy a remington, howa, tikka or savage and work from there.