7.62 x 51 2A1 Enfield!-HELP

[broomhandle]

Hi Guys,

I just picked up this one up! I did not have anything in 308/7.62 NATO

My pal is selling off old guns for a Classic car rebuild!
He had it for 10-12 years & never fired it! It still had cosmoline in the barrel & chamber!

Have you found some good cast bullet loads for this rifle? Will the normal gallery load work for this rifle?

The bore looks like new!

Thanks for any help,
broomhandle

[dualsport]

Search 'Ishapore' and 'Ishy', you'll find some info.

[Mk42gunner]

Mine likes the Lee 312-185 sized .313".

Be prepared for a looong throat...


Robert

[Shiloh]

Search 'Ishapore' and 'Ishy', you'll find some info.

That'd be my recommendation as well. I believe that is where they were converted to 7.62x51.

Shiloh

[docone31]

I have a couple of Ishys. I love them.
I have not found a light cast load that works though. I resorted to paper patching to .309 with a full tilt load of 4895.
Now, we are talking!
I have fired factory .308 ammo through it. I have not found any issues with the 20 I fired.
Milsurp works very well, paper works even better.
I use water quenched wheel weight, no gas check, with paper.
My go to load.

[dualsport]

Dangit Doc! You're gonna make a paper patcher out of me yet. I guess I'll just have to 'just do it'. I still don't get how you seat the bullet without tearing off the paper.

[fj3fury]

The 2A series were built as 7.62 NATO. I don't think they were used long before the indian version of the fal got manufactured in decent quantities. I can tell you when i got mine from Rose's back in 96, I added a non-tap scope mount. The folks at the local gunshop could not get a 30 caliber bore sight arbor in the bore. I've use the lyman 311041 sized to .309" with the starting charge of H-335 in the lyman manual. Mild recoil and hits an old coffee can at 100 yards.

[docone31]

With the boolitt sized at .309, and it grows some after final sizeing, and the case flared, the patch just plain old slides right in.
I use the Lee .308 die set.
I use a cigarette roller to roll my .30cal patch.
Those Ishys are a ball. I also had to do the three point bedding in the forestock. Teh POA did move when the barrel gets hot.

[broomhandle]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replys!

I know alot more about a Enfield 308 now.

I'm going to make up a bunch of cast boolits & see how it shoots.

One of the GOOD guys here sent me a post about bedding the rifle.

Depends on how it shoots, I might give it a go!

My Garand was a OK shooter. (Years ago) I bedded it according to the NRA M-1 book, it cut down group size by about 50 % at 200 yards I was really suprised it worked so well.

Best to all,
broom

[Gerry N.]

The 2A series were built as 7.62 NATO. I don't think they were used long before the indian version of the fal got manufactured in decent quantities. I can tell you when i got mine from Rose's back in 96, I added a non-tap scope mount. The folks at the local gunshop could not get a 30 caliber bore sight arbor in the bore. I've use the lyman 311041 sized to .309" with the starting charge of H-335 in the lyman manual. Mild recoil and hits an old coffee can at 100 yards.

My next door neighbor was an officer in the Indian army. According to him, the Ishapore #2 series rifles was instituted to arm peasant conscripts whose experience with complex machines topped out at oxcarts. Loyalties were suspect as well and the upper command simply didn't trust most of their own troops with automatic weapons. Enter the #2 and #2A. Quickly made in sufficient quantities, and good enough. Once sufficient numbers of the FAL started becoming available, educational levels of recruits got higher and conscription became less and less necessary, the 2A's were mustered out and eventually sold off.

I had one for a while, It was a wonder. Few of the parts actually fit. The rifle reminded me of nothing so much as a pile of scrapyard junk flying a loose formation. My neighbor, Jarwal Singh, (Jay) looked at it and declared it to be typical. It was about 75% hand made as at the time India was labor rich and machine tool poor. Lots of hardware store screws and bolts. The action and barrel were well done, everything else was catch as catch can.
I acquired a couple thousand rounds of POF and RFI 7.62 X 51 ammo and shot it up in that rifle. The accuracy was not spectacular, but acceptable for what it was intended. On a good day if I was careful I could hit an 8" bull about seven times in ten at 100 yards. Close enough to keep any marauding Pakis at bay.

Gerry N.