Enfield in 7.62x51mm

[schuetzen]

Wikipedia describes basically two types of Enfields that chambered in 308 (7.62x51mm), the Enfield L8 series and the Ishapore 2A/2A1.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee-Enfield#Conversion_to_7.62x51mm_NATO

How common or rare are these to find? What kind of price range would one expect to find for them?

[mcwoodduck]

A few years ago the Ishpore guns were everywhere.
They are a No1 Mk 3? enfield with a square box mag instead of the rounded sloped 303 Mag.  It looked like a WWI enfield with the tangent sight rather then the Peep sight of the No 4, of WWII.
As I remember they were not that expensive but there was a slight premium over the 303's only because of the cheaper 308 ammo.
I do not think it would be hard to find on today.
Just ask your local gun shop owner and see what they can come up with.

[mannyrock]

    The vast majority of Ishipore's I have seen have poor magazines, that won't reliably feed and eject a full ten round magazine.  Most of them jam or fail to feed after 6 or 7 rounds.
 
     These were certainly not top of the line rifles, and were made in India with the old ladder type rear sight.  Totally impractical, especially in 7.62 Nato.  (Notice, the barrels are marked 7.62, and not .308 Winchester, which is a much higher pressure round.)

     The rifles are not highly sought after or regarded, and you should have no problems in finding one.

     On the other hand, a full size Enfield Rifle, in very good condition, made in the late 1940s or 1950s, in .303, is simply a joy to shoot.  Although longer than a carbine, it handles and points like a dream, is smooth as silk, and with the standard rear peep sight, you can easily hit anything you want out to 200 yards.

     Just my experience.


Mannyrock

[shot1]

Like has been said about the Ishipore it is a 7.62X51 NATO not a 308 Winchester. The NATO is loaded to less pressure. That being said I have one that I hand load for and it is very accurate. As far as them not loading well after a few rounds is because the magazine spring is worn out on some of them. You can replace the spring and get good results. I can't remember exactly how much I gave for mine but it was under $150 but it has been a few years. The last No.4 Enfield I bought was a Long Branch made in 1954 and was UNISSUED. It had a walnut stock. The reason that I know that it was unissued was the magazine had never even been loaded. The follower did not have a single mark on it. I horse traded back and forth with a fellow at a gun show and walked out with it for $80  . That has been about 8 or 9 years ago. BTW I have sold used cars in the past. 

[Pat/Rick]

Might be better off looking for a spanish civil guard mauser in 7.62. The one I had along with others I have heard of can have feeding issues. If I were to look for a mil-surp bolt gun in 7.62 I would be inclined to look for a spanish FR-8.

[shot1]

With the FR-8 Spanish you still don't want to shoot 308 Winchester ammo in them. Keep to the lower pressure 7.62X51 NATO with it also.

[schuetzen]

Went to a gun show today and saw perhaps 10 or 12 enfields.  I believe all were .303's.  I also came across a couple of Spanish Mausers as well.  I believe they were asking ~$275 for the mausers.  Now that I know what to look for, I'll keep my eye out for a prime example.

I came across some references on the web to Canadian DCRA .308 Enfield conversions.  Does anyone know if these are available in the US?  Some look to be in excellent condition.

[mauserand9mm]

There is an Australian company making brand new Enfield copies in 7.62x51. They are solidly built and shoot very well, but are a bit expensive (down here anyway). They used to also make a 7.62x39 version but I thibk it has been discontinued.

Here's a link to an Australian supplier website:

http://www.lawranceordnance.com/shot_and_shell/rifles_aia/index.php

[schuetzen]

There is an Australian company making brand new Enfield copies in 7.62x51. They are solidly built and shoot very well, but are a bit expensive (down here anyway). They used to also make a 7.62x39 version but I thibk it has been discontinued.

Here's a link to an Australian supplier website:

http://www.lawranceordnance.com/shot_and_shell/rifles_aia/index.php

Nice, but a bit pricey. Glad to see someone keeps up producing historic arms like these.

[mauserand9mm]

I think what happened in this case was that semi-autos were banned. We had a huge influx of SKSs just before then and the ban left people looking for a high magazine capacity rifle (for pig hunting) that could use all that 7.62x39 ammo now lying around (there are still very few bolt actions available in that cartridge). I think the new Enfields clones were manufactured since conversion of ex-mil Enfields to the 7.62x39 was simple - you could get away with just shortening the chamber and screwing the barrel in further (ie no chamber reaming).

Actually I'm in Sydney at the moment and will query the guys at Lawrance Ordnance on what they know about the the history of development of these rifles.

[1911crazy]

The older ishapore's in 308/7,62 can be pricey too, because its the more common caliber.   My price range would be between $250 to $350 tops if it looks good.  Someone here in the US was offering all new enfields at onetime.  They even had some pretty nickel ones too.  CZY