Ishapore Rifle 2A1
Ordnance Factories Board · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1965
Also known as: Rifle 7.62mm 2A1, RFI 2A1, Ishy, Indian 7.62 Lee-Enfield
Overview
The Ishapore Rifle 2A1 is an Indian-built, Lee-Enfield-pattern bolt-action rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. Developed at Rifle Factory Ishapore after the 1962 Sino-Indian War highlighted the need for a NATO-standard cartridge, the 2A1 reused the venerable SMLE Mk III* layout with strengthened nickel-steel receivers, a redesigned extractor for rimless cartridges, a distinctive 10/12-round 'square' detachable box magazine, and an 800m rear sight (revised from the earlier 2000-yard sight on the 2A). It is widely regarded as the last bolt-action rifle ever designed and issued for general military service.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4190 g (147.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1138 mm (44.80") |
| Barrel Length | 635 mm (25.00") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 12 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 762 m/s (2500 fps) |
| Effective Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 5 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.62x51mm NATO · primary · 7.62x51mm NATO — also known as 7.62 NATO, .308 Winchester (commercial equivalent)
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine, Stripper Clip Loading
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Lever
- Features: Smle Mk Iii Pattern, Improved Nickel Steel Receiver, Redesigned Extractor For Rimless, Fal Pattern Buttplate, 10 Or 12 Round Square Magazine, 800m Rear Sight
Variants
- Ishapore Rifle 2A — Predecessor
Service history
Operators
- Indian Army · adopted 1963 · as Rifle 7.62mm 2A1
- Mukti Bahini (Bangladesh Liberation forces) · adopted 1971
- Border Security Force
Conflicts
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 (1965)
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 (1971)
- Sino-Indian conflicts (post-1962) (1965-present)
- Naxalite-Maoist insurgency (1967-present)
Production
Estimated total produced: 350,000 · Production years: 1965-1975
Approximately 350,000 units built at Rifle Factory Ishapore. The 2A1 superseded the 1963-1965 2A model with a corrected 800m rear sight.
Origin
Country of origin: India
Designer: Rifle Factory Ishapore (based on James Paris Lee SMLE design)
Discontinued: 1975
Notes
The 'square' magazine is the most visually distinctive feature versus the .303 SMLE. Indian-spec ammunition is loaded to lower pressure than commercial .308 Winchester due to the older Enfield-pattern action; firing modern hot commercial loads is not recommended.
Background
The Ishapore 2A1 holds the distinction of being the last bolt-action rifle designed and issued for general military service by a modern army. Decades after its adoption it remained in second-line, reserve, and paramilitary use across India, and Indian-supplied 2A1s armed the Mukti Bahini guerrillas during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence.