Guns International #: 101976357
Seller's Inventory #: 22-10110
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Guns International #: 101976357
Category - Enfield Rifles
- Military Shotguns - Non-US
Ishapore Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk. III SHOTGUN .410 British Round, Unconverted
Description: This is perhaps one of the strangest variations on one of the most famous bolt-action rifles ever made. The Lee-Enfield served the British empire in one model or another from around the turn-of-the-century to the 1990s. They are still used in certain parts of the world, particularly the Middle East. Unlike the United States, Germany, and the Soviet Union, Great Britain made no attempts to place a semi-auto rifle into production during the Second World War. Like Italy and Japan, Great Britain felt that introducing a new rifle design would cause logistic problems that would be more trouble than it was worth to issue their soldiers with arms comparable to the M1 Garand, Gewehr 43 and SVT-40. In an ironic twist, only the M-1 Garand would see widespread use thanks to the strength of American industry and so could be issued in enough numbers. Both the Germans and Soviets had to continue relying on their older bolt action designs, the Mauser Karabiner 98k and the Mosin-Nagant 1891/30, both stablemates of the Lee-Enfield having been designed around the same timeframe at the end of the 19th Century. Despite being surpassed by semi-auto rifles in other countries, the Lee-Enfield is an excellent design with many advantages over other bolt action designs. It’s cock-on-closing feature enabled fast, well-aimed fire. During some of the early battles of World War 1, British troops engaging in massed fire tactics with the Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk. III, convinced attacking German soldiers that their opponents were equipped with machine guns. The rifles generous capacity of 10 rounds allowed British soldiers to perform what was called the “mad minute,” wherein the soldier would fire 20 to 30 aimed rounds in 60 seconds. Indeed, the current world record for aimed, bolt-action was set in 1914 by an instructor in the British Army who placed 38 rounds into a 12-inch-wide target at 300 yards in 1 minute. Imagine having to attempt such a feat today. One important note is that while the No. 4 Mk 1 was first issued in late 1939, it was not officially adopted for use until 1941, and by no means did it immediately replace the older models. Thus many of the Lee-Enfield’s used in the early battles of World War 2 in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific were the older No. 1 Mk III and No. 1 Mk III*. After World War 2, the Rifle Factory at Ishapore (R.F.I.) modified some older No. 1 Mk. III rifles into .410-bore shotguns for police and prison guard use. This involved filling in the magazine well with a block of wood to make it a single shot, and boring out the rifling in the barrel until a smooth surface was left in the correct caliber. For this shotgun, the conversion was undertaken in 1948 given the markings on the left side of the butt socket which says “410 RFI 1948”. Interestingly, the bolt, receiver, and the bayonet stud (the part the ring on the M1907 bayonet fits around) all have matching serial numbers. Finish is mostly a patina. It seems Ishapore chose not to refinish the shotguns in the same way that many No. 1 Mk. III rifles were during their respective rebuilds in the late ‘40s, being given the same “car engine paint” finish commonly found on most No. 4 Mk. I rifles. The barrel, being mostly hidden under the handguard and front sight assembly retains the much of the finish. The wood is in great shape with only a few minor dings. The bore is in fantastic shape and is practically a mirror. The round that the Lee-Enfield 410 conversion is chambered for is unique to these shotguns. It is essentially a .303 British cartridge that has been necked out to a straight-walled case (or never necked down in the first please) and loaded with either round ball or shot pellets. The ball was used for mortal combat while the shot shell load was used for crowd control. Some of these shotgun conversions have been rechambered for conventional 410 gauge 3” shotshells. However, this example remains unconverted. Price: $775.00 Shotgun Gauge: .410 Gauge Manufacturer: Rifle Factory Ishapore Model: No. 1 Mk III Shotgun Serial Number: 5263 Barrel Length: 25.2 inches (640 mm) Bore Info: Smoothbore Ejectors: Manual ejection Condition: Good to Excellent Barrel Type: Round Action: Bolt Action, Lee-Enfield action Triggers: Single, serrated Stock: Wood Fore End: Wood Butt Pad: Metal plate LOP: 13.875 inches (352 mm) Finish: Patina Sights: Ramp rear sight, post front, sight radius 19.5 inches (495.3 mm) Manufacture Date: 1948 (rebuilt Extras: Sling Contact Seller |
Guns International #: 101976357
Seller's Inventory #: 22-10110
Guns International #: 101976357
Seller's Inventory #: 22-10110