Yesterday's Weapons Forums

Thats a nice variation. I almost won one on Auction Arms but was beat out. If I recall. these were an earlier version than the wire wrap and was used first by the British.

Tetsau, the rifle shown is the less common Indian grenade launching rifle. In the 1950's Ishapore made some like this utilizing sheet metal instead of copper wire. This is the second variation where the sheet metal bands are wrapped around two wooden stabilizing ribs and secured by four screws alongthe bottom.

The nose cap marking looks like a badly struck "O" which is the prefix to the serial number.

The cartouche on the butt stock has the numerals 1.33 at the bottom of the circle, if my eyes don't decieve me and that is an Indian stores mark from January 1933.

package it up , send it off , im sure he has something to trade you

it was originaly made a mkIII* by LSA and you can be proud of it she obviously served well , the indians reworked her into the grenade launcher - the stock may, or may not have been switched , but the bolt , reciever , bayo boss are all matching numbered and looking original , is the rear sight matching number ?

i think id be happy with that one

The 1.33 mean's what now? How on earth did you figure that out? So it's an ishy huh.

The 1.33 on the bottom of the cartouche is the month and the year. I also notice thatthis cartouche might be stamped over an old one. If you look at the top of the cartouche, I can make out what I think is "KKD" - that is the stamp for the Karachi Depot, now in Pakistan and a major port through which a lot of goods are imported and exported. Of course it was part of British India in those days.

How early did India start on these thing's?

Not sure what you are asking here but in the early 1900's Ishapore was built by the British in India to supply new and refurbished weapons to the British Army of India. It was a proper ordnance factory that made weapons to the same standards as those built in Britain. IMHO there is nothing wrong or less collectible about them.

I believe your rifle started out being made by London Small Arms in 1917 as a No.1 Mark III (Mike, they didn't make the III* until late in 1918). Sometime after WWI, it made its way to India, as after WWI Britain had more SMLE's than it had soldiers and weapons tended to be spread around where they were needed.

I can see from the pictures that the bolt and bolt head have Ishapore markings on them so I beieve the bolt was replaced (and probably the barrel) and properly numbered to match the receiver (nothing wrong with that). I can't tell you when this happened but was probably around the 1930's. The later addition of the reinforcing plates was a later modification that took place in the 1950's.

neil , id forgotten LSA was late to the party - i stand corrected , it was BSA et al that started 1915-16 , i should have remembered that ,

i too think the rondel is an overstamp , but i think your interpretation is right - even tho my eyes cant quite focus on that first digit

Tetsau, markings on your bolt head and the rear of your bolt handle that look the crossed pennants are actually in the ishapore font indicating that these were replaced at Ishapore.