[PotatoHeadMick]

“And just for the record, the Indian Ishapore Enfield is NOT chambered in .303. It’s chambered for the 7.62 mm NATO round.”

Is it? I didn’t know that I simply assumed they were old .303’s left over from when the Brits left, I wonder why they upgraded the ammunition but retained the old style rifle?

[Lurker]

I wonder why they upgraded the ammunition but retained the old style rifle?

Actually the Brits sold the equipment to make the SMLE to the Indian Ishapore Arsenal, who then updated the design to chamber the then Brit standard 7.62mm cartridge.

Those aren't just vintage Enfields rechambered. They were made from the ground up from modern steel after a rather extensive design and testing process.

Believe it or not the Ishapore Enfield is available for sale here in the US for less than $200.00 or so a copy. I've got a couple of them. It's a damned effective rifle, and it's wicked accurate.

The iron sights on mine are graduate out to 800 meters, and I've had no trouble hitting center mass sized targets at 400 yards.

The problem in Mumbai wasn't the rifles the Indians were carrying. It was the lack of an effective doctrine and training.

I'll further go out on a limb and bet that not one of those Indian cops you saw with those rifles had more than 10 rounds of ammunition. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they had no ammunition at all.

L

[spokeshave]

"I wonder why they upgraded the ammunition but retained the old style rifle?"

Probably local made...

After all....the Indians are still cranking out 1950 style Enfield motor cycles.

[El Gato]

I wonder why they upgraded the ammunition but retained the old style rifle?

Because they already had the machinery to make it. They weren't exactly flush with cash in those days. They re chambered for .308/7.62 for compatibility with the planned FN-FAL type battle rifle.

[ansel12]

“Is it? I didn’t know that I simply assumed they were old .303’s left over from when the Brits left, I wonder why they upgraded the ammunition but retained the old style rifle?”

---

Didn’t that switch over in caliber take place in the mid 1960s?

[Charles Martel]

I didn’t know that I simply assumed they were old .303’s left over from when the Brits left, I wonder why they upgraded the ammunition but retained the old style rifle?

The Ishapore Arsenal was already set up to manufacture the Enfield rifles; it was a relatively small matter to modify them to accept the newer cartridge. It was a gap-filling measure as India tooled-up for their version of the FN-FAL.