Ishapore Rifle 2A
Ordnance Factories Board · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1963
Also known as: Rifle 7.62mm 2A, RFI 2A, Indian 7.62 Lee-Enfield
Overview
The Ishapore Rifle 2A is an Indian-built, Lee-Enfield-pattern bolt-action rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. Introduced in 1963 by Rifle Factory Ishapore after the 1962 Sino-Indian War exposed the need for a NATO-standard cartridge, it adapted the classic SMLE Mk III* layout with a strengthened nickel-steel receiver, a redesigned extractor for the rimless 7.62mm round, and a distinctive 10/12-round 'square' detachable box magazine. The original 2A carried over the SMLE's rear sight graduated to 2000 yards; this was quickly recognised as unrealistic for the 7.62mm cartridge and corrected on the succeeding 2A1 model to an 800m sight.
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, 10 Or 12 Round Square Magazine, 2000 Yard Rear Sight
Variants
- Ishapore Rifle 2A1 - Successor
Service history
Operators
- Indian Army · adopted 1963 · as Rifle 7.62mm 2A
- Mukti Bahini (Bangladesh Liberation forces) · adopted 1971
- Indian state police and paramilitary forces
Conflicts
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 (1965)
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 (1971)
- Naxalite-Maoist insurgency (1967-present)
Production
Production years: 1963-1965
Built at Rifle Factory Ishapore from 1963 until the improved 2A1 (with corrected 800m rear sight) superseded it in 1965; the 2A and 2A1 together totalled several hundred thousand rifles.
Origin
Country of origin: India
Designer: Rifle Factory Ishapore (based on James Paris Lee SMLE design)
Discontinued: 1965
Notes
The 2A is distinguished from the later 2A1 chiefly by its rear sight, which retained the .303 SMLE graduation to 2000 yards. Indian-spec 7.62mm ammunition is loaded to lower pressure than commercial .308 Winchester because of the Enfield-pattern action; firing modern hot commercial loads is not recommended.
Background
The Ishapore 2A was India's answer to the 1962 Sino-Indian War, when the army needed a NATO-caliber service rifle in a hurry: engineers at Rifle Factory Ishapore simply re-chambered and re-steeled the venerable Lee-Enfield SMLE for 7.62mm NATO, producing one of the very last bolt-action rifles ever adopted for front-line military service.