A question about parts availability for the ishapore enfield

I just came across an ishapore enfield in 308. Unfortunately the headspace is a little loose. Using my Forster no go gauge the bolt closed on it. It almost closed on the field gauge I'd like to get this a little tighter in headspace. Where can I purchase heads for the bolt? Also how are the bolt head sizes numbered?

Your rifle is fine. Enfields generally have generous headspace, especially the Indian ones. The 2As, like the SMLEs, do not use numbered bolt heads. The bolt heads were made oversized and then stoned to fit.

Thanks. Are the 303 and 308 heads interchangeable?

I don't believe so. The 2A has a different extractor.

So if I just reuse the extractor from the ishapore 308, I can swap the head with a 303?

It would seem that the answer is yes.

However, like I said, I wouldn't worry about it. Your rifle is in spec for a 2A1. They have larger acceptable limits than most 7.62x51 bolt guns.

http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=35600&p=203312#post203312

Thanks MVolkJ. Also, last question, are the stocks interchangeable with the Brit No1 MkIII? I managed to clean the rifle up significantly, but the stock has too many dings and repairs for my tastes and I'd like to find a nicer stock. Also, any good idea where to look?

Completely. The only furniture part that differs on the 2A is the aluminium buttplate - and you can just recycle yours.

Springfield Sporters had stock sets for awhile - take offs from drill rifles. I don't see them listed any more but they may have them, call and check.

I've had two of the Ishapores. A 2A and a 2A1. Both would close on a no-go but not on a field gage when I got them. On my first one I called BDL Ltd. and got a different bolt head and got the head space within SAAMI specs. Yes, the 303 and 308 bolt heads are the same, the extractors are different due to the rim/no-rim situation.

When swapping bolt heads you have to check two other things besides head space. The first is bolt head timing, this ensures that the bolt head is resting on the body of the bolt and not just on the threads. The second is firing pin protrusion, I can't remember the specs but a longer bolt head may require you modifiy the firing pin and/or bolt head to get the protrusion into spec.

Now for the bad news... Yes you can swap the bolt heads and get the head space better but on both of my rifles the chambers are still oversize and the brass life was not good. By my measurements the chamber was oblong and without somewhat FL sizing (bumping back shoulder) the reloaded rounds would not chamber unless the the case was fed in just right. I could not just neck size for my rifles.

I got tired of messing with it sold them. They both shot very well and I could get 5 to 7 reloads out of the cases from the most accurate one. I only shot new ammo in the 2A1.

If your not going to reload for them or if brass life is not a concern then I wouldn't worry about the head space too much. I thought about having the barrel set-back on the 2A (accurate one) and having the chamber recut but I decided to just stick to the 303 SMLEs and use the oring trick to fireform brass.

One other option you could have if your chamber is not oversized (or oblong like mine was) and you want to reload for the rifle is to fireform your brass using the cream of wheat method and neck size only thereafter.

Kingston Fisher, can you explain a bil more about bolt head timing?

When you screw the bolt head into the bolt body the head should bottom out at about the same point in the rotation that it would be if the assembly were placed into the receiver and closed normally. If you screw the bolt head into the bolt and it turns past it's normal resting place more than a certain amount then when the assembly is put into the rifle and the rifle is fired the stress is placed on the threads and not onto the collar of the bolt body. The lugs on a SMLE bolt are on the bolt body in the rear so the stress induced from firing the gun needs to be transfered through the bolt head into the bolt body. If the threads are providing all of the support and not the collar of the bolt body then the threads will wear in short order and the rifle will have excessive head space again.

I can't say how much bolt head over rotation is good or bad but 15 degrees seems like it may have been the max from what I remember reading.



They more than likely were, as 308win max cup is 62k and 303brit is 49k. However, the lugs are on the bolt body and not the bolt head. I do not think that the bolt head is the weak link from an engineering standpoint. I would not shoot any 308 ammo that is anywhere near max in a 2A. I found that about 2 steps below max provided the best accuracy and the recoil was very managable. There is no way I would shoot any full house hunting rounds through a 2A. There is a good deal of debate about what is acceptable to shoot in a 2A as far as ammo. I found that the surplus 7.62 Nato (SA battlepacks) I had was much hotter than my reloads or the Magtech commercial 308 so I stuck with those. Mainly my reloads, as they were cheaper and more accurate.

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