rickyjames
New member
is there any difference between 303 and 308 enfield mags? what about the different types of enfields? i have a jungle carbine in 308 and would like to get a couple more mags.
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enfield mags
- Thread starter rickyjames
- Start date
Tikirocker
New member
If you have a Jungle Carbine in .308, you don't have a Jungle Carbine ... you likely have a 2A1. Magazines for the Indian .308 variants are not interchangeable with the standard Commonwealth .303 mags.
Tiki.
Tiki.
Ricky,
I have the same rifle you do. It's an Ishapore 2A1 Enfield rifle that was imported by Navy Arms some years ago. They took some of the nicer rifles, bobbed the barrel, added the flash hider and "Jungle Carbine" wood to make .308 Carbines out of them.
The magazines are not interchangeable with the .303. The .308 mag has a flat, squared off bottom while the .303 British mag has an angled bottom.
Unless you've done it recently, have a gunsmith check the headspace on your Ishapore. Most will be okay. I would stick with .308 Nato marked ammo or moderately loaded .308 ammo (147gr) and avoid heavier loads. These rifles were built from the ground up to handle the .308 NATO (7.62x51) with the ~147gr bullet. They were not designed for heavy duty hunting loads.
These rifles work fine. The sights are typicially British - hard to see and use, but they will still perform well out at 200 yards if you line up the sights.
I think PROMAG had some aftermarket magazines available. If you find other manufacturers, please let me know too.
I have the same rifle you do. It's an Ishapore 2A1 Enfield rifle that was imported by Navy Arms some years ago. They took some of the nicer rifles, bobbed the barrel, added the flash hider and "Jungle Carbine" wood to make .308 Carbines out of them.
The magazines are not interchangeable with the .303. The .308 mag has a flat, squared off bottom while the .303 British mag has an angled bottom.
Unless you've done it recently, have a gunsmith check the headspace on your Ishapore. Most will be okay. I would stick with .308 Nato marked ammo or moderately loaded .308 ammo (147gr) and avoid heavier loads. These rifles were built from the ground up to handle the .308 NATO (7.62x51) with the ~147gr bullet. They were not designed for heavy duty hunting loads.
These rifles work fine. The sights are typicially British - hard to see and use, but they will still perform well out at 200 yards if you line up the sights.
I think PROMAG had some aftermarket magazines available. If you find other manufacturers, please let me know too.
madcratebuilder
New member
What BillCA said. I think Promag is the only one making mags for that .308 modified No1 Jungle Carbine. They are kind of cool looking rifles. I'd buy one at the right price.
OldShooter
New member
Just a point of information and I can't tell where I read it(because I can't remember), Enfield magazines, although removable, are not really intended to be removed in use, but fed from stripper clips.
Last edited:
Tikirocker
New member
Enfield magazines, although removable, are not really intended to be removed in used, but fed from stripper clips.
Correct, Enfield magazines were never to be removed from the rifle as they are top charger loading only. The only reason to remove the magazine is for basic maintenance or cleaning, otherwise they should remain in situ. If you load the magazine off the rifle and then slap the mag into the body you can damage the feed lips which will cause feeding problems and require replacement parts if no careful.
As for Promag ... they are notoriously bad and prone to fault in feeding; essentially a rubbish product. Stick with the correct issue magazine and save yourself the trouble.
Tiki.
Correct, Enfield magazines were never to be removed from the rifle as they are top charger loading only.
This is true for all of the .303 British chambered rifles. However, the .308 Ishapore 2A is different. There's still a charging groove, but the magazine is much easier to detach than the older SMLE.
Tikirocker
New member
Bill,
It's not an issue of either magazine being easy or hard to remove, all Enfield magazines can be removed, quite easily. The issue is one of following the correct procedure in loading as per the design principle. The Enfield rifle has a charger bridge because the design inherently requires top loading via the charger. You can single load by hand from the top also, but as stated by those who designed the Enfield, removing the magazine to load the rifle is a no-no
Whether it be the 2A or the .303 British variants ... I can assure you that if there is a charger bridge present, then the rifle follows the essential Lee Enfield principle of design for loading; ie top charger loading only. The reasons for which have already been provided and amply proven by the number of members at the Enfield forums I run across who have damaged feed lips on their magazines - which is directly attributable to incorrect loading of the magazine.
Best, Tiki.
It's not an issue of either magazine being easy or hard to remove, all Enfield magazines can be removed, quite easily. The issue is one of following the correct procedure in loading as per the design principle. The Enfield rifle has a charger bridge because the design inherently requires top loading via the charger. You can single load by hand from the top also, but as stated by those who designed the Enfield, removing the magazine to load the rifle is a no-no
Whether it be the 2A or the .303 British variants ... I can assure you that if there is a charger bridge present, then the rifle follows the essential Lee Enfield principle of design for loading; ie top charger loading only. The reasons for which have already been provided and amply proven by the number of members at the Enfield forums I run across who have damaged feed lips on their magazines - which is directly attributable to incorrect loading of the magazine.
Best, Tiki.