Short Magazine Lee-Enfield .303 inch Mk III bolt action rifle, 1927

Manufactured by Ishapore Rifle Factory, India, 1927.

This rifle is a reversion to an older model of Short Magazine Lee-Enfield, the Mark 3. To aid production during World War One the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield had been simplified, losing several features considered archaic in modern warfare. However, Indian production reversed the trend, especially in regard to the magazine cut off which restricted the rifle to single shot operation except in extreme circumstances. Indian Short Magazine Lee-Enfield rifles had this feature as a matter of policy. Large numbers of SMLE rifles continued to be manufactured at Ishapore after Indian independence in 1947.