Ishapore-made .303 calibre SMLE Mk III* rifles have appeared with 1980's manufacture dates suggesting that it may still be manufactured in the Indian sub-continent. Attempts to contact the Ishapore Arsenal to confirm this have so far been unsuccessful. It was at first thought that some of these may be a product of the small manufacturers in the Khyber Pass region of the Indian/Pakistani/Afghani border, but "Khyber Pass Copies", as they are known, tend to be copied exactly from a "Master" rifle, which may itself be a Khyber Pass Copy, markings and all- which is why it's not uncommon to see Khyber Pass rifles with the "N" in "Enfield" reversed, and the "VR" ("Victoria Regina") cypher from years well after her death. It has been positied that the 1980s dated Ishapore SMLEs were made for the Mujahadeen during the Soviet invasion. The Manufacturers Names found on SMLE Mk III/III* rifles are: Enfield: Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield, UK BSA Co: Birmingham Small Arms Company, UK LSA Co L: London Small Arms Company Ltd, UK Lithgow: Lithgow Small Arms, Australia GRI: Ishapore Arsenal, India (GRI stands for "George, Rex, Imperator") RFI: Rifle Factory, Ishapore (Post-Partition) SSA: Standard Small Arms, UK NFA: National Firearms Assembly, UK For the Rifle, Number 4 Mk I and Mk II: ROF(M): Royal Ordnance Factory Maltby, UK ROF(F): Royal Ordnance Factory Fazakarley, UK Savage: Savage Arms, USA Longbranch: Longbranch Arsenal, Canada POF: Pakistani Ordnance Factory, Pakistan Usage today Lee Enfields are still used by reserve forces and police forces in many Commonwealth countries, particularly India and Canada, where they are the main rifle issued to the Canadian Rangers. Television news footage of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan revealed that many Afghan tribesmen were still armed with Lee-Enfields, the rifle being common in the Middle East. Bolt-action rifles remain effective weapons in a desert environment, where long-range accuracy is more important than volume of fire. [...] Photos from the current civil war in Nepal show that the Government troops are being issued SMLE MK III/III* rifles to fight the Maoist Rebels with. The SMLEs seen thus far are not in especially good condition, but it should also be noted that the Maoists are also armed with SMLEs (and anything else they can acquire), but as to whether the SMLEs in question are of British or Indian manufacture is unknown, as is the year of manufacture.