IOF .315 Sporting Rifle

Ordnance Factories Board · Rifle · In Production

Also known as: .315 bore rifle, Ishapore .315, RFI .315 Sporting Rifle

Overview

The IOF .315 Sporting Rifle is a bolt-action sporting rifle produced by the Rifle Factory Ishapore under India's Ordnance Factories Board, chambered in the .315 Indian cartridge (the 8x50mmR Mannlicher). Derived from the Lee-Enfield action that Ishapore manufactured for over a century, it feeds from a charger-loaded internal magazine and is one of the most widely owned civilian rifles in India, used for hunting, farm protection, and personal defence in rural areas.

Specifications

Action TypeBolt Action
Firing MechanismStriker Fired
Trigger TypeTwo Stage
Magazine Capacity5 rounds
Magazine TypeInternal
Muzzle Velocity620 m/s (2034 fps)
Muzzle Energy3035 J (2239 ft·lbf)
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Frame MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialWood
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Service history

Operators

Production

Long-running civilian product line of Rifle Factory Ishapore; one of the most common privately held rifles in India.

Origin

Country of origin: India

Notes

The '.315' designation refers to the Indian sporting round, which is dimensionally the 8x50mmR Mannlicher (bullet approximately .315 in / 8 mm). Sold to licensed civilian buyers alongside the factory's .30-06, .22 sporting rifle and .22 revolver.

Background

In much of rural India the '.315 bore' is practically a household name: because it was one of the few center-fire rifles a private citizen could legally buy from a government factory, the Ishapore .315 became the default farm and self-defence rifle for generations, still firing a cartridge that Austria-Hungary designed back in 1893.