Ishapore 1A1 SLR
Ordnance Factories Board · Battle Rifle · Out Of Production · 1960
Also known as: Rifle 7.62 mm 1A1, Indian SLR, 1A SLR, FN 1A1
Overview
The Ishapore 1A1 SLR is the Indian licensed-pattern derivative of the FN FAL / British L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. After India declined FN's licensing terms (which required purchase of Belgian tooling), engineers at Rifle Factory Ishapore reverse-engineered both British 'inch' and Belgian 'metric' FAL samples. The resulting hybrid uses a mixture of inch and metric parts that are not interchangeable with either parent pattern. The 1A1 was the standard service rifle of the Indian Army from 1962 until the gradual rollout of the 5.56mm INSAS in the late 1990s.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4310 g (152.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1092 mm (42.99") |
| Barrel Length | 533 mm (20.98") |
| Sight Radius | 553 mm (21.77") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Short Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 823 m/s (2700 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3215 J (2371 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 600 m (656 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 3000 m (3281 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 60 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 305 mm (12.01") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 7.62x51mm NATO · primary · 7.62x51mm NATO — also known as 7.62 NATO, .308 Winchester (commercial equivalent)
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Lever, Selector Lever Locked To Semi
- Features: Tilting Breech Block Action, Inch Metric Hybrid Parts, Non Interchangeable With Standard Fal, Lee Enfield Buttplate With Oil Trap, Metric Fal Bolt Release, Flash Hider
Service history
Operators
- Indian Army · adopted 1962 · as Rifle 7.62 mm 1A1
- Indian Navy
- Indian Air Force
- Border Security Force
- Central Reserve Police Force
Conflicts
- Sino-Indian War (1962)
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 (1965)
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 (1971)
- Operation Blue Star (1984)
- Sri Lankan Civil War (IPKF) (1987-1990)
- Kargil War (1999)
- Naxalite-Maoist insurgency (1967-present)
Production
Production years: 1960-2012
Manufactured at Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli; principal Indian Army battle rifle for roughly four decades before INSAS adoption.
Origin
Country of origin: India
Designer: Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), based on Dieudonne Saive's FN FAL
Discontinued: 2012
Notes
Although outwardly nearly identical to the British L1A1 SLR, internal parts are India-specific due to the inch/metric hybrid manufacture. Limited 1B variants chambered for select-fire trial use also existed. Production at Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) reportedly continued in small numbers until 2012.
Background
When FN insisted India also buy Belgian tooling as part of the FAL license deal, India simply refused and reverse-engineered the rifle from samples instead. The result is a Frankenstein FAL whose 'inch' and 'metric' parts will not swap with any other FAL on Earth, baffling collectors for decades.