Pistol Auto 9mm 1A

Ordnance Factory Board · Pistol · In Production · 1977

Also known as: IOF 9mm Pistol, Pistol Auto 9mm 1B, Ishapore 9mm Pistol

Overview

The Pistol Auto 9mm 1A is the standard military-issue semi-automatic pistol of the Indian armed forces, manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board at Rifle Factory Ishapore. It is a licensed copy of the Browning Hi-Power, built using tooling originally derived from the Canadian John Inglis and Company production line. Chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum, it is a recoil-operated, hammer-fired, single-action pistol feeding from a 13-round detachable box magazine. The 1A is the service designation of the design, while the mechanically identical 1B serves the commercial and civil trade.

Specifications

Weight (empty)935 g (33.0 oz)
Weight (loaded)1075 g (37.9 oz)
Overall Length205 mm (8.07")
Barrel Length120 mm (4.72")
Height130 mm (5.12")
Width35 mm (1.38")
Sight Radius159 mm (6.26")
Action TypeShort Recoil
Firing MechanismHammer Fired
Trigger TypeSingle Action
Magazine Capacity13 rounds
Magazine TypeDetachable Box
Muzzle Velocity396 m/s (1299 fps)
Muzzle Energy584 J (431 ft·lbf)
Effective Range50 m (55 yd)
Maximum Range200 m (219 yd)
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Rifling Twist250 mm (9.84")
Number of Grooves6
Frame MaterialSteel
Slide MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Service history

Operators

Production

Estimated total produced: 650,000 · Production years: 1977-present

Over 650,000 units of the 1A/1B family had been produced by 2014; first specimen made 1977, large-scale production from 1981.

Origin

Country of origin: India

Designer: Dieudonné Saive (original Browning Hi-Power design); Rifle Factory Ishapore (Indian production)

Notes

The '1A' is the military service variant and the '1B' the commercial/civil-trade version; both are mechanically identical Browning Hi-Power derivatives built at Rifle Factory Ishapore. Physical dimensions are shared with the 1B, as the two are the same pistol under different designations.

Background

India began preliminary work on a domestic Browning Hi-Power in 1971, producing its first specimen in 1977. The Pistol Auto 9mm 1A went on to become the standard sidearm of the Indian armed forces, and Nepal took delivery of some 15,000 of the pistols.