IOF .315 sporting rifle

Bolt-action rifle

IOF .315 sporting rifle
Type	Bolt-action rifle
Place of origin	India
Production history
Produced	1956^[1]
Specifications
Mass	3.34 kg (7.4 lb) (without magazine)^[2]
Length	1,117 mm (44.0 in)
Barrel length	640 mm (25 in)

Cartridge	8mm BSA^[3] (8×50mmR Mannlicher)
Action	Bolt-action
Muzzle velocity	610 metres per second (2,000 ft/s)
Effective firing range	275 metres (301 yd)^[2]
Feed system	5 round box type magazine
Sights	Open sight with two leaves, graduated to 100 yd (91 m) and 300 yd (270 m)^[4] Riflescope can be fitted.^[5]

The IOF .315 sporting rifle is a civilian version of the British military Lee–Enfield rifle, chambered in the 8×50mmR Mannlicher cartridge rather than the .303 British military cartridge due to Indian gun control laws.

The rifle is manufactured at Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli which manufactured Lee–Enfield rifles for the British colonial Indian Army and post-independence Indian forces. It's also made in Rifle Factory Ishapore.^[6]

It has a box-type magazine which holds 5 rounds and uses an 8 mm cartridge based on the 8x50mmR Mannlicher, but is loaded with hunting-type bullets rather than military ones.

The Rifle has a modernised version, which has a wire folding stock, picatinny rails, a carrying handle and a skeletonized pistol grip. The factory has added sling swivels on the grip and at the base of the fore-end. The stock folds to the left via a push button on the right side. For a sporting rifle the stock doesn’t look comfortable, it has just a single metal rod curved to give a shape of butt.^[7]

References

^ "Important Milestones". Rfi.nic.in. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Ordnance Factory Board: 0.315" Sporting Rifle". Indian Ordnance Factory. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
^ "I Have This Old Gun: Lee-Speed Sporting Rifle". American Rifleman. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
^ "315 Sporting | RIFLE FACTORY ISHAPORE | Government of India". ofbindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
^ "..315" SPORTING RIFLE | ORDNANCE FACTORY TIRUCHIRAPPALLI | Government of India". ofb.gov.in. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
^ "Our History | RIFLE FACTORY ISHAPORE | Government of India". ofb.gov.in. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
^ "Bringing the Lee Enfield into the 21st Century, Indian style". The Firearm Blog. Retrieved 10 February 2016.