Ishapore 1A1 SLR
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Barrel
- 533 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.31 kg
- Introduced
- 1960
About
What it is, and why it matters
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.
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.
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.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Ordnance Factory Board
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Country
- India
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1960 to 2012
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 533 mm
- Overall length
- 1092 mm
- Sight radius
- 553 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.31 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated short stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 20
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 823 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3215 J
- Effective range
- 600 m
- Maximum range
- 3000 m
- Rate of fire
- 60 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
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
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 86 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 4.31 kg | 4.30 kg | Heavier than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 85 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 1092 mm | 1025 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 533 mm | 458 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 20 | 20 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Ishapore 1A1 SLR
How much does the Ishapore 1A1 SLR weigh?
The Ishapore 1A1 SLR weighs 4.31 kg (9.50 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Ishapore 1A1 SLR?
The Ishapore 1A1 SLR is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the Ishapore 1A1 SLR hold?
The Ishapore 1A1 SLR holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Ishapore 1A1 SLR?
The Ishapore 1A1 SLR is 1092 mm (43.0 in) long overall, with a 533 mm (21.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Ishapore 1A1 SLR?
The Ishapore 1A1 SLR is made by Ordnance Factory Board (India). It was designed by Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), based on Dieudonne Saive's FN FAL.
When was the Ishapore 1A1 SLR introduced?
The Ishapore 1A1 SLR was introduced in 1960 and discontinued in 2012.
How does the Ishapore 1A1 SLR operate?
The Ishapore 1A1 SLR uses a gas operated short stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Indian Army
- 1962
- Indian Navy
- India
- Indian Air Force
- India
- Border Security Force
- India
- Central Reserve Police Force
- India
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/ishapore-1a1' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "ishapore-1a1", "name": "Ishapore 1A1 SLR", "manufacturer": { "id": "ofb", "name": "Ordnance Factory Board", "countryCode": "IN", "foundedYear": 1801, "website": "https://ddpdoo.gov.in", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "d58d313a90113a96514798866a97c2292f5297923579daab68ccc7924f6635b1" }, "category": { "id": "battle-rifle", "name": "Battle Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in full-power cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "IN", "year_introduced": 1960, "barrel_length_mm": 533, "weight_empty_g": 4310, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}