Norinco JW-15
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 610 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.60 kg
- Introduced
- 1980
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Norinco JW-15 is a Chinese .22 Long Rifle bolt-action rifle, a simplified copy of the Czech Brno Model 2 sporting rifle. Produced by Norinco from around 1980, it uses a heavy steel receiver, a bolt with dual rear locking lugs, and a detachable box magazine. Norinco applied cost-saving 'value engineering' to the original Brno design, including a simpler trigger guard and a trigger mechanism closer to a Mauser 98 than the CZ 452. Widely exported as an inexpensive plinking and small-game hunting rifle, it has been sold under the JW-15 and JW-15A designations, with the magazine-fed JW-15A being the most common variant on export markets.
The JW-15 traces its design to the Czech Brno Model 2, a refined sporting rifle whose tooling and rights made their way to China in the 1960s. Norinco's no-frills reproduction became one of the most widely traded budget .22 rifles of the late 20th century, valued for its solid steel build despite simplified internals.
A direct lineage from the Brno Model 2; design rights were reportedly transferred from Czechoslovakia to China in the 1960s. Some rifles were imported into the United States by Interarms in the 1990s. The JW-23 is the .22 WMR (Magnum) chambering and the JW-25 is a Mauser KKW-pattern training/hunting variant.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Norinco
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- China
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1980
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 610 mm
- Overall length
- 1060 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.60 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 330 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 141 J
- Effective range
- 100 m
- Maximum range
- 1500 m
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.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Iron sights
Scope mount compatible
Detachable magazine
Dual rear locking lugs
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 215 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 2.60 kg | 2.61 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 207 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 1060 mm | 1016 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 228 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 610 mm | 547 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 231 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 5 | 6 | Holds fewer rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Norinco JW-15
How much does the Norinco JW-15 weigh?
The Norinco JW-15 weighs 2.60 kg (5.73 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Norinco JW-15?
The Norinco JW-15 is chambered in .22 Long Rifle.
How many rounds does the Norinco JW-15 hold?
The Norinco JW-15 holds 5 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Norinco JW-15?
The Norinco JW-15 is 1060 mm (41.7 in) long overall, with a 610 mm (24.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Norinco JW-15?
The Norinco JW-15 is made by Norinco (China). It was designed by Zbrojovka Brno (original Model 2 design).
When was the Norinco JW-15 introduced?
The Norinco JW-15 was introduced in 1980.
How does the Norinco JW-15 operate?
The Norinco JW-15 uses a bolt 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
- Civilian sport shooters
- China
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
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/norinco-jw15' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "norinco-jw15", "name": "Norinco JW-15", "manufacturer": { "id": "norinco", "name": "Norinco", "countryCode": "CN", "foundedYear": 1980, "website": "https://en.norincogroup.com.cn", "logoUrl": null, "description": "China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (Norinco), a state-owned enterprise founded in 1980 and headquartered in Beijing. Among the world's largest defense contractors, producing firearms and military equipment.", "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "5286c8a850a565bc4d9bd2e7a8e4b18084a491b62d93d828ac7de90983853065" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "CN", "year_introduced": 1980, "barrel_length_mm": 610, "weight_empty_g": 2600, "action_type": "bolt_action"}