IOF 30-06 Rifle

[The Doc]

Gentlemen,

Has anyone test fired /bought the IOF 30.06 yet ?
It is really strange that so many months have gone by after the limited launch but no one has posted his review about it.

RP.

PS. I read the whole thread once again, somehow I had missed Visho's post where he describes the 30.06 as he saw and handled it , anyone else ?

[Mack The Knife]

z375 typed out a long post, complete with pictures, on a shared computer but it got deleted before he could submit it.

Let's just say, he has voluntarily eaten all the insults he had thrown at it earlier. Another glass beded example, from Hyderabad, is said to be punching out 3 to 5 shot groups with intersecting holes at 100 metres consistently.

The prices, unfortunately, are still in the six figure range.

[The Doc]

Mack The Knife,

I remember you at one point showed a keen interest in the IOF 30.06 too. I will PM z375 and see if he can repost his review again.

cheers,

RP.

[eternalme]

I am also keen on knowing about this particular gun for sure.
Any post ??

[Mack The Knife]

RP,

I am still very interested except that now I have the luxury of waiting until the prices stabilise. I have two rifle licences at present and may even consider joining the NRAI to get a third due to NRAI members being permitted a .22lr rifle in addition to the three gun per individual rule.

[The Doc]

may even consider joining the NRAI to get a third due to NRAI members being permitted a .22lr rifle in addition to the three gun per individual rule.

I hope the licensing authority considers your IOF .22 as your "fourth" firearm .

best,

RP.

[penpusher]

Mack The Knife,

You don't need to join the N.R.A.I.Your existing club membership should suffice.

[Mack The Knife]

PP: Glad to know that. If the IOF '06 turns out to be a genuinely good/decent rifle, I will apply for an additional licence.

The Mauser has one major drawback - I cannot use it as a project rifle.

[z375]

Hi!

I just happened to get a good dekko this afternoon at our much-awaited IOF .30-06 "Sporting Rifle" and here's the verdict, so pull up a comfy chair and grab a cuppa coffee!.....here we go!! This piece of kit has a 4-groove 23" barrel that is a single unit and is not just a tube with a .30 cal liner hammered in much like our IOF .22, whether the barrels are hammer-forged, cut or button-rifled is debatable, it has a nice contour and is very stout as compared to its 8mm counterpart and has a recessed semi-target crown with the muzzle cut straight instead of the conventional radius commonly found on most sporting rifles, the front sight ramp is banded, it appears to be swaged/sweated onto the barrel, but this is difficult to distinguish due to the powder-coated/painted finish, the front sight is a post set on a ramp with a small grub screw in front to lock it in place once set. The big CZ-style sight hood with a cut at 12 o' clock to allows some light on the post, the rear sight is the tangent/ladder type, has a square "U" notch and is adjustable for both, windage via grub screw on either side and elevation is calibrated out to 400 yards/meters, this is similar in design to the one found on the IOF .22.

The receiver is made of some alloy, has a neatly cut ejection port and has good overall wall thickness, its a little comforting to see this especially when some folks have issues with the " aluminium alloy" bit. The receiver has a straight radius and is pre-drilled & tapped with four holes for a scope mount, the hole-spacing is as per Sauer specs, so for those of you who wish to have a scope mounted, all you have to do is get yourself a set of bases for the Sauer 202, screw them on, and you're set! I'd personally prefer Weaver-type bases with cross-slots as they're strong and return to zero no matter how many times you pull the scope off, rings too are not a problem for anything Weaver-type. The 60-degree bolt lift and safety will make sure that you can mount a scope as low as you want without having to skooch you head off the comb to get a good field of view. It also has gas vents on both sides of the receiver ring, at 3 and 9 o'clock positions respectively. The bolt, thankfully, is constructed of steel and is a true push-feed with a recessed bolt-face, has a decent claw extractor and plunger that are surprisingly efficient when it comes to ejection! There are six lugs on the bolt body in a triangular formation, the lug recessess are cut directly into the chamber and the feel upon closure is positive. The bolt handle is swept back a bit and is flat, offering quite a bit of purchase when cycling the action, the magazine holds 03 down in a single file, the construction is solid, unlike the .315, which is good to see, this will hopefully prevent feed-related issues in the event it is accidentally released and hits the deck.

The magazine release is in the form of a button located just ahead of the magazine well, where you would otherwise find an action guard-screw in most bolt-action rifles, release is further enhanced by means of a small spring located in the left wall giving it an encouraging push on the way out, the detachable-box mag. is held in place by a claw inside the mag. well which engages into a corresponding recess on the side of the magazine, the bolt shroud is tapered and slopes into the top of the grip giving the gun a rather pleasing and sleek profile, part of the bolt sear peeks out from under the shroud and that serves as a sort of reference to whether its cocked or not. The safety too, is in the form of a button that is located behind the shroud in the tang, easily felt even if it cannot be seen, to put the rifle on "SAFE" you have to push it down and a small plunger located in the trigger guard in front of the trigger blade pops down, to fire you have to push this back up, the system is very quiet, you can operate the safety without the usual "click-clack" noises, its positive and well-placed.

This rifle has one of the best triggers I've ever come across so far, and the fact that its adjustable via means of a tiny grub screw behind the guard, is even more surprising! The blade is wide and comfortable whether you're just using the tip of your finger or wrapping it around the trigger. The let-off is light and crisp sans any creep or drag, the rifle I handled had what felt like a 3-pound pull, definitely an asset when you're testing for groups and potting around three football-fields away!

To sum it up, I'm pleasantly surprised at the fact that the IOF has finally woken up and churned out a decent product, the little bugaboos like the paint on the finished metal and the overall fit, finish and color of the stock (there's just one flavor...blonde!) these are things that one can forgive when you set your eyes upon something that we would've never dreamed our folks at the IOF would come up with, minor improvements would be called for as far as the aesthetics of the woodwork go, stain, glass-bed, re-checker (the checkering on these guns is awful! like someone used a jiffy knife!) but all of this, in my opinion is a very small price to pay considering what you are really paying for in the end. I did not get a chance to take the rifle apart and check the bedding, etc. as much as I'd have loved to, due to the fact that it was at a gunshop and apparently it is the only piece in my neck of the woods. Reports of people who've fired the rifle are positive and they all say that the rifle holds consistent groups with good ammo, I was told by a friend who owns one and is also is a competitive shooter, that he averaged 5-shot groups of a little under an inch at a lasered 100 yards! But his rifle was glassed in, he also mentioned that you can take the barrel apart for storage/transport if you remove the three clamp screws situated under the receiver, but this is unnecessary. Another good thing is that the stock fit me nicely with an adequate LOP and the open sights lined up to form a pretty picture. The attempt of the IOF woodworks at making a fluted comb and a Monte Carlo is disappointing to say the least but the saving grace is the at the end of the day it may look a little out of place but everything functions, opens, closes, slides and pops into place without one having to resort to elbow-grease, light five agarbattis and bow thrice to the east! It feels nice to know that we finally have a decent toy to play with, and one in a caliber that is undoubtedly King when it comes to these shores.



p.s - Two friends of mine are getting their IOF .30's soon, so as and when they do, I'll post relevant pics and the results of my doodling with them! wot say Rusty!

[Mack The Knife]

Go for it champ and thanks a ton for typing this all over again.

I am merging it with the parent thread.

[lazybones]

Superb review z375.

Ashok

[z375]

anytime Rusty! anytime!!

[mundaire]

z375, thank you for a great first hand review and look forward a the more elaborate one, once you get to "doodle" with your friends rifles

minor improvements would be called for as far as the aesthetics of the woodwork go, stain, glass-bed, re-checker (the checkering on these guns is awful! like someone used a jiffy knife!)

I have it on good authority that the IOF contracts out their (sporting rifle) stockmaking work to a "charpoy" manufacturer... and no I'm not kidding!

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[Vikram]

Great review ,Zubin.Your attention to minute details and explanation of technical aspects are very professional.Thank you for your effort and inputs.Quite heartening to know that IOF has come up with a decent rifle. Aftermarket makeovers should result a good looking and mechanically sound rifle.

Best-
Vikram

[indian]

Thanks for the review Z 375.im sure this gun will replace the existing 315s of many owners.

cheers