The gun, with a barrel length of 76 mm, weighs 700 grams without cartridges.
Prabal, India's first long-range revolver, will be launched today. Manufactured by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India (AWEIL), a state-owned company, the revolver has a firing range of up to 50 metres. That's twice the range of other revolvers available on the market.
AWEIL also claims that its fire range is the best among all the revolvers available in the market.
How much does the gun weigh?
The gun, with a barrel length of 76 mm, weighs 700 grams without cartridges. The overall length of the revolver is 177.6 mm.
How does it differ from other revolvers?
Prabal is also the first revolver equipped with a side swing cylinder making it easier to pull the trigger. The problem with most earlier versions of revolvers was that they had to be folded when inserting cartridges.
Know the manufacturer
Advanced Weapons and Equipment India is located in Kanpur's Armapur and has eight factories where it manufactures small arms and artillery guns. The first factory was established in 2021 after the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) was restructured and corporatised into seven different public sector units.
In 2023, AWEIL received an order of Rs 6,000 crore to manufacture defence products. The deal also includes an order for 300 'Sarang' cannon from the Indian Army.
Who can buy it and when?
Only gun licence holders can apply for the revolver from August 18.
Who is eligible for a gun licence in India?
According to the Arms Act 1959, Indian citizens are allowed to possess Non-Prohibited Bore (NPB) guns - .35, .32, .22 and .380.
The Ministry of Home Affairs outlines the conditions you must fulfil to get a licence to own an NPB gun.
It says:
(a) Any person who by the very nature of his business, profession, job or otherwise has a genuine requirement to protect his life and/or property; or
(b) Any dedicated sports person being an active member for the last two years, of a shooting club or a rifle association, licensed under these rules and who wants to pursue sport shooting for target practice in a structured learning process; or
(c) Any person in service or having served in the Defence Forces, Central Armed Police Forces or the State Police Force and has a genuine requirement to protect his life and/or property can own an NPB gun.