INSAS
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 464 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.25 kg
- Introduced
- 1998
About
What it is, and why it matters
The INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) is a 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifle developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board of India. Entering service with the Indian Armed Forces in 1998, it was designed as a family of weapons sharing common components, including an assault rifle, a light machine gun, and a carbine. The INSAS rifle combines design elements from several proven platforms: the long-stroke gas piston and stamped steel receiver are derived from the Kalashnikov family, the front end and gas system draw from the FN FNC, and it incorporates a manual gas regulator similar to the FN FAL for grenade launching. The rifle features selective fire capability limited to semi-automatic and three-round burst modes (no fully automatic fire in the standard rifle variant), transparent plastic magazines for visual ammunition counting, and a folding bipod on some variants. The INSAS has been exported to Nepal, Bhutan, and Oman, and is currently being phased out of Indian service in favor of the AK-203 and SIG-716i rifles.
The INSAS combined design elements from three different weapons families: the AK-47's gas system, the FN FNC's front end, and the FN FAL's gas regulator. Despite this pedigree, the rifle earned criticism for cracked magazines in Himalayan cold and for lacking a full-auto mode, leading India to eventually replace it with the Russian-designed AK-203.
The INSAS has faced criticism for reliability issues in cold-weather and high-altitude environments, particularly during operations in Siachen Glacier and Kargil. Common complaints include cracked magazines in extreme cold, jamming issues, and the absence of a fully automatic fire mode in the standard rifle. The INSAS 1B1 variant attempted to address some reliability concerns based on field feedback. Nepal received approximately 26,000 rifles at a 70% subsidy from India. The standard magazine capacity is 20 rounds, though 30-round magazines are also available. The rifle is being replaced in Indian service by the Indo-Russian AK-203 manufactured at the Korwa Ordnance Factory.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Ordnance Factory Board
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- India
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1998
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 464 mm
- Overall length
- 960 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.25 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.73 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated long 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
- Stamped steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 900 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1730 J
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Maximum range
- 700 m
- Rate of fire
- 650 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.
Chrome lined barrel
Chrome lined chamber
Rotating bolt
Select fire
Gas regulator
Bayonet lug
Three round burst
Transparent magazine
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 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 4.25 kg | 3.60 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 156 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 960 mm | 920 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 157 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 464 mm | 449 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 20 | 30 | Among the smallest capacities |
Answers
Questions about the INSAS
How much does the INSAS weigh?
The INSAS weighs 4.25 kg (9.37 lb) empty and 4.73 kg (10.43 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the INSAS?
The INSAS is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the INSAS hold?
The INSAS holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the INSAS?
The INSAS is 960 mm (37.8 in) long overall, with a 464 mm (18.3 in) barrel.
Who makes the INSAS?
The INSAS is made by Ordnance Factory Board (India).
When was the INSAS introduced?
The INSAS was introduced in 1998.
How does the INSAS operate?
The INSAS uses a gas operated long 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 Armed Forces
- 1998
- Nepalese Army
- 2001
- Royal Bhutan Army
- Bhutan
- Royal Army of Oman
- Oman
Provenance
Confidence in this record
75%
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/insas' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "insas", "name": "INSAS", "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": "assault-rifle", "name": "Assault Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "IN", "year_introduced": 1998, "barrel_length_mm": 464, "weight_empty_g": 4250, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}