INSAS 1A
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 464 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.25 kg
- Introduced
- 1998
About
What it is, and why it matters
The INSAS 1A is a fixed-buttstock variant of India's INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifle, developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board. Representing the standard early-production infantry rifle of the family, the 1A is fitted with a solid polymer buttstock (as opposed to the side-folding metal stock of the 1B) and combines a Kalashnikov-derived long-stroke gas piston and rotating bolt with Western features including an FN FAL-style manual gas regulator for launching rifle grenades and a left-side charging handle. The rifle fires from a 464mm chrome-lined barrel, feeds from translucent 20- or 30-round polymer magazines, and offers selective fire limited to semi-automatic and three-round burst (no full-automatic in the rifle configuration). It served as a mainstay of the Indian Army before being progressively supplanted by the improved 1B1 and later platforms such as the AK-203 and SIG716i.
The INSAS fielded two buttstock configurations from the outset: the fixed-butt 1A for standard infantry and a side-folding-butt 1B for mechanised and airborne troops. The same hybrid design that mixed an AK-style gas system with FN-derived controls would later earn the family a reputation for jamming and magazine cracking in Himalayan cold during the 1999 Kargil War.
The 1A designation identifies the fixed-butt rifle within the INSAS subvariant series (1A, 1A1, 1B, 1B1, 1C). Like the wider family it drew criticism for cold-weather reliability problems and cracked polymer magazines during high-altitude operations, which drove the later 1B1 improvements. Magazine capacity is commonly 20 rounds, with 30-round magazines also issued.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Ordnance Factory Board
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- India
- Status
- In service
- Produced
- 1998
- Variant of
- Fixed butt
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
Manual gas regulator- Gas cutoff for grenades
Fixed buttstock
Left side charging handle
Bayonet lug
Three round burst
Translucent polymer magazine
Iron sights
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 1A
How much does the INSAS 1A weigh?
The INSAS 1A weighs 4.25 kg (9.37 lb) empty and 4.73 kg (10.43 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the INSAS 1A?
The INSAS 1A is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the INSAS 1A hold?
The INSAS 1A holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the INSAS 1A?
The INSAS 1A is 960 mm (37.8 in) long overall, with a 464 mm (18.3 in) barrel.
Who makes the INSAS 1A?
The INSAS 1A is made by Ordnance Factory Board (India). It was designed by Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE).
When was the INSAS 1A introduced?
The INSAS 1A was introduced in 1998.
How does the INSAS 1A operate?
The INSAS 1A 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
- Central Reserve Police Force
- India
- Nepalese Army
- 2001
Provenance
Confidence in this record
66%
Stockists
Where to buy
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No shop has listed this firearm yet
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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-1a' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "insas-1a", "name": "INSAS 1A", "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"}