INSAS 1A1
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 464 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.25 kg
- Introduced
- 2000
About
What it is, and why it matters
The INSAS 1A1 is an improved 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. It refines the earlier 1A fixed-butt rifle with production and reliability improvements while retaining the same core layout: a Kalashnikov-derived long-stroke gas piston and rotating bolt combined with Western features such as an FN FAL-style manual gas regulator for launching rifle grenades and a left-side charging handle. Firing from a 464mm chrome-lined barrel and feeding from translucent 20- or 30-round polymer magazines, the 1A1 offers selective fire limited to semi-automatic and three-round burst (no full-automatic in the rifle configuration). It served alongside the folding-stock 1B family in Indian infantry service before the platform was progressively supplanted by the AK-203 and SIG716i.
The INSAS family fielded parallel fixed-butt (1A/1A1) and folding-butt (1B/1B1) rifles from the same hybrid design that married an AK-style gas system to FN-derived controls, a combination that earned the platform a reputation for jamming and magazine cracking in Himalayan cold during operations in the late 1990s and 2000s.
The 1A1 designation identifies the improved fixed-butt rifle within the INSAS subvariant series (1A, 1A1, 1B, 1B1, 1C); the trailing '1' denotes the upgraded standard, mirroring the relationship between the folding-stock 1B and 1B1. Like the wider family it inherited criticism for cold-weather reliability problems and cracked polymer magazines during high-altitude operations. Detailed 1A1-specific published specifications are limited, so most figures are shared with the closely related 1A platform.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Ordnance Factory Board
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- India
- Status
- In service
- Produced
- 2000
- Variant of
- Improved 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 1A1
How much does the INSAS 1A1 weigh?
The INSAS 1A1 weighs 4.25 kg (9.37 lb) empty and 4.73 kg (10.43 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the INSAS 1A1?
The INSAS 1A1 is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the INSAS 1A1 hold?
The INSAS 1A1 holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the INSAS 1A1?
The INSAS 1A1 is 960 mm (37.8 in) long overall, with a 464 mm (18.3 in) barrel.
Who makes the INSAS 1A1?
The INSAS 1A1 is made by Ordnance Factory Board (India). It was designed by Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE).
When was the INSAS 1A1 introduced?
The INSAS 1A1 was introduced in 2000.
How does the INSAS 1A1 operate?
The INSAS 1A1 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
- 2000
- Central Reserve Police Force
- India
Provenance
Confidence in this record
60%
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-1a1' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "insas-1a1", "name": "INSAS 1A1", "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": 2000, "barrel_length_mm": 464, "weight_empty_g": 4250, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}