INSAS Rifle, LMG & Carbine

Hari Sud

Hari Sud

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Can I pose a question to assault rifle experts of this thread?

Acquisition of assault rifle, the much talked about subject for the last so many years is low on priority. It may be high on the priority of the local arms merchant’s and their sponsorers, but introducing a newer life, I am not using the word modern, because the moderns are derivatives of the earlier rifles with newer butt stock, newest scope and better grips etc. The firing mechanism is same (bull pop designs a bit different in its loading mechanisms)

Indian army has tested AR versions, Ak versions, FAL versions and locally produced INSAS 1C1 versions of 5.56 caliber but decided nothing. I repeat decided nothing. Unable to conclude anything, they went back to the basics and questioned the use of 5.56 caliber. Instead they preferred the 7.62 caliber with full power round NATO of 51mm instead of Russian 39 mm round.

Experience wise the Russian AK is preferred with 39 mm round as it is universally preferred by terrorists and by counter terror army operations and almost all police forces.

The 5.56mm round in so called modern rifle with a pretty looks has been used for the last so many wars. The 39 mm round has been extensively used by Russian supplied forces. Hence both rounds and rifles firing these rounds have been extensively used. Indian army fielded the 7.62X51 rifles in 1965 and 1971 wars. In 1999 war with Pakistan, Indian fielded 5.56X54 round and early version of the INSAS rifles. Pakistanis were consistent with 7.62X51 round in all the three wars. Since the 1999 war was mostly artillery fight (to dislodge the Pakistani army from well fortified heights), the rifle was used for the final assault and hand to hand fight only. Hence, not much experience could be obtained about early version INSAS and 5.56X54 round about accuracy and range under battle conditions. Criticism by arms merchant’s inspired authors being critical of jams, cracked ammo feeds etc. was in plenty. These defects have all rectified in the 1C1 version in use now.

What I am trying to understand is that the acquisition delays are whether that the Indian Army has gotten use to INSAS 1C1 version and put the acquisition of newer 7.62X51 on the back burner or simply going about looking for something new to come up in the future and in the mean time current rifle is good enough.

Let me remind you again that all current so called modern rifles in the market look pretty, have newer furniture, scope etc. The firing and round loading mechanism has not undone a change at all. Moreover all so called modern rifles available today are 5.56X54 or 7.62x39 round. The manufacturers always says that these can be adopted to 7.62X51, but not much experience exists to the bigger round. Hence think carefully spending $4 billion on replacing a rifle and find out that rifle purchased is having teething problems. For this bad decision, governments usually fall. Hence caution is the word.
 
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