List Of Top 10 Most Popular Guns Of The Indian Army

Guns are always in the top list of vital weapons of any army forces, including the Indian Army. This kind of weapon is a witness of a series of various wars, as well as the soldiers’ sacrifices. In the following article, you will know the list of the top 10 guns used by Indian Army throughout history.

1. Pistol Auto 9mm 1A

Referring to the Armed Forces in India, we must mention the Pistol Auto 9mm 1A guns. Not only the Pistol Auto 9mm 1A is an Indian army pistol but it's also used by the State Police Forces and Central Armed Police Forces. Thanks to its contribution, Pistol Auto 9mm 1A could be considered the best pistol in India.

Manufactured by Rifle Factory Ishapore, the semi-automatic pistol has some characteristics as below: self-loading, magazine-fed, recoil-operated, and its used ammunition is the Cartridge SA Ball 9mm MK.2z ammunition (Parabellum).

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2. AKM Assault Rifle

Originating from the Soviets, AKM assault rifle is an improved and advanced version of the AK-47 rifle. Its firing rate reaches 600 rounds/minute and it has two modes: fully automatic or semi-automatic. Until now, the AK series of guns have been the most popular assault rifles all over the world. Some forces are using the AKM assault rifle including Ghatak, BSF, Garud, NSG, and PARA SF.

3. AK-103 Assault Rifle

AK-74M is another type of AK in Indian army weapons list. Hailing from the AK-74 M model, the AK-103 comes with a 7.62x39mm cartridge, a grenade launcher, and a knife-bayonet, and is suitable for many kinds of sights, such as telescopic sights and night vision. The weapon is widely used by Paramilitary Forces, Army, Special Forces, and the Indian Police.

4. NSV Heavy Machine Gun

Designed by Soviet, the NSV heavy machine gun is similar to many other guns in this list. They are produced at Ordnance Factory, Tiruchirapalli. It is a top choice to struggle against UAVs, aircraft, and helicopters. In addition, it is also attached to tanks in a bid to enhance accuracy when targetting and destroying the enemy.

5. Vidhwansak Anti-material Rifle

Manufactured at Ordnance Factory, Tiruchirappalli, Vidhwansak is one of the anti-material rifles used by Indian army. Vidhwansak rifles are used to destroy enemy bunkers, radar systems, parked aircraft, communication equipment, as well as lightly armored vehicles. This rifle is known for its effective range of 1800m.

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6. SAF Carbine 9mm 2A1 Sub Machine Gun

For any unit that needs to operate in silence, these guns are for them. The SAF Carbine 9mm 2A1 is known as a silent version of the Sub-Machine gun. Produced by Ordnance Factory, Kanpur, these Indian guns can fire automatically with the fire rate of 150 rounds/minute. The SAF Carbine sub-machine gun just appears in special missions to fight terrorists. Army forces that often use it include Marine commandos of the Indian Navy (MARCOS), and the Indian Army.

7. Dragunov SVD 59 Sniper Rifle

Among the list of most widely used guns of the Indian Army, Dragunov SVD 59 is the top choice of the Designated Marksman. Originating from Soviet, this kind of gun was first introduced in the cold war. It comes with a 7.62x54 mm cartridge and a detachable curved box magazine with a 10-round capacity.

8. Mauser SP66 Sniper Rifle

Originating from German, this gun is a representative for bolt-action sniper rifles. The Mauser SP66 takes inspiration from a hunting rifle called Model 66 Super Match. It has an effective range of about 800m. The Indian Army’s special forces often use this kind of weapon.

9. IMI Galil 7.62 Sniper Rifle

Manufactured by Israel Military Industries (IMI for short), the 7.62x51mm Galil sniper rifle is a kind of automatic rifles that appeared at the end of the 1960s. It is designed with a detachable box magazine with a 20-round capacity. The gun is classified into the list of tactical support rifles and can compete with German G3-SG1 or Russian SVD. At present, the Indian Army’s special forces, as well as over 25 countries, are still using it.

10. INSAS Assault Rifle

One of the most used guns of the Indian Armed Forces is the INSAS assault rifle. INSAS is the abbreviation for Indian New Small Arms System. Originating from Ordnance Factory, Tiruchirappalli, the rifle is designed with a 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge.

The first time it appeared in combat was in 1999 when the Kargil War was taking place. However, INSAS has come under fire due to some issues such as automatically moving to the auto-mode or easy to be jammed.

Despite its innovation in the later versions, the gun is finally replaced by more modern assault rifles with 7.62x51mm NATO cartridges. Some army forces are using this kind of guns include Bhutan, Oman, and Nepal armies.