An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle or carbine (not to be confused with a semi-automatic only replica) firing ammunition with muzzle energies intermediate between those typical of pistol and high-powered rifle ammunition. Assault rifles are the standard small arms in most modern armies, having largely replaced or supplemented larger, more powerful battle rifles, such as the World War II-era M1 Garand and SVT-40. Examples of assault rifles include the AK-47, the M16 rifle, the FAMAS and the Steyr AUG. Semi-automatic rifles, including commercial versions of the AR-15, and "automatic" rifles limited to single fire only, even though classified in the United States as assault rifles by the now defunct 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, are not generally counted as assault rifles as they are not selective fire. Belt-fed weapons or rifles with fixed magazines are also generally not considered assault rifles.
Welcome to CWAnswers
CWAnswers is your guide to the sprawling world wide web. The directory aims to provide a useful guide made by users. You can share your knowledge as well - simply sign up and edit your first entry. For questions just contact the team at support - at - cwanswers.com.
Weblinks for Assault Rifle
Top 10 for Assault Rifle
Things about Assault Rifle you find nowhere else.
Select content modules
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle or carbine (not to be confused with a semi-automatic only replica) firing ammunition with muzzle energies intermediate between those typical of pistol and high-powered rifle ammunition. Assault rifles are the standard small arms in most modern armies, having largely replaced or supplemented larger, more powerful battle rifles, such as the World War II-era M1 Garand and SVT-40. Examples of assault rifles include the AK-47, the M16 rifle, the FAMAS and the Steyr AUG. Semi-automatic rifles, including commercial versions of the AR-15, and "automatic" rifles limited to single fire only, even though classified in the United States as assault rifles by the now defunct 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, are not generally counted as assault rifles as they are not selective fire. Belt-fed weapons or rifles with fixed magazines are also generally not considered assault rifles.
Definition
The term assault rifle is a translation of the German word Sturmgewehr (literally meaning "storm rifle"), "storm" used as a verb being synonymous with assault, as in "to storm the compound". Sturmgewehr was coined by Adolf Hitler to describe the Maschinenpistole 44, subsequently re-christened Sturmgewehr 44, the firearm generally considered the first true assault rifle that served to popularize the concept. The translation “assault rifle” gradually became the common term for similar firearms sharing the same technical definition as the StG 44. In a strict definition, a firearm must have at least the following characteristics to be considered an assault rifle:
- An individual weapon with provision to fire from the shoulder.
- Capable of selective fire.
- Intermediate-power cartridge between pistol and traditional rifle.
- Ammunition is supplied from a detachable box magazine.
- Fires from a closed bolt with the breech locked.
The following features are commonly found on assault rifles, but are not exclusive to assault rifles, as those features are shared with many submachine guns, battle rifles, automatic rifles, machine guns, and semi-automatic rifles. These features are simply common on assault rifles, they do not affect whether or not a weapon qualifies as an assault rifle:
- Protruding pistol grip.
- Muzzle device like a muzzle brake or a flash suppressor.
There are commentators who use the expression “assault rifle” more loosely to include other types of arms, particularly arms that fall under a strict definition of the battle rifle, or civilian semi-automatic off-shoots of military rifles for commercial or political reasons. Some militaries of nations outside of the English-speaking world also have a different definition of assault rifle. For instance, the analogous term in the Swedish Armed Forces is automatkarbin (literally "automatic rifle") which includes both assault rifles and battle rifles.
