Assault rifle

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This article is about automatic firearms used by many military and law enforcement
organizations. For semi-automatic firearms restricted by some United States laws,
see assault weapon.

The StG 44 was adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1944. It fires the 7.92×33mm Kurz round.

Currently the most used assault rifle in the world along with its variant, the AKM, the AK-47 was first adopted in
1949 by the Soviet Army. It fires the 7.62×39mm M43 round.

The M16 was first introduced into service in 1964 with the United States Armed Forces. It fires the 5.56×45mm
NATO cartridge, and is the most produced assault rifle in its caliber.

An assault rifle is a selective-fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a

detachable magazine.[1][2][3][4][5] Assault rifles were first put into mass production and
accepted into widespread service during World War II. The first assault rifle to see major
usage was the German StG 44, a development of the earlier Mkb 42.[6][7][8] While
immediately after World War II, NATO countries were equipped with battle rifles, the
development of the M16 rifle during the Vietnam War prompted the adoption of assault
rifles by the rest of NATO. By the end of the 20th century, assault rifles had become
the standard weapon in most of the world's armies, replacing full-powered
rifles and sub-machine guns in most roles.[8] Some of the most successful assault rifles
include the AK-47, M16, IMI Galil and Heckler & Koch G36.

Contents

 1Origin of term
 2Characteristics
 3History
o 3.1Sturmgewehr 44
 o 3.2AK-47
o 3.3Battle rifles
o 3.4M16
o 3.5HK33
o 3.65.56mm NATO
o 3.7AK-74
o 3.8Compact assault rifles
o 3.9Bullpups
o 3.10Heckler & Koch G36
 4Distinction from assault weapons
 5See also
 6Citations
 7References
 8Further reading
 9External links

Origin of term[edit]
The term assault rifle is generally attributed to Adolf Hitler, who,
for propaganda purposes, used the German word Sturmgewehr (which translates to
"assault rifle") as the new name for the MP 43, subsequently known as
the Sturmgewehr 44.[6][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] However, other sources dispute that Hitler had much to
do with coining the new name besides signing the production order.[15] Furthermore,
Hitler was initially opposed to the idea of a new infantry rifle, as Germany lacked the
industrial capacity to replace the 12,000,000 Karabiner 98k rifles already in service, only
changing his mind once he saw it first-hand.[16] The StG 44 is generally considered the
first selective fire military rifle to popularize the assault rifle concept. [6][8] Today, the
term assault rifle is used to define firearms sharing the same basic characteristics as
the StG 44.[6][8]

Characteristics[edit]
The U.S. Army defines assault rifles as "short, compact, selective-fire weapons that fire
a cartridge intermediate in power between submachine gun and rifle cartridges." [17] In
this strict definition, a firearm must have at least the following characteristics to be
considered an assault rifle:[2][3][4]

 It must be capable of selective fire.

 It must have an intermediate-power cartridge: more power than a pistol but
less than a standard rifle or battle rifle, examples of intermediate cartridges
are the 7.92×33mm Kurz, the 7.62x39mm and 5.56×45mm NATO.
 Its ammunition must be supplied from a detachable box magazine.[5]
 It must have an effective range of at least 300 metres (330 yards).
Rifles that meet most of these criteria, but not all, are technically not assault rifles. For
example:
  Select-fire M2 Carbines are not assault rifles; their effective range is only 180
metres (200 yd).[18]
 Select-fire rifles such as the FN FAL, M14, and H&K G3 main battle rifles are
not assault rifles; they fire full-powered rifle cartridges.
 Semi-automatic-only rifles like the Colt AR-15 are not assault rifles; they do
not have select-fire capabilities.
 Semi-automatic-only rifles with fixed magazines like the SKS are not assault
rifles; they do not have detachable box magazines and are not capable of
automatic fire.
The more political term assault weapon is often conflated with assault rifle and does not
require all of the characteristics above – especially the selective fire capability which is
functionally illegal in the USA for civilian use.

History[edit]
Sturmgewehr 44[edit]
Main article: StG 44

Sturmgewehr 44

The Germans were the first to pioneer the assault rifle concept during World War II,
based upon research that showed that most firefights happen within 400 metres
(1,300 ft) and that contemporary rifles were over-powered for most small arms combat. [7]
[8][9][19][20][21]
 They would soon develop a select-fire intermediate powered rifle combining the
firepower of a submachine gun with the range and accuracy of a rifle. [7][8][9][19][20][21]
The result was the Sturmgewehr 44, an improvement of the earlier Maschinenkarabiner
42(H), and approximately half a million Sturmgewehrs were produced by the war's end. [7]
[8][9][20][21]
 It fired a new and revolutionary intermediate powered cartridge, the 7.92×33mm
Kurz.[6][7][8][9][20][21][22] This new cartridge was developed by shortening the
standard 7.92×57mm Mauser round and giving it a lighter 125-grain bullet, which limited
range but allowed for more controllable automatic fire. [6][7][8][9][20][21][22] A smaller, lighter
cartridge also allowed soldiers to carry more ammunition "to support the higher
consumption rate of automatic fire."[8][19]
The Sturmgewehr 44 features an inexpensive, easy-to-make, stamped steel design and
a 30-round detachable box magazine.[23] "This weapon was the prototype of all
successful automatic rifles. Characteristically (and unlike previous rifles) it had a straight
stock with the barrel under the gas cylinder to reduce the turning moment of recoil of the
rifle in the shoulder and thus help reduce the tendency of shots to climb in automatic
fire. The barrel and overall length were shorter than a traditional rifle and it had a pistol
grip to hold the weapon more securely in automatic fire. “The principle of this weapon—
the reduction of muzzle impulse to get usable automatic fire within the actual ranges of
combat—was probably the most important advance in small arms since the invention
of smokeless powder."[22]
AK-47[edit]
Main article: AK-47
Like the Germans, the Soviets were influenced by experience showing that most
combat engagements occur within 400 metres (1,300 ft) and that their soldiers were
consistently outgunned by heavily armed German troops, especially those armed
with Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifles.[24][25][26][27][28][29] On July 15, 1943, a Sturmgewehr was
demonstrated before the People's Commissariat of Arms of the USSR.[30] The Soviets
were so impressed with the Sturmgewehr, that they immediately set about developing
an intermediate caliber automatic rifle of their own, to replace the badly
outdated Mosin–Nagant bolt-action rifles and PPSh-41 submachine guns that armed
most of the Red Army.[8][27][29][30][31][32]

Kalashnikov rifles: AK-47, OTs-14, AK-74, AN-94, AK-12 and AEK-971

The Soviets soon developed the 7.62×39mm M43 cartridge, which was first used in the
semi-automatic SKS carbine and the RPD light machine gun.[33][dead link] Hugo Schmeisser,
the designer of the Sturmgewehr, was captured after World War II, and helped develop
the AK-47 assault rifle,[16] which would quickly replace the SKS and Mosin in Soviet
service.[34][35] The AK-47 was finalized, adopted and entered widespread service in the
Soviet army in the early 1950s.[24] Its firepower, ease of use, low production costs, and
reliability were perfectly suited for the Red Army's new mobile warfare doctrines.[24] In the
1960s, the Soviets introduced the RPK light machine gun, itself an AK-47 type weapon
with a bipod, a stronger receiver, and a longer, heavier barrel that would eventually
replace the RPD light machine gun.[33] The AK-47 has been continually worked upon,
and improved. The AKM, AK-74, and AK-12 were all designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov,
and have all been service rifles in the Soviet Union, and the later Russian federation.

A Chinese Type 56 assault rifle

The AK-47 was widely supplied or sold to nations allied with the USSR, and the
blueprints were shared with several friendly nations (the People's Republic of
China standing out among these with the Type 56).[24] As a result, more AK-type
weapons have been produced than all other assault rifles combined. [36] As of 2004, "of
the estimated 500 million firearms worldwide, approximately 100 million belong to the
Kalashnikov family, three-quarters of which are AK-47s." [36]