Engineering:List of assault rifles

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Assault rifles are full-length, select fire rifles that are chambered for an intermediate-power rifle cartridge that use a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are currently the standard service rifles in most modern militaries. Some rifles listed below, such as the AR-15, also come in semi-automatic models that would not belong under the term "assault rifle".

Definition

By strict definition, a firearm must have the following characteristics to be considered an assault rifle:[1] [2] </ref>

  • It must be an individual weapon;
  • It must be capable of selective fire, which means it has the capacity to switch between semi-automatic and burst/fully automatic fire;[3]
  • It must have an intermediate-power cartridge: more power than a pistol but less than a standard rifle or battle rifle. For full-power automatic rifles, see List of battle rifles;
  • Its ammunition must be supplied from a detachable box magazine;
  • It should 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, despite frequently being called such.

For example:

  • Select-fire Amogh carbines are not assault rifles; their effective range is only 200 yards.[4]
  • Select-fire rifles such as the FN FAL are not assault rifles; they are battle rifles and fire full-powered rifle cartridges.
  • Select-fire rifles such as the Joint Venture Protective Carbine are not assault rifles; as their cartridge is too weak.
  • Fully-automatic-only rifles like the M231 Firing Port Weapon are not assault rifles; they do not have select-fire capabilities. In contrast, the original ArmaLite AR-15 would meet the criteria.
  • Select-fire rifles with fixed magazines like the Cei-Rigotti are not assault rifles; they do not have detachable box magazines.

Several of the rifles on the below list have non-assault rifle variants. Because they lack the selective fire capability as they only fire semi-automatic even though it fulfills the other requirements of the definition above.

List

See also

References

  1. Taylor, C. (1983). The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat. Desert Publications. ISBN 0-87947-308-8. 
  2. Moyer, F.A. (1970). Special Forces Foreign Weapons Handbook. Paladin Press. ISBN 0-87364-009-8. 
  3. Assault rifle at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  4. Jane's Gun Recognition Guide. Ian Hogg & Terry Gander. HarperCollins Publishers. 2005. page 330
  5. "The Australian Combat Assault Rifle - Lithgow Arms". 2024-02-11. https://www.lithgowarms.com/acar/. 
  6. "Thales Australia delivers Australian Combat Assault Rifle ACAR to Ukraine". 2023-08-10. https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_august_2023_global_security_army_industry/thales_australia_delivers_the_australian_combat_assault_rifle_acar_to_ukraine.html. 
  7. "Colt's AR-15 Model 601 Automatic Rifle". 2021-08-27. https://www.firearmsnews.com/editorial/colt-ar15-model-601-automatic-rifle/451457. "They found that this lightweight selective-fire small-caliber rifle not only met, but exceeded the performance of the standard-issue 7.62mm M14 service rifle." 
  8. "BSA Machine Carbine". 2023-12-01. http://firearms.96.lt/pages/BSA%20Experimental%20Machine%20Carbine.html. 
  9. "BSA Machine Carbine [1st model (IWM) | Imperial War Museums"]. 2024-02-15. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30034353. 
  10. (in en) America's First Assault Rifle: Burton 1917 LMR, 4 July 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OGyJPFzNfU, retrieved 2024-02-14 
  11. "ASSAULT RIFLES AND THEIR AMMUNITION". 2014-06-02. http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/Assault.htm. 
  12. "Italian intermediate power cartridge, 1921? - #17 by jonnyc - General Ammunition Discussion - International Ammunition Association Web Forum". 2024-02-21. https://forum.cartridgecollectors.org/t/italian-intermediate-power-cartridge-1921/14188/17. "Moschetto automatico tipo Terno Mod. 1921 calibro 7.65mm. Nell immediato dopoguerra i esercito era orientato a sosti-tuire i fueili ed i moschetti 91 con una nuora arma indivuale in grado di sparare a raffica" 
  13. "Oman army all set to use India's INSAS rifles - Hindustan Times". http://www.hindustantimes.com/Oman-army-all-set-to-use-India-s-INSAS-rifles/Article1-534688.aspx. 
  14. "Home" (in en-US). http://komodoarmament.com/. 
  15. "AUSA 24 - FN Lightweight Intermediate Caliber Cartridge (LICC) Individual Weapon System (IWS) Update | Soldier Systems Daily". 28 October 2024. https://soldiersystems.net/2024/10/28/ausa-24-fn-licc-iws-update/. 
  16. admin (2018-06-27). "Perjalanan Terwujudnya Senapan Serbu Nasional Buatan Pindad" (in en-US). https://www.airspace-review.com/2018/06/28/perjalanan-terwujudnya-senapan-serbu-nasional-buatan-pindad/. 
  17. "Adolf Furrer's 1921 assault rifle... - Swiss Rifles dot com". 2020-11-09. https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/theswissriflesdotcommessageboard/adolf-furrer-s-1921-assault-rifle-t3449.html. 
  18. "Cartridge of the Month". 2019-08-07. http://www.cartridgecollectors.org/cmo/cmo10oct.htm. 
  19. "7.65x35 Furrer / MUNICION.ORG". 2020-02-20. http://municion.org/Swiss/765x38Furrer.htm. 
  20. "Rheinmetall and Steyr Mannlicher". https://www.defenceprocurementinternational.com/news/land/rheinmetall-and-steyr-mannlicher. 
  21. "숨은 적 공격하는 K11 소총, 국내 본격 공급". Yonhap. http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/05/31/2010053100963.html. 
  22. Firefight!: The History of Personal Firepower - Peter Newark, Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1989, Infantryman of the future Page 182, ISBN 0715391763