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 used during World War II.[6][7][8]Though Western nations were
slow to accept the assault rifle concept, by the end of the 20th century they had become the
standard weapon in most of the world's armies, replacing full-powered rifles and sub-machine
guns in most roles.[8] Examples include the StG 44, AK-47 and the M16 rifle.[8]
The term assault rifle is generally attributed to Adolf Hitler, who for propaganda purposes used the
German word "Sturmgewehr" (which translates to "storm rifle" or "assault rifle"), as the new name for
the MP43, subsequently known as the Sturmgewehr 44 or StG 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] 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]

Contents

1Characteristics
2History
o 2.1Sturmgewehr 44
o 2.2AK-47
o 2.3Battle rifles
o 2.4M16
o 2.5HK33
o 2.65.56mm NATO
o 2.7AK-74
o 2.8Bullpups
3Assault rifles vs. assault weapons
4Notes
5Further reading
6External links

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."[16] In a 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, such as the 7.9233mm Kurz, the 7.62x39mm and the 5.56x45mm
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, despite frequently
being called such.
For example:

Select-fire M2 Carbines are not assault rifles; their effective range is only 200 yards.[17]
Select-fire rifles such as the FN FAL battle rifle are not assault rifles; they fire full-powered rifle
cartridges.
 Semi-automatic-only rifles like variants of the Colt AR-15 are not assault rifles; they do not have
select-fire capabilities.
Semi-auto 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.

History[edit]
Sturmgewehr 44[edit]

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 meters and that contemporary rifles
were over-powered for most small arms combat.[7][8][9][18][19][20] 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][18][19][20]
The result was the Sturmgewehr 44, which the Germans produced in large numbers; approximately
half a million were made.[7][8][9][19][20] It fired a new and revolutionary intermediate powered cartridge,
the 7.9233mm Kurz.[6][7][8][9][19][20][21] This new cartridge was developed by shortening the
standard 7.9257mm Mauser round and giving it a lighter 125-grain bullet, that limited range but
allowed for more controllable automatic fire.[6][7][8][9][19][20][21] A smaller lighter cartridge also allowed
soldiers to carry more ammunition "to support the higher consumption rate of automatic fire."[8][18]
The Sturmgewehr 44 features an inexpensive, easy-to-make, stamped steel design and a 30-round
detachable box magazine.[22] "This weapon was the prototype of all successful automatic rifles.
Characteristically (and unlike previous rifles and the M-14) 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 weaponthe reduction of muzzle impulse to get usable automatic fire
within the actual ranges of combatwas probably the most important advance in small arms since
the invention of smokeless powder."[21]

AK-47[edit]

AK-47 rifle

Like the Germans, the Soviets were influenced by experience showing that most combat
engagements occur within 400 meters and that their soldiers were consistently outgunned by heavily
armed German troops, especially those armed with the Sturmgewehr 44 assault
rifles.[23][24][25][26][27][28] On July 15, 1943, a Sturmgewehr was demonstrated before the People's
Commissariat of Arms of the USSR.[29] 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 MosinNagant bolt-action rifles and PPSh-41 submachine guns that armed most
of the Soviet Army.[8][26][28][29][30][31][32]
The Soviets soon developed the 7.6239mm M43 cartridge, the semi-automatic SKS carbine and
the RPD light machine gun.[33] Shortly after World War II, the Soviets developed the AK-47 assault
rifle, which would quickly replace the SKS in Soviet service.[34][35] The AK-47 was finalized, adopted
and entered widespread service in the Soviet army in the early 1950s.[23] Its firepower, ease of use,
low production costs, and reliability were perfectly suited for the Red Army's new mobile warfare
doctrines.[23] In the 1960s, the Soviets introduced the RPK light machine gun, itself an AK-47 type
weapon with a bi-pod, a stronger receiver, and a longer, heavier barrel that would eventually replace
the RPD light machine gun.[33]

Chinese Type 56 rifle. Note: folding spike bayonet

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 Chinastanding out among these with
the Type 56).[23] 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 rearms worldwide, approximately 100 million
belong to the Kalashnikov family, three-quarters of which are AK-47s."[36]

Battle rifles[edit]

The M1 Rifle and M1 Carbine

The U.S. Army was influenced by combat experience with semi-automatic weapons such as the M1
Garand and M1 Carbine, which enjoyed a significant advantage over enemies armed primarily with
bolt-action rifles.[37] Although U.S. Army studies of World War II combat accounts had very similar
results to that of the Germans and Soviets, the U.S. Army failed to recognize the importance of the
assault rifle concept,[18] and instead maintained its traditional views and preference for high-powered
semi-automatic rifles.[8][18][20][38] At the time, the U.S. Army believed that the Sturmgewehr 44 was
"intended in a general way to serve the same purpose as the U.S. carbine" and was in many ways
inferior to the M1 carbine,[39] and was of "little importance".[18]
After World War II, the United States military started looking for a battle rifle, a single automatic rifle
to replace the M1 Garand, M1/M2 Carbines, M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, M3 "Grease
Gun" and Thompson submachine gun.[20][40] Early experiments with select-fire versions of the M1
Garand proved disappointing.[41] During the Korean War, the select-fire M2 Carbine largely replaced
the submachine gun in US service[42] and became the most widely used Carbine variant.[43] Combat
experience suggested that the .30 Carbine round was under-powered.[44] American weapons
designers reached the same conclusion as the German and Soviet ones: an intermediate round was
necessary, and recommended a small-caliber, high-velocity cartridge.[8][45]
American M14

Senior American commanders had faced fanatical enemies and experienced major logistical
problems during WWII and the Korean War,[46][47][48][49][50] and insisted that a single powerful .30 caliber
cartridge be developed, that could be used by the new automatic rifle, and also by the new general-
purpose machine gun (GPMG) in concurrent development.[8][51][52] This culminated in the development
of the 7.6251mm NATO cartridge and the M14 rifle[8][51] which was basically an improved select-fire
M1 Garand with a 20-round magazine.[53][54][55] The U.S. also adopted the M60 GPMG.[51] Its NATO
partners adopted the FN FAL and Heckler & Koch G3 rifles, as well as the FN MAG and Rheinmetall
MG3 GPMGs.

Belgian FN FAL

The FN FAL is a 7.6251mm NATO, selective fire, automatic rifle produced by the Belgian
armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN). During the Cold War it was adopted
by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, most notably with the British
Commonwealth as the L1A1. It is one of the most widely used rifles in history, having been used by
more than 90 countries.[56] The FAL was predominantly chambered for the 7.62mm NATO round, and
because of its prevalence and widespread use among the armed forces of many western nations
during the Cold War it was nicknamed "The right arm of the Free World".[57]

West German Heckler & Koch G3

The Heckler & Koch G3 is a 7.6251mm NATO, selective fire, automatic rifle produced by the
German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) in collaboration with the Spanish
state-owned design and development agency CETME (Centro de Estudios Tcnicos de Materiales
Especiales).[58] The rifle proved successful in the export market, being adopted by the armed forces
of over 60 countries.[59] After WWII, German technicians involved in developing the Sturmgewehr 45,
continued their research in France at CEAM. The StG45 mechanism was modified by Ludwig
Vorgrimler and Theodor Lffler at the Mulhouse facility between 1946 and 1949. Vorgrimler later
went to work at CETME in Spain and developed the line of CETME automatic rifles based on his
improved Stg45 design. Germany eventually purchased the license for the CETME design and
manufactured the Heckler & Koch G3 as well as an entire line of weapons built on the same system,
one of the most famous being the MP5 SMG.