Best Assault Rifles

Rifles were invented for protection as well as destruction. They are collectors' items and symbol of power. This article takes a shot at listing down some of the best assault rifles available all over the world.
Phillip Killicoat, an Oxford Economist, provided some interesting statistics in his 2006 paper, Weaponomics: The Economics of Small Arms. There are around 500 million firearms in the world, out of which 100 million of them are from Kalashnikov family; however, AK-47 dominates the weapon market with 75 million units in existence.

A standard infantry weapon used in modern warfare and in armies all over the world is the most basic definition of an assault rifle. These big-boy guns come with features like intermediate cartridge, detachable magazine, and selective fire choice (selective fire between automatic, semiautomatic, and burst-fire). Within the category of assault rifles, you have two types of firearms. They are: light machine guns and submachine guns. The former is used for sustained automatic fire, which fires full-powered cartridges in a light support role. The latter fires a lower-powered pistol cartridge. Interestingly, it was Adolf Hitler who introduced the term 'assault rifle' to the world, which is derived from the German word Sturmgewehr.

The Best of Their Kind


AK-47

Type - Selective fire (Semi or fully automatic assault rifle)

Rate of Fire - Cyclic 600 rounds/min, semi-automatic-40 rounds/min, fully automatic - 100 rounds/min

Caliber of Bullet - 7.62×39mm (.30 inch)

Muzzle Velocity - 2,350 ft/s

Magazine Capacity - 30 rounds

Country of Origin - Soviet Union

Special Features - Being simple in its design and compact in size, the AK-47 is easy to manufacture, clean, and maintain. It has become the most popular firearm worldwide due to its robustness and good success rate. It is a weapon of choice of the armed and special forces of more than 80 countries.

M16

Type - Selective fire (Semi or fully automatic assault rifle)

Rate of Fire - (full-auto cycle) 700-950 rounds/min

Caliber of Bullet - 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge

Muzzle Velocity - Approximately 3,110 ft/s

Magazine Capacity - 20-30 rounds

Country of Origin - United States

Special Features - Superb accuracy, handling, service length, and combat effectiveness are a few of its USP as it has a lightweight weapon with metal alloy and plastic construction.


FN FAL 50.00

Type - Self-loading, selective fire

Rate of Fire - 650-700 rounds/min

Caliber of Bullet - 7.62×51mm (.30 inch)

Muzzle Velocity - 2,756 ft/s

Magazine Capacity - 20 or 30 rounds for detachable box magazine; 50 round drum also available.

Country of Origin - Belgium

Special Features - Being used in over 90 countries worldwide, it has been described as "The Right Arm of the Free World".


Steyr AUG

Type - Semi or fully automatic bullpup assault rifle

Rate of Fire - 680-750 rounds/min

Caliber of Bullet - 5.56×45mm NATO, 9×19mm Parabellum

Muzzle Velocity - 3,182 ft/s

Magazine Capacity - 30 and 42 rounds

Country of Origin - Austria

Special Features - Boasts of an interchangeable barrel system, transparent magazine, and an optional left or right shell ejection capability.


AR-15

Type - Semi-automatic rifle

Rate of Fire - 800 rounds/min (fully automatic versions only)

Caliber of Bullet - .223 Remington, 5.56 NATO

Muzzle Velocity - 3,200 ft/s

Magazine Capacity - 10-30 rounds

Country of Origin - United States

Special Features - The AR 15 is fully loaded with features like aluminum receiver and it is lightweight, highly corrosion-resistant, and machinable. It's a modern design that makes way for accessories, such as after market sights, vertical forward grips, lighting systems, night vision devices, laser targeting devices, muzzle brakes/flash hiders, sound suppressors, bipods, etc.


SG 550

Type - Selective fire

Rate of Fire - Approx. 700 rounds/min

Caliber of Bullet - 5.6mm Gw Pat 90 (5.56×45mm NATO)

Muzzle Velocity - 2,989 ft/s

Magazine Capacity- 5, 20, 30-round detachable box magazine

Country of Origin - Switzerland

Special Features- The most unique feature about this rifle is that it comes with a 30-round magazine that is molded from a translucent polymer, which can be locked together using connectors so as to facilitate Jungle-style loading.


G36K

Type - Semi-automatic

Rate of Fire - 769 rounds/min

Caliber of Bullet - 5.56×45mm NATO

Muzzle Velocity - 2,788.7 ft/s

Magazine Capacity - 30-round with a detachable box magazine or 100-round with a C-Mag drum magazine

Country of Origin - Germany

Special Features - This gun does not have a gas valve, therefore it uses a self-regulating spring-buffered short-stroke gas piston system.


L86A1 LSW

Type - Selective fire

Rate of Fire - 800 rounds/min

Caliber of Bullet - 5.56×45mm NATO

Muzzle Velocity - 3,182.4 ft/s

Magazine Capacity - 30-round detachable STANAG magazine

Country of Origin - United Kingdom

Special Features - This weapon was made, keeping the bullpup design in mind. The compactness of this weapon is achieved without shortening the barrel length.


Famas G2

Type - Selective fire

Rate of Fire - 1000-1100 rounds/min

Caliber of Bullet - 5.56×45mm NATO

Muzzle Velocity - 3,030 ft/s

Magazine Capacity - 30-round box magazine (STANAG)

Country of Origin - France

Special Features - This reliable and trustworthy weapon is one of the rare guns that use a delayed blowback action.


HK-416

Type - Selective fire

Rate of Fire - Cyclic 700-900 rounds/min

Caliber of Bullet - 5.56×45mm NATO

Muzzle Velocity - Varies by barrel length and type of round used.

Magazine Capacity - 20, 30-round STANAG magazine or 100-round Beta C-Mag

Country of Origin - Germany

Special Features - Short-stroke gas piston makes this gun suitable for use for long periods of time as there is no powder residue left after firing this gun.

Every country has different set of laws pertaining to guns, so make sure you have the appropriate paperwork or license before you acquire a gun. All assault rifles have different specifications, it is best to choose one that appeals to you the most. You must always remember that a gun is a killing machine, so handle it responsibly.
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