Assault rifle

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.

An assault rifle is a rifle that has a removable magazine, automatic-fire and semi-automatic modes, and uses intermediate cartridges. These cartridges include the 5.56 NATO and 7.62x39mm cartridges. Intermediate cartridges have more power and penetration than pistol cartridges fired by submachine guns, and less than the larger battle rifle cartridges.

The most used firearm in history, along with its successor, the AKM, is the AK-47. It was first adopted in 1949 by the Soviet Army, and uses the 7.62×39mm M43 round.

The M16 was first introduced into service in 1964 with the United States Armed Forces. It uses the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge.

Two rifles made in Italy and Russia before World War I are sometimes called assault rifles. The Germans were the first to use assault rifles in large numbers.

Common examples of "assault rifles" are the English L85, Russian AK-47, the American M16.

The term “assault rifle” comes from the firearm Sturmgewehr 44 (StG 44), translated to “Assault Rifle 1944”. The armed forces of other sovereign states adopted assault rifles later.

The term "assault rifle" and less commonly "assault weapon" have seen increasing use by American, Canadian and European politicians seeking to limit access to civilian rifles that fire similar or identical rounds to common "assault" or "battle" rifles, such as the 308 Winchester or the 30-06 Springfield.