Years, were conceived for use in close range assaults, or conversely to thwart them, and which played their part in the evolution of the assault rifle, those early post-war rifles, including retrograde designs in 7.62×51mm that fired main battle rifle cartridges do, by their nature and/or intended use, fall into the category of assault rifles. Despite the turn of events revolving around the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge, like all the selective-fire rifles that, through the The M14 was soon replaced by the 5.56×45mm (.223 Remington) M16 rifle. M14 rifle, a great step backwards in the evolution of the assault rifle. The American rifle adopted at the end of this decade-long program was the U.S. As “true” or optimum assault rifles, however, all of these developments were derailed by the United States’ insistence on the adoption by NATO of the 7.62×51mm (.308 Winchester), still a MBR cartridge developed as part of its Light Rifle Program. All of these rifles embodied all the concepts found in the StG 44, and showed great promise. and others were being developed around other new intermediate cartridges. In the meantime, other new assault rifles such as the Belgian FNFAL British EM1 and EM2 Spanish C.E.T.M.E. In 1947 the development of the Soviet AK-47 (and the 7.62×41mm cartridge), although influenced by the StG 44, would put the assault rifle on the world’s center stage. The Sturmgewehr 44 (StG 44), would be short-lived-but only due to the fortunes of war: It would remain supremely prominent in the eyes of key designers the world over, even though its concept was evolving into the roller-lock design before the end of World War II. intermediate rifle cartridges that were midway in power between fullpower rifle rounds and pistol ammunition. At the same time, Germany and the Soviet Union were developing shorter versions of MBR (mail battle rifle) cartridges, the 7.92×33mm Kurz (pronounced “kurts”) and the 7.62×41mm, i.e. Rifle development, like the German FG42 and Johnson Automatic Rifle, continued to use main battle rifle cartridges. While the concept of smaller, pistol-like cartridges persisted in the wide use of submachine guns, major steps in assault In the second “Great War,” the selective-fire characteristic of the assault rifle would be joined by the straight-line stock, pistol grip, and high-capacity magazine, all of these comprising key elements of an assault rifle. Encompassing everything from stocked, selective-fire pistols to semi-automatic and selective-fire main battle rifles (to include the World War I Pedersen Device and the Browning Automatic Rifle), such weapons were spawned by the need seen in “Trench Warfare.” While none of these weapons saw wide service during WW I, they sewed the seeds for the wide and fascinating range of developments in the Soviet Union and Germany. By most accounts, the Sturmgewehr had achieved a level approaching perfection, embodying the features deemed ideal for a weapon to be the most effective in the 300-meter world in which soldiers live or die. Christened in 1944 by, of all people, Adolph Hitler, the Sturmgewehr (Storm, or Assault Rifle, pronounced Sh-turm Gevair) defined a class of firearms, which had been evolving at that time for some 30 years. A brief overview is appropriate as an understanding of just what constitutes an assault rifle then, now and in the future. Box 1050 Lorton, VA 22199-1050 Phone: (703) 493-9120 Fax: (703) 493-9424Īs were the stepping stones that led to the Sturmgewehr, are those that have followed during the nearly seven decades since. Published by Ironside International Publishers, Inc. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or information storage and retrieval systems – without written permission from the copyright holder.
Nelson © Copyright 2010 Ironside International Publishers, Inc. Nelson Published and Distributed by IRONSIDE INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS, INC. THE WORLD’S ASSAULT RIFLES by Gary Paul Johnston and Thomas B. ArmaLite Assault Rifles: From the AR-10 to the M16 and BeyondĬhapter 69. Assault Rifle Developments From the M1 Garand to the M14Ĭhapter 66. The AL-7 and Izhmash 100 SeriesĬhapter 64. Fedorov, Simonov, and Tokarev RiflesĬhapter 49. Czechoslovakia (Czech and Slovak Republics)Ĭhapter 47. Assault Rifle Operating and Locking SystemsĬhapter 18.
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