Any of various automatic or semiautomatic rifles designed for individual use in combat. Military firearm that is chambered for ammunition of reduced size or propellant charge and has the capacity to switch between semiautomatic and fully automatic fire. Light and portable, yet able to deliver a high volume of fire with reasonable accuracy at modern combat ranges of 1,000-1,600 ft (300-500 m), assault rifles have become the standard infantry weapon of modern armies. Their ease of handling makes them ideal for mobile assault troops crowded into personnel carriers or helicopters, as well as for guerrilla fighters engaged in jungle or urban warfare. Widely used assault rifles are the U.S. M16, the Soviet Kalashnikov (the AK-47 and modernized versions), the Belgian FAL and FNC, and the German G3
This term was coined during World War II It is a translation of the German Sturmgewehr Two key characteristics that identify "assault rifles" are full automatic fire and detachable magazines with a capacity of 20 or more cartridges These weapons were designed to produce roughly aimed bursts of full automatic fire While some assault rifles offer an option of semi-automatic fire (i e , single-shot), all true assault rifles fire at least fully automatic
By U S Army definition, a selective-fire rifle chambered for a cartridge of intermediate power If applied to any semi-automatic firearm regardless of its cosmetic similarity to a true assault rifle, the term is incorrect