Defense Articles

Simply put, an assault rifle is a cross between a normal rifle and a machine gun. Such kinds of automatic rifles or carbines have the facility of selective firing. This means that it can shoot short, suppressive automatic bursts, which makes them perfect for supportive or ‘covering’ fire. They are equipped with intermediate-powered ammunition that offers variable firepower and thereby takes the pressure off the shooter by affording him the advantage of controlled fire. This leads to better placing of shots and also preserves the rifle’s mechanisms for longer periods.

Since assault rifles are predominantly used for this purpose, it can be argued that the qualifier ‘assault’ is not a strictly accurate term. In fact, it is used widely only in the United States. However, they are also highly effective offensive weapons. The main advantage is economy of firepower, since they are not suitable for prolonged firing periods in which cartridges are often wasted. In that sense, assault rifles require considerable marksmanship. However, some of them can fire up to 500 rounds a minute in fully automatic mode and that makes up for a lot of uncertainty in terms of stopping power.

Assault rifles, loosely christened after the German equivalent, are standard equipment in most armies, are issued in place of the unwieldy and cumbersome battle rifles. The most well known are the Russian AK 74 and the American M16 rifle. The iconic AK 47 uses a 7.62×39mm medium-power load and was developed by Anton Kalashnikov in 1943.

Historically speaking, the Italian Cei-Rigotti was the first assault rifle, and was first put into widespread use in 1900. However, assault rifles were not used by the military until the coming of the Russian Federov Avtomat in 1916. This model, highly advanced for its time, was the brainchild of an enlisted armorer named Colonel Federov. World War 1 saw the Browning Automatic Rifle, which first offered full-power rounds.

Shortly before World War II (in 1938) the M1 Carbine was introduced by America. It did not offer the select-fire option, but this feature was later made available in its successors – the M2 and M3 carbines. The M1 was mass-produced and extensively used because it proved ideal for close-up work on the front. The M16 came in 1960, but the M1 never went completely out of style.
Today’s assault rifles feature calibers from 5.45 mm to 7.62 mm and are equipped with magazines that can accommodate between 20 and 30 rounds. Some assault rifles feature semi-automatic and fully automatic fire capabilities, while others also have the select-fire and 2/3 shot burst options. Most of them have effective ranges of up to 600 meters, after which the accurate placing of shots becomes a matter of chance rather than marksmanship.

However, there are advanced assault rifles available – the Heckler & Koch G36 is a perfect example of these. Calibrated for smaller bullets that have higher velocity, this highly advanced assault rifle features a telescopic sight, supported by red-dot infrared sighting, that considerably increase its accuracy over longer ranges. Most contemporary assault rifles are designed according to the ‘bull pup’ model, which includes a butt plate that is directly attached to the receiver and the trigger positioned ahead of the magazine slot.

Today, there is considerable controversy about what features actually qualify a rifle to be included in the ‘assault weapon’ category. Various acts such as the National Firearms Act of 1934, the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 have attempted to define the required specifications and also the parameters surrounding rights of ownership of such weapons. The 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which lapsed in 2004 but is still considered a standard of sorts, specifies such features as bayonet lug, pistol grip, a folding stock and night scope.

The AR15 is one of the most celebrated lightweight rifles in the history of firearms. The US military named it the M16 when it first adopted it shortly after its manufacturers, ArmaLite, developed it through their Fairchild Division in 1959. The original patents is accredited to their designer Eugene Stoner. It is a little known fact that the rifle’s name derives simply from the company ArmaLite’s name. There is a common misconception that it actually stands for ‘ArmaLite Rifle’.

The AR15 is an extremely wieldy, lightweight small caliber rifle that features a magazine and has auto-loading capabilities. One of its distinctive features is ‘barrel lapping’, which is a means of smoothing the bore of the rifle’s barrel and making its bore as consistently uniform as possible by means of extensive polishing. It comes in two basic models – the one for civilians comes in .223 Remington configuration (this is generally held to be the more accurate version). For NATO purposes, the 5.56 mm model is used. The AR15 operates on the principle of gas impingement, which means that the power of the expanding gas caused by firing a cartridge is optimized and channeled in such a way that the bullet attains maximum possible velocity. It features a highly adaptable design and is suitable for a number of add-on accessories. It is also extremely easy to disassemble for repair.

While it comes with attached front and rear sights, these can be supplemented by a variety of telescopic and night-sights to increase accuracy over longer ranges. The entire unit usually weighs only 3.4 kilograms and a standard magazine can hold either 20 or 30 rounds. However, there are magazines that can accommodate up to a 100 rounds. Purists argue that a lightweight rifle like the AR15 is not suited for extended fire and that larger-capacity magazines should be avoided. Apart from that, there are other points of controversy about this famous rifle, too.

The American Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 restricted its sale to and use by civilians for almost a decade in the early 1990s. This was in connection with the Assault Weapons Ban, which later lapsed, but California renewed the ban on this weapon a while ago. Needless to say, this caused renewed interest in the AR15. In fact, the latest figures indicate that something like 10,000 units are legally owned in the state today.

Despite its popularity and widespread use, the AR15 is subject to much debate on its safety and technological soundness. The main issue seems to be the potentially hazardous firing pin mechanism, which is said to be too light for military purposes and can cause what is known as the ‘slamfire’ effect while a round is being loaded. In simple terms, slamfiring is what happens when the firing pin jams on its way back into the bolt after the most recent pull of the trigger. When this occurs, there is an uncontrolled burst of fire that does not stop until the magazine is empty. Such a situation obviously raises issues of wastefulness as well as safety. The slamfire effect usually occurs in cases where the firing pin is not cleaned properly, has not been correctly integrated into the bolt mechanism, or has bent with repeated use.

M4 assault rifles derive from the initial versions of the M16 model, for which the primary models is the AR-15. The AR-15, which is the most celebrated lightweight rifles in the history of firearms. The M4 is a shorter and less weighty derivation of the assault rifle known as the M16A2 and shares many components with this model. Basically, it offers the options of firing in semi-automatic mode or in short bursts of three rounds each. A more advanced model, the M4A1, offer upgraded features such as high resistance to barrel heating in continuous firing situations.

The M4 is favored in modern tactical combat operations and is is the standard infantry assault rifle used by the United States military. On the front, it finds it highest utility in the close-up confrontations that the Armed Forces refer to as close quarters battle, or CQB. Otherwise, it is more suited for support personnel for whom actual battle is not a part of the job description. Its USP is that it is compact, wieldy and easy to carry around.

It was developed by Colt Firearms under contract for the United States government. The manufacturing contract will expire in another three years, but in practical terms the exclusivity of this contract has not limited its production elsewhere. Assault rifles modeled on the M4 prototype are under extensive manufacture, which is a testimony to its widespread fame. It has virtually replaced the M16.

Special Operations units in the United States have adopted the advanced M4A1 for their purposes, and it is also a favored weapon in the war against terrorism. This is because of its compactness, which nevertheless does not subtract from its considerable firepower. Also, it lends itself admirably for customization – preferred and widely used accessories are night scopes, supporting bipods on which the rifle can be mounted, flash suppressors and laser-based targeting devices. A 40mm grenade launcher referred to as the M203 is also commonly used with the M4 as well as with the M19A1. The launcher is an extremely light breech-loading device that employs a pump action and fires one shot at a time.

A retractable telescoping butt stock that allows the M4 to be either a handheld weapon or a shoulder firing one. It shoots the same caliber rounds as the M4A1 and supports all the same accessories. Because of its aesthetic appeal and known efficiency, it is an often-depicted weapon in Hollywood films. Despite all the favorable reports on it, the M4 does seem to have certain drawbacks, though. Special Forces in Afghanistan were apparently unable to engage the enemy very effectively with their M4s, largely because of severe range constraints. This constraint is directly attributable to the M4’s shorter barrel. Another problem in actual combat seems to be the fact that the rifle’s bolt group and receiver are susceptible to faster-than-convenient heating. This causes the mechanism to stick at the worst possible moments.

The M4 is basically a M16 with a shorter barrel. It fires 5.56 x 45mm NATO ammunition weighs 2.54 kilograms when not loaded and is approximately 840mm long. It has a muzzle velocity of 921 m/sec and can shoot 700 to 1000 rounds per minute. It can accommodate magazines with holding capacities of either 20 or 30 rounds. Apart from the M4A1, other variants of the M4 are the M4A2 and the M4A3 (the latter features a detachable carry handle). The M4 is equipped with an improved rear sight, which field reports say have enhanced the shooter’s control over the rifle during sustained bursts of firing.

There is reason to believe that the US Armed Forced may replace both the M4 and the M16 with another model of assault rifle. Reportedly, the chosen replacements are coming from another group of small arms. Nothing concrete has been announced yet and the M4 is still very much in operational use. Meanwhile, the Malaysian Armed Forced have officially decided to adopt the M4 carbine for use and have placed an order for 14,000 units. The have gone on record as saying that the M4 is far more user friendly, option rich and innovative than the Steyrs that they are currently employing. The Malaysian Armed Forces are also enthusiastic about the grenade launcher option. Over 100,000 Steyrs will be replaced by M4s in graded stages.

Even today, the M4 weapon system is considered to be light years ahead of comparable weaponry. While certain sniper rifle systems still favor the 7.62 NATO cartridge, the M4 is well suited and a proven design. For the common infantryman, it is probably irreplaceable.

In the human being’s incessant quest for newer and more effective ways of evening the odds, some truly impressive inventions dot the trail of history. The sniper rifle is to tactical violence what the electron microscope is to vision. It drastically reduces the number of variables involved in zeroing in on a chosen target and is, for all intents and purposes, a highly specialized precision instrument.

Given a choice, most manufacturers of sniper rifles would probably market their product under a name that has less negative connotations. While such rifles are doubtlessly highly accurate and a credit to the art of firearm making, they are almost never used under very valorous circumstances. A sniper specializes in picking off a target from a location of concealment, without warning. This considerably detracts from the image of the fearless gunslinger. One of the most descriptive depictions of a rifle manufactured exclusively for sniping (or rather, assassination) was the one made by a Belgian manufacturer for Edward Fox’s character in the film ‘The Day Of The Jackal’.

However, sniper rifles are also necessary equipment in war situations, and their effectiveness (coupled with the sniper’s skill, of course) have often turned the course of many a battle. In war situations, snipers may also be required to target installations rather than human beings, in which case the rifle used would pack a considerably heavier punch and even explosive bullets. They are also used in law enforcement.

However, the sniper rifle is primarily an anti-personnel device and most models have been derived from the hunting rifle model, since accuracy and long range are common factors in both. Other than that, they do not initially appear to differ very much from other highly accurate rifles, other than in the fact that rapid repeat-firing capability is not a prerequisite. Many purists would contend the claim that sniper rifles are jazzed-up hunting rifles, and with good reasons.

Sniper rifles may be needed top shoot at stationary, slowly moving targets and targets in rapid motion. They tend to be bolt-operated or semi-automatic, and calibrated for longer than usual ranges. The primary means of achieving longer range is via a longer barrel, which may measure up to 600 mm in some cases. This allows the entire power of ignited gunpowder to be translated into bullet speed. They are also invariably equipped with telescopic sights and often even infrared targeting devices that allow for accurate placement of the shot. Yet another advanced feature in contemporary sniper rifles is the night scope, which again operates on the infrared principle. This allows a target top be aimed at without detection.

For enhanced accuracy, a sniper rifle may come equipped with a swiveling stand on which it is mounted to reduce the margin of error. This is almost mandatory, since human body is not the steadiest of mechanisms under circumstances of high stress. Despite the frequent Hollywood depiction of cold-blooded killers with nerves of chilled steel, most real-life snipers are people who are subject to the same levels of stress that others are.

Another frequent feature in a sniper rifle is the silencer. Though the need for one depends on the situation, it can generally be assumed that the sniper will have to shoot at more than one target and that he therefore cannot allow his first shot to give him away. Silencers, unfortunately, subtract from the range of the fired bullet and can affect accurate placement of a shot even over shorter distances.

Sniper rifles are invariably manufactured with trigger mechanisms that minimize the required pressure on the trigger a s much as possible. This is because the greatest danger of fudging a shot arises at the time when the trigger is pulled. In most other rifles and other firearms, triggers are heavier on the pull as an added safeguard against accidental shooting.
Where they are used in law enforcement, sniper rifles are generally not required to be manufactured to extremely high standards. For one, range if usually not a necessary factor (even though accuracy always is). Most rifle work in law enforcement takes place in confined city locations.

Examples of sniper rifles being manufactured today would include the Barrett M98, the Dakota Longbow T-76, the Enfield No. 1 and the Mauser 86SR. German and Swedish makes have found the highest favor down the ages, owing to more precise engineering. However, several Russian, English and American models such as the Tactical Ops Tango 51 are also in extensive use today.

The fact that rifles are named after the helical grooves that are cut into the barrel is not generally known. The process was invented by an Englishman named Benjamin Robins, who was provoked to thought by the fact that projectiles that spin on their axes tend to reach their intended target with better accuracy. The spin lent to the bullet cuts down on air resistance and also helps balance the projectile by centrifugal force. In fact, the American Indians had known this for quite a while before he did – this explains the slanted feathers at the string-end of their arrows. They caused the arrows to spin by virtue of the way these feathers cut into the air they traveled through.

The discovery did not find immediate favor with those who used muskets and other early firearms. This is not surprising. The early gunsmiths lacked the technology to provide firearms with rifled barrels, and it used to take them quite a bit of time and toil to get it right with individual pieces. However, the earliest marksmen did begin to choose rifles for precision work, and the concept of a straight, non-grooved barrel eventually became an archaic one. The term rifled musket was finally shortened to ‘rifle’ and the name has stuck. These days, almost all shoulder-supported firearms feature rifled barrels. This would, of course, exclude the shotgun, which depends on scatter power rather than single-projectile accuracy.

One of the most important innovations in rifles was the introduction of the breech loading mechanism, which overcame the limitations of the original muzzle loader. The breech loading mechanism was far from simple to apply, though gunsmiths immediately recognized that it was the only feasible option. When the first workable breech loaders were finally engineered and introduced, a major landmark in the history of firearms was reached. Since the bullet did not have to be manually pushed down the barrel, it could be manufactured to a tighter fit. This added to the rifle’s overall life and safety, and also allowed for a higher degree of the power generated by exploding gunpowder to be transferred onto the exiting bullet. Naturally, range and accuracy was vastly increased.

The next important innovation in rifle technology was the conical bullet. It is hard to imagine that, up to that point in history, all firearm projectiles were basically spherical musket balls. The conical bullet, first used widely in the American Civil War, had a hollow base that expanded on detonation of the gunpowder and forced the bullet’s metal into effective contact with the barrel’s grooves. Various other milestones in rifle technology followed. Single-shot rifles gave way to rifles with repeat-fire capabilities in 1860, when Christopher Spencer invented the first usable magazine-supported rifle. This invention revolutionized warfare at a time when there were many wars either in process or coming up.

Finally, there came along inventions that helped make the rifle far deadlier weapon than ever before. Telescopic sights were the perfect accompaniments to the enhanced ranges of modern rifles and allowed targets to be spotted and shot at over larger and larger distances. Infra red sniper scopes overcame even the seemingly insurmountable limitation brought by lack of visibility at night, and nighttime warfare became commonplace. A more sinister device was the silencer, though it continues to be of limited use in rifles. Silencers tend to cut down drastically on attainable range and also cause the rifle barrel to heat up to dangerous levels with repeated use.

Gunpowder-based rifles are not the only kinds in popular use today. The air rifle is still a favorite among small game hunters and sport gunnery. While the stopping power of a hollow lead slug (or a ball bearing in the case of BB rifles) that is sped on its way by nothing but compressed air is not very impressive, air rifle aficionados will have you know that they consider their choice the purer one. They correctly claim that air rifle shooting calls for a separate skill set, and that lack of the lead slug’s range must be compensated by better stalking skills.

The number of models available in rifles today is bewildering. The Enfield and Remington rifles were just the forerunners – and while these brands are still very much in the running today, they have been joined by a plethora of others that manufacture an equally impressive range of rifles. Depending on requirements, one can now choose from automatic rifles, single shot rifles, anti-materiel rifles (for shooting at other than human targets), assault rifles, recoilless rifles and many other kinds. Each finds its own application in the specific situations they are designed for.