An assault rifle has to meet a certain set of criteria. It must be select-fire and use an intermediate cartridge. In this video we explain what our favorites are, factoring in accuracy, controllability, and of course how easy it is to shoot.
TFB TV has left out the AK because a select fire AK is not controllable nor user-friendly, even to an experienced shooter. This is a myth perpetuated by Hollywood and whoever else, but they are just brutal to run.
Sturmgewehr Stg 44
fter several years of rejecting the idea of a new automatic or semi-automatic weapon, Hitler asked his top commanders on the Eastern Front what they needed – and their answer was that they needed this type of firearm. So the Germans developed the Sturmgewehr 44, better known as the StG 44, in the early 1940s and began mass production in 1944.
In one of their final attempts to turn the tide of the War back to their favor, the Wehrmacht mass-produced over 425,000 StG 44s. The Sturmgewehr or storm rifle (assault rifle) in English, was the first custom made and a mass-produced assault rifle. This rifle drastically changed warfare forever, although that change didn’t come in time for the German Wehrmacht.
H&K HK33
The HK33 assault rifle has been developed by the West German gun manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH.
Building on the success of the G3 design, a family of small arms was developed that all operated on the G3 principle and basic design concept but all chambered for a different round. The HK33 were quickly adopted by the armed forces of Thailand, the Brazilian Air Force and the armed forces of Malaysia, all were able to produce the rifle locally under a license agreement.
H&K G36
In the 1990s Heckler & Koch designed the G36 assault rifle designed to replace the G3 battle rifle and in 1995 the Bundeswehr took it into service. The feeds from a 100-round C-Mag drum magazine or a 30-round detachable box magazine.
A cool feature of this gun is that you do not need tools to strip and reassemble the G36, cross-pins that are akin to the those used on earlier HK designs can be used.
M16A1
The M16 is the American equivalent. It is a 5.56×45mm rifle. It is a development of the Armalite AR-15 rifle which had been produced in the 1950s. In 1969 it became the standard firearm of the U.S. Army. It has a magazine of 20 rounds. Like the AK-47 it can be automatic or semi-automatic. It has an effective range of 550m (601yd).
Also like the AK-47, it is used by many other military forces in the world. Around 8 million M16’s are produced worldwide. There are more M16s than any other 5.56 mm caliber guns.
FN FNC Carbine
The FNC Carbine was introduced in the 1970s is a NATO assault rifle designed in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. The mechanism used strongly resembles the Kalashnikov but has been changed into a more advanced design and production method.
The Carbine uses the same 30-round steel magazines that the American M16 rifles uses, which logisitcs for NATO a lot easier.
Video
“MP44 – Tyskland – 8x33mm Kurz – Armémuseum” by Armémuseum (The Swedish Army Museum) – Armémuseum (The Swedish Army Museum) through the Digital Museum (http://www.digitaltmuseum.se).. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.
“HK33A2 Flickr (yet another finn)” by yet_another_finn / Mika Järvinen – http://www.flickr.com/photos/74006048@N00/100181594/. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons.
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“800px-G36bw” by Sonaz – first upload in de wikipedia on 12:33, 21. Dez 2005 by Sonaz. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.
“M16a1m16a2m4m16a45wi” by Offspring 18 87 – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.
“FNC IMG 1527” by Rama – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 fr via Commons.
