Wouldn't that rather be a compromise between Submachine Gun and Rifle? After all, the East German army classified the AK-47 as an SMG (MPi-K).

Hey I like both weapons for different purposes but when I am talking about accuracy, well let me explain. When I was in the USMC we had converted from a point system to what was essentially a hit or miss scoring system for rifle qualifications. The target we used were the Able target a simple bullseye target and black is 12'' in diameter, additionally it had a center x ring which was 6" across if I remember correctly. We fired on these at the 200 yard line 5 sitting, 5 kneeling, 5 standing, slow fire, if I remember correctly the x ring was worth 2 points at this stage of fire only, and 1 point for a hit outside the x ring. Then you fired 10 round rapid fire at the 200 yard line on a Dog Target which is a low profile target black is 19" tall and 26" wide (looks like a man in the prone position) 1 point for a hit. At this point you moved back to the 300 yd line for a 5 shot slow fire kneeling on an Able target, and then another rapid fire of 10 rounds at the Dog target. A hit is 1 point for both. Finally you moved back to the 500 yd line and shot 10 rounds slow fire at the B Mod target with black being 40" tall and 20" wide. 1 point for a hit. Slow fire is essentially 1 minute per round, marking windage, and elevation adjustment for each shot. Rapid Fire is 2 magazines of 5 rounds, starting in a standing position and dropping to the kneeling with 70 seconds for all 10 rounds which includes a magazine change. In this course of fire I regularly shot in the high fifties. I have walked off the 200 yard line with 40 points. In the full scoring system where you scored points off of different rings around the same targets, which we used for competition firing I have shot a 246 (roughly a 61 in the hit or miss system which was my personal high).

So where am I going with this? I did this with an M16A2. I cannot imagine doing the same with an AK-47, in fact I have little doubt that it would be a real bitch to hit the Able target at 300 yds with the rifle, owing more to luck than skill. The MOA on most AK-47s are in the 4 MOA range. Additionally the sights are very unforgiving because they are very close set. For firing with real skill they do not hold up. They are perfectly sufficient for point and shoot techniques at 100 yds or less, however I like some real reach. The AK-47 descendants like the AK-74 have rectified these problems and are much more accurate though the iron sights are still unforgiving, with 1-2 MOA.

As it uses a rifle cartridge, not really. But there's lots of folks that argue about it.

The first Assault Rifle is the German "Machine Pistol Model of 1944" (MP44) later called the Sturmgewehr (Can I get a confirmation from our German posters that this does, indeed translate to "Assault Rifle"?). It was called a "Machine Pistol" (The European name for a SMG at the time, BTW) due to politics going on. After many reports going about "These wonderful rifles, when can we get more?", they were officially accepted as the StG44.

It's the bastard child of machine guns, rifles, and SMGs. That's one messed up poly-family, let me tell you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

As the idea of stormtroopers comes from the German late-WW1 assault forces, i think it is the closest practical translation.

The British just called them Canucks, Aussies, and Kiwis. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

*snickering faceplam*

OK, not that I'm complaining, but why are a number of items still carrying the "Canadian" name in their makers mark? I mean, it's the UCAS now... But we have the Ford Canada Bison RV and the Ares Canadian Sportster Rifle...

Marketing.

Oh so very much this!

There's enough people that consider themselves Canadian for this to be worth it? Weird.

Remember, if you claim a Scotsman is English he will be likely to take you apart on the spot. I suspect there are similar feelings around in UCAS...

Oh, right, sorry; apparently, posting past midnight doesn't really help to read carefully.

Oh come on, what's a Canadian going to do? Use harsh language?

Although, now that I think of it, considering the "Harsh Wilderness" that Canada is infamous for, it might be a brand used to show how "Rugged" an item is subconsciously, eh?

I'm thinking rather from it's tactical role. The assault rifle combines the rifle's capability for reasonably precise single shots within the typical range for infantry engagements with the SMG's capability of full-auto bursts for close-in combat. AFAIK assault rifles aren't really suited for the machine gun's role of sustained automatic fire.



Yes, it does. Although the first weapon which shows the typical traits of an assault rifle (selective fire, mid-power cartridge) is to my knowledge the Russian Avtomat Fedorova from 1915. IIRC it didn't go anywhere first because of resistance from the czarist military leadership and then because of the revolution.

FWIW, the Bundeswehr doesn't use the term. All rifles (assault or not) are simply classified as "Gewehr" (rifle), hence the "G" designations like G3, G36.

What about LMGs like the BAR and Bren (And it's originator, the ZB vz. 26)?

"Machine Gun" had a lot of connotations to it.

IIRC the Bren, although magazine-fed, had a quick-change barrel. Wasn't it also originally intended to be operated by a crew of two soldiers?

You're right that weapons designations aren't discrete categories. AFAIK US law designates any full-auto capable weapon a "machine gun". Terms also change over time and differ between different languages. I'd still contend that the average assault rifle isn't well suited for providing sustained full-auto fire.

Yes, the Bren (And the vz. 26) both had quick change barrels. I have a mid-war training manual (Somewhere, stupid moving provinces) that described how it was to be changed in the middle of combat, and emergency situations when you needed to swap them out quickly. Basically, it summed up to dropping the barrel in a basin of as "Pure water you can find". The BAR, on the other hand... Well, it could and did burst into flames when used too long.

The idea process behind the design of the Assault Rifle is probably not to be found in books, but in the minds of the people who developed them in the first place. So, who wants to have a drinking contest with Mikhail Kalashnikov?

He has his own line of Vodka, BTW.

Both the AUG and the G36 are designed to be usable in a LMG role, no? That is, the same basic frame but a different barrel and perhaps chamber (not sure on the AUG given its bullpup design) to allow for belted ammo.

Still, beta-c and similar allows a normal assault rifle to put a unusually large number of round down range if need be.

Neither G36 nor AUG have a belt-fed configuration. There are heavier barrels for both for use in an LMG role plus larger magazines (42 rounds box magazine for the AUG, 100 rounds drum magazine for the G36).

heh, what i get for going by memory.

Sturmgewehr means Storm Rifle, you could loosely translate it as Assault Rifle, I imagine. I haven't used my German in over eight years though... so... meine Deutsche ist schlecht.

Sons of Guns tried out the new Beta C-Mags with rapid reloads. The barrel they showed was cherry red. I've also seen another show that took off the foreguard of the M-16 which had a few 30-round magazines put through it and it lit a matchhead with barely a touch.

Droopy hot barrels BAD!I was wondering about that, "Sturm und Drang" being "Storm and Stress", apparently. 'Course, after French classes, I know how bad translating can be.

Cyclic rate and realistic cyclic rate usually vary quite a bit. Sure you can put x(n) rounds downrange per minute, but what happens to the materials of the weapon?

It also depends on the condition of the weapon in question. That's why cyclic rate is listed as a range.

The Sons of Guns episode, BTW, watercooled the M-16 with the Beta C-Mags, as it was intended for use on a Brown Water Navy Boat. They did it in an interesting way as well. I highly recommend the show. Why said Brownwater Navy didn't just get a Belt-Fed, I don't know, but there you go.

Heh, i recall seeing something similar done to a AK-47. I think the wood was burning towards the end.