War is bad for commerce, evidently except the ‘gun-making’ business. Pugnaciousness is a part of the character of any incarnate being, and so it is of humans. If there is something that transpires unfailingly through history, it is war. War has constantly prompted us in developing new weapons to stay ahead in the arms race. With new advances in science, newer and more sophisticated weapons are being used. Assault rifles have always been a decisive factor in a battle, which made it indispensible to ripen them in every way possible. Years of experimenting and humanizing have given us some very fine assault rifles. The following are the top 10 best assault rifles in the world.
10. AK-101:
Designed in Russia for the international market, the AK-101 combines logistical compatibility and familiarity of the 5.6X45mm NATO round with high reliability. Functional both in the fully automatic and semi-automatic mode, it is quite similar to an AK-74 with little differences in design. Low recoil and high reliability fetches this rifle a place amongst the best rifles ever made.
9. M4A1:
The M4A1 is a gas operated, magazine fed, selective fire, shoulder-fired weapon with the option of a telescoping stock. Heavily used by the US military, it is a small version of the M16 with various detachable accessories called SOPMOD. Smaller size roots more recoil, lesser precision but increased ease of carrying. With little rearrangement it can also be converted into a grenade launcher.
8. Famas:
With the ammunition feed behind the trigger, the rifle has a bullpup configuration. Lightweight and design details cause more recoil but Famas is very handy. It can be easily transformed into a grenade launcher which can launch grenades up to 500 grams heavy. Its heavy weight is one of the drawbacks which decreases ease of movement.
7. Galil:
Designed by Israel Military Industries Ltd., Galil is one of the smallest assault rifles in the world. With a line chambered for the intermediate 5.56X45mm NATO calibre bullets, with either the M193 or SS109 ball cartridge, its known well for its portability and low recoil. Usually, rifles with lower recoil are heavy which makes them less handy but some good engineering gives Galil its unique handiness.
6. Steyr AUG:
Lightweight and more robust, the Steyr AUG offers different variants as well as a change of barrel. Designed in Austria, it is a 5.56mm assault rifle with a Spz-kr type progressive trigger. It comes with standard 4 magazines, a muzzle cap and a German KCB-77 M1 bayonet. The fact that it can use more than one type of barrels makes it quite useful and gives it quite an edge.
5. Heckler & Koch G36:
G36 is a 5.56X45 mm assault rifle, designed in Germany by Heckler and Koch in the early 90s. Designed to replace the G3, G36 is a gas operated assault rifle that feeds from a 30-round detachable box magazine or a 100-round C-Mag drum magazine. More robust than an AK-47, it can fire from under water or mud with good precision. However, it is less reliable than an AK-47 but it definitely makes up for it by its astounding precision.
4. AK-74:
Better precision than AK-47 and smaller rounds which grounds lower recoil gives AK-74 a good standing in this list. Fitted muzzle breaks further reduce the recoil but the AK-74 is less reliable than the 47. The rifle causes less damage compared to an AK-47. The uniqueness of AK-74 lies in its weight. A 10 magazine, 300 round ammunition would weigh around 12.1 lbs – a weight equal to that of a 6 magazine, 180 round AK-47.
3. ACR:
Adaptive Combat Rifle, is an updated version of the Masada Adaptive Combat Weapon System. Designed to replace the M16s, the ACRs are known to have the lowest recoil force among all assault rifles. It is extremely useful for long shootouts, which brings this rifle to number 3 position. It’s one of the smartest rifles ever made with its very particular damage-to-weight ratio which almost eliminates all recoil.
2. FN scar:
The number two on this list is the FN scar which can fire two types of shells; one, chambered with M16 ammunition and another, chambered with a round similar to the AK-47. Highly customizable, and considerably more steadfast than M16, it’s a bit less reliable than the AK-47. However, its precision and customizability is no match for any other rifle including AK-47.
1. AK-47:
When it comes to the number one assault rifle, AK-47 takes over all other rifles in one aspect: reliability. A study on the rifle proved that an AK-47 can be used even after it has been driven over by tank, filled with mud and water or covered with rust. The world’s most widely used assault rifle, the AK-47s have killed more number of people than any other assault rifle that ever existed. Beside the reliability factor, another reason why AK-47 is notoriously popular is because it comes cheap and there are a lot of fakes in the illegal markets around the world.
