Battle rifle

The term battle rifle can have different meanings. Usually, it refers to rifles firing a "full-sized" (as opposed to "intermediate") cartridge, such as .303 British, .30-06 Springfield, 7.62×54R, or 7.62×51 NATO, from a full-length barrel. A main battle rifle is a battle rifle that is used as a military service rifle. Battle rifles may be bolt-action, semi-automatic, burst fire, or full-automatic. Modern battle rifles are capable of selective fire. Almost all battle rifles have a long barrel and fire a large caliber round.

During the latter half of the 20th century, the assault rifle, and later the carbine, (firing an "intermediate" cartridge) has gained in popularity and superseded the battle rifle as a general infantry weapon in most modern armies. Tacticians during World War II noted that small-arms engagements rarely occurred at distances greater than 300 meters. This meant that the great range and penetration power of the battle rifle was mostly wasted. The assault rifle presented a smaller and lighter package more suitable for close quarters combat, while still delivering accurate fire at the maximum range generally required. The lighter intermediate rounds enabled the user to fire more quickly due to reduced recoil, and also to carry more ammunition.

Confusion with assault rifles

Because many modern battle rifles share similar characteristics with assault rifles such as look and basic function many are eaisly confused. The main difference between a modern battle rifle and assault rifle is caliber. As previously stated, a battle rifle employs a full sized catridge while an assault rifle utilizes an intermediate cartridge. Two examples of this are the FN FAL and H&K G3. These weapons strongly resemble assault rifle due to the pistol grip and large, detachable magazine; however, they cannot be classified as assault rifles because of their full-sized cartridge.

Short List of battle rifles

• FN FAL
• H&K G3
• M1 Garand
• Karabiner 98k
• Mosin Nagant
• Lee Enfield SMLE
• Krag-Jørgensen
• Type 99 Rifle
• Steyr Scout
• SOCOM 16
• CETME

See also

• Assault rifle
• Battle carbine
• Service rifle
• List of firearms

External links

• The Arms Site: Bundeswehr Battle Rifle article
• Battle Rifle article