DÉFENSE ZONE
There are as many assault rifles in the world as there are armies. Models, calibre, cost: each weapon has its advantages and, as is often the case, its drawbacks. Défense Zone does not claim to tell you which is the best, but at least offers an overview of those that are best known or most used by armed forces.
The “historic” rifles
AK 47
Honour where honour is due. The Kalashnikov 47 is undoubtedly the best-known and most widespread assault rifle in the world, as it has armed fighters, rebels, regular armed forces and terrorist groups for more than half a century without any competitor. This comes down mainly to two things: the weapon is extremely simple and incredibly robust, and its cost is negligible.
Over the course of history, the AK 47 has been produced in several countries, notably those of the Warsaw Pact, but also in China, North Korea, Cuba, Egypt and Finland. The Kalashnikov AK 47 has equipped more than 65 countries and, although the model may seem obsolete today compared with Western weapons and its own later developments, it remains a benchmark.
Calibre: 7.62mm
Weight: 5.11 kg (with a full 30-round magazine)
Effective range: 200 metres (accurate up to 400)
M16
Less widespread than its Russian counterpart, the M16 also has its place in legend.
This American assault rifle is the military version of the AR 15 developed by Armalite in 1958. The first versions were disappointing and it was the Colt company that bought the patents. A few thousand were sent to equip South Vietnamese soldiers. Given the positive feedback on its use, the US military decided to order 85,000 for the Army and 19,000 for the US Air Force.
The great revolution of this weapon was to replace the 7.62mm calibre with the 5.56 (now the NATO standard). The advantages of this round are greater accuracy beyond 200 metres, less recoil in burst fire and lighter weight, allowing soldiers to carry more ammunition. The M16 has equipped nearly 80 countries.
Calibre: 5.56mm
Weight: 4.47 kg (full 30-round magazine for the A2/A3/A4 versions)
Effective range: 600 metres
21st-century assault rifles
While the mechanisms have not necessarily seen any major change in more than three decades, it is often in the weapon’s fittings and materials (and therefore its weight and accuracy) that the greatest progress is found.
AK 12
Successor to the AK 74, itself heir to the AK 47, the AK 12 is now the standard rifle of the Russian army. First studied in 2012, it was not officially adopted until 2018.
Its improvements come from a shorter recoil arm, which compensates for recoil and therefore improves accuracy. The weapon has a folding stock for left- and right-handed users and Picatinny rails for adding numerous accessories, notably optics.
Calibre: 5.45mm
Weight: 3.2 kg (with a full 30-round magazine)
Effective range: 600 metres
Colt M4
There is no real revolution with this weapon, which has equipped the US armed forces for many years. The M4 is a short version of the M16 already tested during the Vietnam War. Initially created unofficially for American special forces, this version was gradually issued to units that did not need extended range (armoured vehicle crews, artillerymen, etc.)
Today Colt has lost the exclusive rights to manufacture the M4, allowing many companies to start producing it. This was the case in early 2013 for the Belgian manufacturer FN Herstal, which won the US Army contract with an order for 120,000 M4A1s (which now replace the old M4s) worth 77 million dollars, making the European manufacturer the largest supplier of M16A1s and M4A1s.
Calibre: 5.56 mm
Weight: 3.4 kg (with a full 30-round magazine)
Effective range: 500 metres
Further reading: the SAMP/T NG versus the Patriot and the job of sniper in the French army.
ACR (Masada)
This weapon is built in the United States by Magpul, in partnership with Bushmaster for civilian production and Remington for military production.
The ACR can use two calibres, 5.56 and 7.62, by changing the receiver, bolt and barrel in a very short time, allowing users to adapt their rifle to the mission.
The ACR, which left the factories in 2006, is considered one of the most accomplished assault rifles currently available. Even so, it is not very widespread for the moment because of its high price (more than €4,000 in its civilian version).
Calibre: 5.56mm / 7.62mm
Weight: 3.13 kg (light) / 4.33 (heavy)
Effective range: 500 metres
TAR 21
This assault rifle made by IMI (Israel Military Industries) could gradually replace the M16s and M4s currently in service with the Israel Defense Forces (Tsahal). It originated in feedback from soldiers during the first intifada. At the time, many complained that the American rifle was too long for moving and fighting in urban areas. Development of the TAR 21 began in 1991 in collaboration with the Israeli army; it was field-tested eight years later and definitively adopted in 2003. It does not yet equip all soldiers because of a very large stock of M4 rifles bought from the Americans at a negligible price as part of their support for the Jewish state.
This bullpup rifle is made of polymer materials, making it very light, and comes fitted as standard with a red-dot laser sight. There are currently five versions, one of which (MTAR 21) is offered in two calibres: 5.56 mm and 9mm.
It is now used in around twenty countries, mainly by special forces units.
Calibre: 5.56 mm
Weight: 3.2 kg
Effective range: 550 metres
L85
Contrary to popular belief, the SA 80 is not His Majesty’s army’s assault rifle. The SA 80 is in fact a family of weapons of different calibres and uses. The L85 A1 and A2 are the exact designations of the rifle in service. Developed from 1985 by the British firm Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield this bullpup rifle suffered many setbacks and very few exports (only Jamaica and Zimbabwe bought it).
But in the 2000s, with the support of the German firm Heckler & Koch, the new L85 A2 version won back the favour of British soldiers and 200,000 weapons were modified.
Calibre: 5.56 mm
Weight: 4.98 kg (full 30-round magazine)
Effective range: 400 metres
Steyr AUG
This famous Austrian rifle, instantly recognisable by its distinctive shape, is, like the FAMAS, one of the first bullpup rifles to be issued to a conventional army.
Introduced in 1978, it now comes in three versions, the latest of which, the AUG A3, has a bolt hold-open device and a Picatinny rail. The weapon’s particular feature is its fire selector built directly into the trigger. The user simply has to press and hold to fire in bursts. It is now used by nearly 40 countries.
Calibre: 5.56 mm
Weight: 4.09 kg (full 30-round magazine)
Effective range: 500 metres
FN SCAR
This assault rifle from the Belgian manufacturer FN Herstal was initially designed to meet a requirement of the US Special Operations Command (US SOCOM). American special forces wanted two new rifles in 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm calibres with the same design, to make them easier to handle and to simplify logistics and maintenance.
FN offered the SCAR L (light), also called the MK 16, and the H (heavy), MK 1. In 2010 SOCOM received 750 MK 17s and 850 MK 16s (a model it gave up a few months later). The SCAR is fitted with four Picatinny rails and a folding stock adjustable for both length and height.
In addition to American special forces, the SCAR equips around ten foreign special forces, including the French police officers of the Directorate for International Cooperation (DCI), responsible for protecting embassies, and those of RAID (the French National Police’s elite intervention unit) since 2010. Since 2020 the SCAR H has been the new rifle of French Army marksmen (2,610 ordered, of which 2,237 were delivered between 2020 and 2022).
Calibre: 5.56 mm (MK 16) / 7.62 mm (MK 17)
Weight: 4.1 kg loaded (MK 16) / 5.2 kg loaded with 20 rounds (MK 17)
Effective range: 330 metres (MK 16) / 600 metres (MK 17)
HK 416
This assault rifle from the German firm Heckler & Koch was originally to be called the “HKM4”, as it is an improved version of the American M4 rifle. But faced with legal action from the American company Colt (which it lost), the German company named it the 416. In its basic version, the 416 is available only to armed forces and state bodies; a version is marketed for sport shooters: the MR 223.
Like the SCAR, the 416 has a 7.62mm version, the HK 417, a few of which were used by French army marksmen, notably in Afghanistan and the Sahel. Sold in around ten countries, mainly to special forces or specialised units, it is also the standard-issue rifle of the Norwegian and French armed forces.
In France, the HK 416 had already equipped the special forces of all three services for several years. In September 2016, the 416 F won the tender to become the new standard-issue assault rifle. The first deliveries began in May 2017, for a total order of 117,000 rifles by 2028, of which 93,000 delivered in 2025, at a unit cost of 1,300 euros.
Calibre: 5.56 mm
Weight: 3.7 short version (empty) / 4 kg long version (empty)
Effective range: 400 metres
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