Sup Gun Fandoms! Here comes an exciting take of the Top 5 Assault rifles in 2023 based on firepower, range, handling, availability, cost and combat experience going from better to the best you don’t want to stay in front of the receiving end. The No. 1 might take you by surprise, so hope on!
5. FN SCAR
- The Belgian firearms company FN Herstal’s SCAR family is a group of two rifles – the SCAR-L (Light – 5.45x45mm NATO) and SCAR-H (Heavy – 7.62x51mm NATO), both of which go hand-in-hand in terms of their modularity, reputation and experience. They are gas-operated, short-stroke gas piston automatic rifles and can be easily barrel-swapped for Close Quarters Combat (CQC), Standard (STD) and Long Barrel (LB) variants as needed during application. SCAR-L and H have an effective firing range of 500m and 600m respectively with both having a rate of fire 550-650 rounds per minute. They have a monolithic upper receiver with a Picatinny rail allowing all types of attachments while the lower receiver is made of high-strength polymer and have fully ambidextrous controls. The SCARs come with a foldable stock and can be fired even with the stock folded.
- The FN Scar has a good reputation of reliability and as of late 2022, it is being used in more than 20 countries including all divisions of US SOCOM (United States Special Operations Command) (provided by FN America), India’s Special Forces and Special Protection Group, Japanese Special Forces, Belgium, Germany, France etc. In terms of combat, the SCAR has seen plenty. It is one of the imported guns being used by Ukrainian ground Forces in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
- On January 27, 2023, Belgium announced a new military aid for Ukraine worth €93.6 million including the latest generation of SCAR assault rifles. It is also of the active rifles which have ate lead from both sides in the ongoing Mexican Drug War. The SCAR is relatively on the more expensive side as both L and H costs around $3000-$3500, also depending on the location, taxes and other factors, along with the fact that their short side rail limits the usage of multiple accessories on the side mounts. But irrespective of these, its modular design, reliability and accuracy has made it a popular choice for many countries as an effective and versatile firearm.
Also Read, A Small Arms Comparison – India or China? Who Takes the Cake?
4. TAR-21
- Designed and produced by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), the TAR-21 is a select-fire, bullpup assault rifle. It operates on a long-stroke gas-operated closed rotating bolt mechanism and works on conventional 30-round detachable box STANAG magazines. Even with a very compact design, it has a 18″ cold-hammer-forged, chrome-lined barrel designed to hit with exceptional accuracy. TAR-21 has a firerate of 750-900 rounds per minute. This rifle is widely known for its reliability and ease-of-maintenance particularly under adverse or battlefield conditions. It can be easily field-stripped even without the need for any additional tools. It is a waterproof gun, its internal mechanism is sealed from outside elements and its build-material is superbly corrosion-resistant. All of these characteristics have made TAR-21 one of the best bullpup assault rifles in service.
- The TAR-21 has multiple variants including the standard 18” barrel variant, the GTAR-21 with a 40mm M203 under-barrel grenade launcher, a more compact and shorter CTAR-21 for better close-quarter urban applications, the STAR-21 DMR variant with under-barrel bipod and a Trijicon 4x ACOG optic sight, the X95, and the latest iteration IWI Tavor 7 which is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. Their versatility and reliability ranks among the very best service rifles.
- The TAR-21 is used in more than 30 countries including India’s MARCOS, Brazil, Turkish Spec Ops etc. and is the primary service rifle of Israeli Defense Forces. RPC Fort is a state-owned Ukrainian weapons manufacturer and is responsible for licensed production of several variants of TAR-21 for Ukraine as Fort-221, Fort-222, Fort-223 and Fort-224. TAR-21 is a very combat-reliable assault rifle and had experienced the 2008-2009 Gaza War, 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, several Jammu-Kashmir conflicts and the 2020 Azerbaijan-Armenia Nagorno-Karabakh War. Even in current scenario, this is one of the few rifles being extensively used by Ukrainian ground forces in the Russo-Ukrainian War and is seeing anticipated success.
3. AK-74
- Designed by the eminent small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974, the AK-74 is yet another proven iterative of the legendary AK platform. It is chambered in 5.45x39mm cartridge and was built to replace the older versions of the Soviet 7.62x39mm automatic rifles. It is actually an adaptation of the preceding 7.62x39mm AKM assault rifle but features all-round design improvements. Compared to its predecessor, the AK-74 has better effective firing range, accuracy and reliability, but keeping about 50% of their parts same including firing pins, screws and springs. As an AK platform is known for, the AK-74 retains its same easy-to-maintain characteristics. It works on a gas-operated, rotating bolt mechanism and has a 16.3″ barrel. It features a rate of fire of 600-650 rounds per minute and has a effective firing range of 550m (point target) and 800m (area target). Regular 30-round AK magazines, 45-round RPK-74 detachable box magazines or 60-round casket magazines are used for feed system.
- The AK-74 has integrated adjustable notched rear tangent iron sights but various magnified and non-magnified optic sights and side-mounted rail sights can be used too. The AK-74 has multiple variants including the AKS-74, AK-74M, AK-74UUK, AKS-74UB and the AKS-74U. All of the variants have same working mechanism but different attachment and role-wise applications, all of which basically come under ‘night-fighting configurations’. The AK-74M is the latest variant of this series and offers more versatility compared to the other variants and has also experienced a great recent deal of combat.
- The AK-74 is used in several countries including North Korea, Afghanistan, Syria and most of the countries from former Soviet Union countries. In fact, this rifle is the most battle-proven in this Top 5 list. The AK-74 has got its scars from Soviet-Afghan War, Gulf War, Chechen Wars, Iraq War, Syrian Civil War etc. and is arguably the most used assault rifle in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. It is the primary service rifle for both Ukrainian Ground Forces and the Russian Army in the Russia-Ukraine War and is extensively eating lead from both the sides. More than 5,000,000 units of AK-74 have been built till now and this mere 800$ rifle is the cheapest and most widely used gun in this list.
Also Read, Why Is The Sako TRG-42 A Good Fit For Indian Armed Forces?
2. HK416
- The HK416 is a 5.56x45mm NATO chambered assault rifle designed and manufactured by the German firearms company Heckler & Koch. This gun is basically designed on the Colt M4 design and ergonomics but is similar to the HK G36 family firing mechanism. It works on a gas-operated short-stroke piston driven, rotating bolt mechanism. The HK416 features a state-of-the-art cold-hammer-forged chrome-lined barrel which H&K is known for and offers multiple barrel lengths each with increasing muzzle velocity and range. It has an effective firing range of upto 800m and is fed with regular 20/30-round detachable STANAG magazines or 100-round detachable Beta C-Mag magazines. The HK416 is equipped with a proprietary accessory rail forearm with MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail on all four sides and is able to attach almost all M4/M16 type accessories. The free-floating rail forearm does not contact the barrel and greatly improves accuracy while also having a 20,000 rounds barrel service life.
- As much as this gun packs the punch, it is also a bit on the costlier side ranging at around $2500-$3000. Despite this, it is one of the best rifles that provides premium quality and exceptional accuracy and reliability on the same page and is one of the absolute favourite service rifles for Special Forces around the world. This gun is a proven beast for close-quarter applications and opening doors people don’t want to open. The HK416 is used by several military powers including Australia, Brazil, Croatia Special Forces, German Army, Italy, Japan Special Forces etc. It is the standard service rifle of French Armed Forces, Norwegian Armed Forces and the primary rifle for US Marine Corps. The HK416 had been thoroughly field-tested in the Afghanistan War, Iraq War, Operation Inherent Resolve, Germany-ISIL Intervention and the ongoing Turkey-Kurdistan conflict. Infact, it holds the unique feat of being the executioner of the infamous Osama bin Laden during the 2011 Abbottabad raid by the US Navy’s SEAL Team Six in Pakistan.
Also Read, Service Rifles of Indian Army: 1947-Present
1. MCX Spear
- The MCX Spear is a multi-calibre variant assault rifle of the MCX family designed by Sig Sauer which comes in 5.56x45mm NATO, .227 (6.8x51mm) SIG FURY, 7.62x51mm NATO, 6.5 Creedmoor and the subsonic .300 AAC Blackout cartridges – all with just a barrel change. It works on a short-stroke gas-operated piston-driven system and has been designed to be capable of handling various roles including close-quarter battles and long-range engagements. It has an effective firing range of 600m and a fire rate of upto 900m rounds per minute. The Spear features a very durable free-floating, cold-hammer-forged barrel and a free-floating reinforced M-LOK handguard for direct accessory attachment onto the hollow slot mounting points which also reduces a lot of weight. Although it is available only in 20-round detachable box magazines – a 10-round shortage than the other entries, it deals the exact punch its operator would want for the enemy to bring his cheek on. However the subsonic variants have the privilege of 30-round magazines. The barrel’s profile is tapered at the crown to allow the installation of muzzle devices and direct-thread sound suppressors without the use of washers. Barrels can be changed very quickly to another length for different calibre power-punch. Additionally the barrels are nitride coated for corrosion resistance and have hardened steel wear points. Although it comes on a $2500-$3000 side per unit, the Spear’s name has risen for the last couple of years due to its all-round performance.
- Sig Sauer won the coveted United States Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) Program where they presented their XM5 version of the MCX Spear, which is set to replace the M4s the country uses. Even the .227 SIG FURY is an ammunition specially made to be used by the MCX Spear which SIG promotes as a round superior to 6.5 Creedmoor and 7.62x51mm NATO, having lesser bullet bullet drop at 1000m but delivering 20-25% more energy. It is a much newer rifle than all the entries in this list as it was introduced first in Shot Show 2015 but has made its name as a very dependable gun. It is currently in use by Australia (.300 AAC Blackout variant), Estonia’s SWAT equivalent K-Commando, Israel’s Shayetet 13 Special Forces, Portugal’s Special Operations Group, United Kingdom’s Counter Terrorism units etc. In comparison to the others, it has seen much less combat but taking the last year’s contribution in mind, the MCX Spear is doing wonders in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.
- The MCX Spear is being extensively used by the Alpha Group, an Ukrainian Spetsnaz Special Operations force. The 11.5″ barrel Gen1 5.56mm NATO version is currently a hot take in the ongoing war which is using the SRD suppressor (a nickel alloy-stainless steel direct-thread sound suppressor and is being regarded as one of the quietest 5.56 suppressors), Aimpoint Comp red-dot sights/Trijicon 4x ACOGs, Aimpoint 3x optic-sight magnifiers and M-LOK side-mounted AN/PEQ-15A IR lasers. The firepower this rifle packs has become an incomprehensible problem for the Russian forces on the opposite side. This under-talked rifle is already a beast and is set to take more name once the full rollout of US Infantry MCX induction rolls out and other countries get interested in it.
