Assault Rifles

Factions	Weapon	Icon	Classes	Ammo	Damage
					Normal	Headshot
VC	AK-47		Assault	30+1 / 90	41	103
VC	AKM		Assault	30+1 / 90	39	98
VC	AKM GP-25		Zombies	30+1 / 90 1 / 2	39	98
VC	Kbkg wz. 60		Assault	30+1 / 90	44	110
US	M16 XM148		Assault	20+1 / 80 1 / 2	37	92
US	M16A1		Assault	20+1 / 80	37	92
US	M16A1 M203		Assault	20+1 / 80 1 / 2	37	92
US	M16A1 SOG		WIP	20+1 / 80	37	92
US	M601		Assault	20+1 / 80	37	92
US	M605B		Assault	20+1 / 80	37	92
US	Mk4 Mod 0		Assault	20+1 / 80	35	87
VC	PM md. 63		Assault	30+1 / 90	39	98
VC	StG 44		Assault Radioman	30+1 / 90	37	92
VC	StG 44 ZF-4		Assault	20+1 / 60	37	92
VC	StG 44 ZF-41		Assault	20+1 / 60	37	92
US	Stoner 63A Rifle		Assault	30+1 / 90	33	82
US	Stoner 63A Rifle Drum		Special Loadout Zombies	150+1 / 150	33	82
US	H&R T223		Assault	25+1 / 75	38	95
VC	Type 56-1		Assault Radioman	30+1 / 90	41	103
VC	Type 58		Assault	30+1 / 90	38	95
VC	Type 63		Assault	20+1 / 80	43	108
VC	vz. 58		Assault	30+1 / 90	34	85

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Assault rifles are shoulder-fired military rifles intended for general-purpose infantry use, typically combining a detachable magazine, selective-fire capability, and an intermediate-power cartridge. Compared with full-power battle rifles, they are generally lighter and easier to control in automatic fire at the typical combat ranges of a few hundred meters. In the Vietnam War era, assault rifles became especially important because close-to-mid-range fighting and dense terrain often emphasized volume of fire and the ammunition a soldier could carry. In Military Conflict: Vietnam, this weapon type represents the game’s core intermediate-cartridge infantry rifles built around controllable rapid fire.

DEFINITION & CHARACTERISTICS

An “assault rifle” is a practical category rather than a perfectly rigid definition, but it most commonly refers to a shoulder-fired rifle using an intermediate-power cartridge and designed to provide both semi-automatic fire and controllable automatic (or burst) fire from a detachable magazine. The idea is to balance portability and ammunition load with effective fire at the ranges where many infantry engagements actually occur.

Common traits

• Role: General-purpose infantry rifle for close-to-mid range engagements, balancing mobility with sustained fire.
• Typical cartridges: Intermediate-power cartridges such as 5.56×45mm NATO, 7.62×39mm, or (historically) 7.92×33mm Kurz.
• Typical fire modes: Select-fire (semi-automatic plus fully automatic or burst) is common; some examples are semi-only in certain configurations.
• Typical feeding: Detachable box magazines are standard; capacities commonly fall in the 20–30 round range depending on weapon and era.
• Common engagement ranges: Often optimized for practical effectiveness within a few hundred meters rather than long-range precision fire.
• Notable tradeoffs: Lighter weight and higher carried ammunition versus reduced long-range energy compared with full-power rifle cartridges; automatic fire increases hit probability and suppression potential but can reduce ammunition endurance and practical accuracy.

HISTORY

The concept now associated with assault rifles emerged from early-to-mid 20th century attempts to bridge the gap between full-power infantry rifles (effective at long range but heavy and difficult to control in automatic fire) and submachine guns (controllable and high-volume, but limited by pistol cartridges). During World War II, Germany’s 7.92×33mm Kurz program produced the MP43/MP44/Sturmgewehr 44, widely treated as the first successful example of the modern “assault rifle” concept and the origin of the English term as a translation of Sturmgewehr (“assault rifle”). After the war, the category expanded globally as multiple nations adopted intermediate cartridges and select-fire rifles to emphasize practical combat effectiveness at typical engagement ranges.

In the Vietnam War era, assault rifles were prominent on both sides. U.S. forces fielded the 5.56mm M16 family in increasing numbers, with the M16A1 reaching widespread use after early reliability issues were addressed through design changes and updated maintenance practices; U.S. Army historical publications describe the M16’s suitability for jungle warfare where volume of fire was prioritized over range, and note its broad issue to infantry units by the later 1960s. Communist forces in South Vietnam included main-force units equipped with modern Chinese and Soviet weapons, and the AK-47 pattern became emblematic of NVA/VC small arms in the conflict; allied museums and collections commonly describe the AK-47 as a standard weapon used by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces.

Sources

• https://www.britannica.com/technology/assault-rifle Assault rifle | Encyclopaedia Britannica
• https://www.britannica.com/technology/MP44 MP44 | Encyclopaedia Britannica
• https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/76-3.pdf The Army Before Vietnam, 1953–1965 | U.S. Army Center of Military History
• https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/76-4.pdf Taking the Offensive, October 1966–September 1967 | U.S. Army Center of Military History
• https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/U.S.%20Marines%20in%20Vietnam%20Fighting%20the%20North%20Vietnamese%201967%20%20PCN%2019000309000_5.pdf U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese, 1967 | U.S. Marine Corps History Division (marines.mil)
• https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C244506 1966. A Kalashnikov AK47 rifle | Australian War Memorial Collection
• https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1270765 Colt AR-15 / M16A1 / XM16E1 | Smithsonian National Museum of American History

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