Your guide to semi-automatic rifles [View all]

[Matrosov]

What is a semi-automatic rifle?

A semi-automatic rifle is a rifle where each pull of the trigger fires one shot and then automatically loads another round into the chamber. This is different from bolt-action rifles, where each pull of the trigger fires one shot but the shooter then has to manually load another round into the chamber using the bolt, as well as from fully-automatic rifles, where holding down the trigger keeps firing a shot and then loading another round into the chamber until either the trigger is released or the magazine is empty.

What does a semi-automatic rifle look like?



Above is an earlier version of the famed AR15.



Above is a Mini-14 from Ruger. I like to refer to this rifle because many people unfamiliar with semi-automatics are surprised to find out it fires the same round as the AR15 and is the exact same in terms of functionality.



Above is a Kalashiknov-style rifle. However, whereas the rifles designed by Kalashnikov and in use by armies around the world are 'select-fire' in that they are capable of both fully-automatic and semi-automatic fire, the Kalashnikov-style rifles available to civilians in the US are semi-automatic.



Above is a M1A from Springfield. Like with the Mini-14, it has the same functionality as the other semi-automatic rifles I've shown here.



Above is a SKS. Even though it is shown with the traditional internal magazine where round have to be loaded from above with a clip, it can be modified to accept everything up to a high-capacity drum magazine, just l like the other rifles shown.

How much ammunition can semi-automatic rifles hold?

Magazines usually hold anywhere from 10 to 30 rounds, although most semi-automatic rifles can also accept round drum magazines that typically hold between 50 to 75 rounds.

What makes an AR15 special?

In reality, the only two things that make it special is that it is the favorite semi-automatic rifle among shooting enthusiasts and seems to have been the weapon of choice in recent mass shootings.

As I mentioned above, it is the exact same in terms of functionality as all the other semi-automatic rifles. Perhaps the pistol grip makes it a little more ergonomic than the Mini-14 and the 5.56mm rounds have less recoil that the 7.62mm in which the M1A and SKS are chambered, but all of them fire as fast as you can pull the trigger and as long as you have ammo in the magazine.

One theory I've seen more than once is that the AR15 is somehow easier to modify illegally to make fully-automatic. I don't know how difficult or easy any of them are to make fully-automatic, but the last notable event I remember where the criminals used fully-automatic weapons was the North Hollywood shootout in 1997. The reality is that the two use for fully-automatic fire isn't to kill as many people as possible, but to suppress enemies - that is, to make sure they keep their heads down and don't fire back at you, due to the number of bullets you are firing at them - and I suppose to look good in movies. Most rifles on the battlefield also offer semi-automatic and burst-fire modes because they're much better for accuracy and don't waste as much ammo.

What was the Assault Weapon Ban of 1994?

The Assault Weapon Ban (AWB) of 1994 sought to define certain semi-automatic rifles as 'assault rifles' or 'assault weapons' and then ban those rifles from civilian ownership. However, most studies agree that the AWB had a negligible impact - if any at all - on gun crimes. The main reason is that the AWB was riddled with loopholes.

For one, the ban applied only to rifles manufactured after September, 1994. AR15s and other semi-automatic rifles the AWB defined as assault weapons manufactured before that time - millions of rifles - could still be bought and sold freely.

Second, the definition of an assault weapon was based mostly on features that were cosmetic or at least didn't have any impact on the performance of the rifle. A rifle was an assault weapon if it had two or more of the following features:

- A collapsible or folding stock. This makes a rifle easier to transport but it's not as if someone can suddenly conceal the rifle underneath their clothes. Manufacturers got around this by sticking to fixed stocks.

- A pistol grip. This provides slightly better ergonomics than a traditional stock (see the Mini-14 and similar rifles above). This was one feature that manufacturers often included but some also resorted to installing a thumbhole stock. See below:



- A bayonet mount. Older rifles used to accommodate bayonets for when a soldier might run out of ammo and needed to use his rifle in hand-to-hand combat. Some semi-automatic rifles still have this as a left-over feature. However, I'm fairly certain there's never been a major event in recent times were a criminal mounted a bayonet and stabbed most of his victims.

- A flash suppressor, or threaded barrel designed to accommodate one. Flash suppressors are designed to minimize the muzzle flash in low-light conditions. Like with the other features, it doesn't make the rifle fire any faster or hold more bullets. Manufacturers got around this requirement by welding a muzzle brake at the end of the barrel.

- A grenade launcher mount. The military counterparts of civilian ARs and AKs were usually meant to accept under-barrel grenade launchers. However, even if they can find a launcher, civilians can't get their hands on the grenades. It's something out of Scarface and not reality.

Perhaps the most effective part of the AWB would've been limiting magazine capacity to ten rounds. Unfortunately, like with the rifles themselves, this restriction applied only to magazines manufactured after September, 1994. 'Pre-ban' magazines - perhaps tens of millions of them - could still be bought and sold freely.

Why did you make this thread?

Because in the wake of the tragedy in Orlando, there are many falsehoods and rumors floating around. I'm not looking to defend semi-automatic or 'assault' rifles by any means - I'm one of the least gun-friendly people on DU - but I feel that progressives will have more power to face the NRA and its supporters if those progressives are also better informed on the subjects of semi-automatic rifles, AR15s, and so forth.