Top Ten Combat Rifles
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00:00The combat rifle is the soldier's closest companion.
00:06Despite the revolution in battlefield tactics over the past 100 years,
00:11it is still the mainstay of every modern army in the world.
00:15No other weapon in the arsenal plays such a key role on the battlefield.
00:20The combat rifle is the primary weapon in both spearheading attacks or defending the front line.
00:26They have constantly evolved to meet new challenges,
00:29and today's combat rifles are among the most accurate and reliable weapons on the modern battlefield.
00:35Now, Top 10s will test, assess, and grade the most innovative and effective combat rifles in history.
00:44It's the infantry's job to take ground and hold it from the enemy.
01:00And wherever the infantry go, their combat rifles go with them.
01:05As history has proved time and again,
01:07it's often the quality of the infantryman's rifle that can make the difference between failure and getting the job done.
01:15Based on expert opinion, audience polls, and technical comparison,
01:20we've constructed a five-point matrix that will rank the top 10 combat rifles of all time.
01:33At number 10, a comeback kid once thought to be washed up but is now back on active duty.
01:40M14. Type, semi or fully automatic rifle.
01:47Country of origin, United States.
01:50Caliber, 7.62 by 51 millimeter.
01:56Cartridge capacity, 20 rounds.
02:00Puzzle velocity, approximately 2,799 feet per second.
02:07Rate of fire, 700 to 750 rounds per minute.
02:15In the late 1940s, U.S. Army tacticians began to analyze the performance and tactical deployment of their weapons during World War II.
02:24Their assessment would ultimately lead to the creation of a new battle rifle.
02:29At the end of World War II, an American infantry rifle platoon might have an M1 rifle for the rifleman,
02:35a Browning automatic rifle in each squad, a Thompson or grease gun, submachine gun, all in one platoon.
02:42This made ordnance a real problem trying to get ammunition for all of these.
02:47So a decision was made to develop one weapon that would replace as many of those as possible.
02:52The result was the M14.
02:57First fielded in 1957, the M14 was a tough customer.
03:02In trained hands, it was accurate to ranges of 800 yards.
03:07The M14 is what I grew up in when I was in the Marine Corps and I qualified with the weapon.
03:12And it is superb.
03:14It could work when it was wet and it could work when it was sandy and it was muddy and filthy.
03:19And not only did it work, if you hit somebody with it, you're going to knock them down.
03:24That stopping power came from the M14's big hitting 7.62 millimeter round.
03:30If you're walking through the swamps of Vietnam, up to your chin in warm mud,
03:37you can take tremendous comfort in the fact that the M14 puts down range a 7.62 millimeter NATO round
03:46that is capable of punching through the jungle, of punching through vegetation
03:51and still killing the Viet Cong or the NVA guy and killing the guy behind him.
04:00But the M14 wasn't perfect.
04:03Soldiers in Vietnam struggled with the weight of the weapon and its ammunition.
04:08From 1964, it was gradually phased out, making it the shortest-lived battle rifle in U.S. military history.
04:16But despite being taken out of service, the M14 refuses to lie down and go away.
04:23Navy SEALs have adopted it as a specialized sniper rifle.
04:27And in Iraq and Afghanistan, old M14s were dusted off and sent into frontline duty.
04:33In an urban situation and in the desert, they work a lot better than the lighter-calibered M16.
04:39You take an M14 out of the warehouse, that M14 can be used to go through the sandbag and still tag somebody behind it.
04:46They can blow the door off the hinges.
04:48The M14 has provided the U.S. military with a $1,000 solution to a million-dollar question.
04:54Its accuracy is excellent. Combat effectiveness is also high.
05:00Activation and handling are average. And despite its recent comeback, service length is low.
05:06That leaves the M14 at number 10 on our list.
05:15In ninth place is the granddaddy of the modern assault rifle.
05:19A weapon so revolutionary, its existence was kept secret from Hitler.
05:25Sturmgewehr 44.
05:28Type? Semi or fully automatic assault rifle.
05:33Country of origin? Germany.
05:36Caliber? 7.92x33mm.
05:42Cartridge capacity? 30 rounds.
05:46Muzzle velocity? Approximately 2,133 feet per second.
05:53Rate of fire? 500 rounds per minute.
05:59By the eve of the Second World War, most countries realized that the nature of infantry combat had changed.
06:06They want something that can punch harder than a submachine gun, but which can fire more than a bolt-action rifle.
06:12The weapon the Germans conceived was called the MP43, and it had a new caliber of bullet.
06:20It wasn't a pistol caliber, which would have made it a submachine gun, and it wasn't a full-powered rifle caliber.
06:25They just took their 7.92 cartridge and roughly cut it in half.
06:30The lighter bullet created for the rifle meant that the soldiers could carry more rounds with them.
06:35It also allowed the weapon to be fired on automatic with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
06:40The thinking was sound, but before full production could proceed, the men behind the weapon would have to get the Fuhrer's blessing.
06:49Hitler, having been in the trenches in the First World War, had his own ideas, and perhaps wrong ideas,
06:54about what the soldier needed on the modern battlefield.
06:57And he didn't think that pursuit of an intermediate round, something stronger than a submachine gun, was really needed.
07:03But when he's demonstrated the weapon, he realizes, finally, its utility on the modern battlefield.
07:09Hitler also realizes he has the capability here for a propaganda win, and he renames the weapon the Sturmgewehr 44,
07:16literally the Storm Weapon 44 or the Assault Rifle 44.
07:21The Sturmgewehr came too late to save Germany from defeat,
07:25but its groundbreaking design did point the way to future weapon development.
07:30As a result, it scores top marks for innovation.
07:34Handling and combat effectiveness also rate high.
07:38But with a service length of just two years and limited accuracy, the Sturmgewehr places ninth in our list.
07:51At number eight, it's the rifle soldiers call the weapon of silent death.
07:56If you hear it fire, you're already dead.
08:021903 Springfield.
08:05Type, bolt-action rifle.
08:07Country of origin, United States.
08:10Caliber, .30-06.
08:15Cartridge capacity, five rounds.
08:19Muzzle velocity, approximately 2,700 feet per second.
08:23Effective range, 656 yards.
08:27Rate of fire, ten rounds per minute.
08:31Issued in 1903, the Springfield's origins date back to the late 19th century
08:37when American soldiers armed with Krag-Jorgensen rifles took a beating from the Spanish.
08:43Going against the Spanish army in Cuba, they found how outclassed they were
08:47because the Spanish soldier was armed with a 7mm clip-fed Mauser made in Germany.
08:53As a result, the United States looked very closely around the world for other ideas
08:58and they adopted the Mauser themselves.
09:01American designers took the best of what the Mauser had to offer, tweaked it, refined it,
09:07and produced a magazine-fed rifle that boasted phenomenal accuracy.
09:12President Theodore Roosevelt, a rifle enthusiast,
09:15bagged more than 300 animals with his custom-built model.
09:19American soldiers also loved it.
09:22The 1903 quickly gained a reputation as an outstandingly accurate and powerful firearm.
09:28Marksmanship in the Marine Corps was a very important thing.
09:33So when they got hit with Japanese charges,
09:36they were able to pick these guys off before they got to the wire.
09:41The Springfield was eventually replaced,
09:44but it continued to be used as a specialist sniper rifle until the Vietnam War.
09:50That gives it an impressive score for service length.
09:53Accuracy is excellent, but combat effectiveness and handling are average.
09:58Innovation is low, making the Springfield 03 number 8 in our top 10 list.
10:11In 7th place is the weapon that sets the standard for the combat rifles of the 21st century.
10:20Steyr AUG.
10:23Type, semi or fully automatic bullpup assault rifle.
10:28Country of origin, Austria.
10:31Caliber, 5.56x45mm.
10:37Cartridge capacity, 30 and 42 rounds.
10:42Muzzle velocity, approximately 3,084 feet per second.
10:47Rate of fire, 650 rounds per minute.
10:53The Steyr AUG is probably one of the coolest looking weapons fielded by modern armies.
10:58Perhaps the greatest flaw of the Steyr AUG is it was a rifle ahead of its time.
11:03Built in Austria and first fielded in 1977,
11:07the Steyr AUG represents a radical break with conventional rifle designs.
11:14The Steyr is used by a lot of different armies. It's also used by a lot of special forces.
11:18Why? Mostly because it's a bullpup design.
11:21What that means is that the entire barrel, the receiver in action,
11:25instead of being in front of the firer's firing hand, it is all moved back in the stock.
11:31What does that allow you to do? It allows you to shrink the weapon so it's short and easy to handle.
11:36But the Steyr's bullpup design isn't its only innovation.
11:40This is the first real rifle where you've got the fire is holding on to two vertical grips.
11:45It takes a little getting used to, but the barrel is full length and you're capable of great accuracy with it.
11:52The Steyr is also one of the few weapons designed to eject shells on either side,
11:57making it adaptable to left-handed shooters.
12:00It also has a clear plastic magazine,
12:03allowing soldiers to instantly see how many rounds they have left.
12:07But perhaps the most striking feature of the Steyr is its interchangeable barrel system.
12:12Want to make it a section support weapon or a squad support weapon?
12:16Click, put a heavier barrel on it. It's like a Lego set gun.
12:20You can do anything you want with it. And, frankly, it just looks cool.
12:25Despite its radical design, the Steyr has failed to win the hearts and minds of the world's largest armies.
12:31But smaller forces have been persuaded.
12:34The Australians have a tradition of being riflemen, in a rifleman's culture,
12:38and they're going to want a good piece of gear.
12:41If the Australians adopted the Steyr AUG, that's a vote of confidence that says
12:45that it's something more than just another plastic battle rifle.
12:48In 1999, the Steyr saw limited combat in East Timor.
12:52Australian peacekeeping troops went up against the Indonesian army,
12:56and the Steyr, with its short barrel, was able to win the war.
13:00Australian peacekeeping troops went up against the Indonesian army,
13:03and the Steyr, with its shortened length, proved invaluable.
13:08If you are an Australian soldier trying to conduct operations in built-up areas and close quarters,
13:15what you really need is a weapon that is no longer than it needs to be to get the job done.
13:22And that means having a short weapon that you can use in close quarters.
13:29With more and more armies developing an interest in the bullpup design,
13:33the Steyr looks set to become a future classic.
13:37The importance is that it began a trend.
13:40The United Kingdom have adopted a bullpup rifle, which is much the same concept.
13:45The French military has done the same, and many of the major armies and militaries around the world
13:51are also looking at a bullpup rifle, very similar to the AUG,
13:55to replace their standard assault rifles or battle rifles.
13:58The Steyr AUG scores good marks for innovation, combat effectiveness, and handling.
14:05Service length and accuracy are average.
14:08Overall, that puts the Steyr at number seven on our top ten.
14:14At number six, a weapon so accurate,
14:18it was recommended for the most audacious assassination attempt of the 20th century.
14:25Mauser, model 98K carbine.
14:29Type, bolt-action rifle.
14:32Country of origin, Germany.
14:35Caliber, 7.92 by 57 millimeter.
14:40Cartridge capacity, five rounds.
14:44Muzzle velocity, approximately 2,822 feet per second.
14:50Rate of fire, 10 to 15 rounds per minute.
14:56The Mauser 98, be still my fluttering heartstrings.
15:00It's a fabulous weapon. It's an earth shaker.
15:04The Mauser 98 was the perfect synthesis for the Steyr AUG.
15:09The perfect synthesis of many innovations that rifles had undergone during the late 19th century.
15:15Smokeless powder, clips that could be fed into magazines.
15:19But the Mauser's greatest innovation was its bolt action, which was both fast and strong.
15:26By the end of the First World War, the Mauser 98 had built a formidable reputation.
15:33A young battle-scarred corporal named Adolf Hitler later declared it his favorite rifle.
15:39But the 98 wasn't perfect.
15:41A modified version of the rifle, called the 98K, was introduced into the Wehrmacht in time for World War II.
15:49They kept the bolt system and the magazine system, perhaps its two greatest innovations.
15:54But they made it a shorter rifle, easier to shoot, easier to bring up to the shoulder,
15:58simplified the sighting system, made it a little more soldier-friendly.
16:02A German troop carrying a 98 rifle over his shoulder into combat, it's just a totally fabulous weapon.
16:08The old German soldiers that I've talked to respected the heck out of the Mauser rifle.
16:13The Mauser 98 is over 100 years old, and yet its mechanism is still the basis for most modern hunting rifles.
16:21That gives the Mauser excellent marks for accuracy and service length.
16:25Innovation is also good, but with only average handling and combat effectiveness, this German legend is at number six.
16:38From a Teutonic Terror to a Belgian Big Shot at number five, this weapon takes doors off hinges and kicks like a mule.
16:48FN FAL. Type, semi or fully automatic rifle.
16:56Country of origin, Belgium.
16:59Caliber, 7.62x51mm.
17:04Cartridge capacity, 20 rounds.
17:08Muzzle velocity, approximately 2,700 feet per second.
17:13Rate of fire, 650 to 700 rounds per minute.
17:19Throughout the period of the 60s, the 70s, and the 80s, the FAL became a symbol, a very cool-looking symbol,
17:26of Western civilization fighting for freedom in all kinds of cesspits.
17:31Perhaps as many as 70 countries have adopted it as their main battle rifle or as an alternate rifle.
17:39And it is often called the right arm of the free world.
17:43In the 1940s, Belgian manufacturer Fabrique Nationale developed a new assault rifle.
17:50Heavily influenced by the German Sturmgewehr, it was built to chamber an intermediate round.
17:56But then fate intervened.
17:58NATO announced that all their rifles would fire the larger 7.62 American round.
18:05As a result, the design of the rifle was altered.
18:09The 7.62x51 cartridge almost overpowered the design.
18:14And the result is that the FAL has been stretched to its very limits of its design.
18:19It's very much like a thoroughbred horse, which has so much muscle that its tendons and its bones
18:24are just at the limits of their ability to restrain that kind of power.
18:28The FN FAL tamed that power and developed a reputation as a big hitter.
18:33In the jungles of Vietnam, it gave good service to the Australian army.
18:38And during the Six-Day War, Israeli troops armed with FNs swept aside the Egyptian army.
18:45Everybody thinks the Israelis are using the 9mm Uzi as their main weapon.
18:50But in the Six-Day War, the Israeli leg infantry doing the hard work in the Sinai
18:57in the West Bank and on the Golan Heights were equipped with a serious assault rifle
19:03with a hard-hitting round, the FN FAL.
19:06In 1983, the FN FAL became the arbiter of a unique conflict.
19:12Argentine and British troops were fighting over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
19:17Both sides were armed with FN FALs.
19:22There's very few times in the 20th century where we had a perfect matchup of firearms.
19:27And the Falkland Islands campaign was one of those very, very few times.
19:32The Brits are carrying semi-automatic versions of the FN.
19:36The Argentinians have a full automatic capable version.
19:40Often the Brits are picking up the fully auto Argentine versions and using them.
19:44They like this. They like the full auto capability.
19:47All soldiers like full auto capability.
19:49Honestly, the FN's drawback is it's not good on fully automatic.
19:52It is utterly uncontrollable.
19:54It is such a big caliber that the weapon just goes all over the place, up into the sky.
20:00Despite its deficiencies, the FAL has proliferated
20:04from the armies of the free world to the war zones of Africa and the Middle East.
20:11With over half a century of combat under its belt, the FN FAL scores well for service length.
20:17Innovation and combat effectiveness are also good.
20:20But handling and accuracy are average, making this Belgian big shot number five.
20:32At number four, it's an American legend.
20:38M1 Garand.
20:40Type, semi-automatic rifle.
20:44Country of origin, United States.
20:47Caliber, .30-06.
20:51Cartridge capacity, eight rounds.
20:55Muzzle velocity, approximately 2,838 feet per second.
21:02Rate of fire, 30 rounds per minute.
21:07The Garand has become an icon of the greatest generation of Americans.
21:13It's the rifle that won World War II.
21:16The M1 was the first semi-automatic rifle issued as the standard small arm of the U.S. Army.
21:23It was designed by Canadian engineer John Cantius Garand.
21:27A true maverick, he built the machines that tooled his weapons.
21:33John Garand is working for Springfield Arsenal
21:36and comes up with this idea of a semi-automatic weapon.
21:39And by about 1932, they've hit on a workable design.
21:46The M1 was adopted in 1936 by the U.S. Army.
21:50Five years later, hundreds of thousands of American soldiers were heading into battle
21:55with an M1 slung over their shoulder.
21:57In all theaters, it proved an uncompromising performer.
22:02The M1 Garand is a tough, heavy battle rifle.
22:08And it is the Cadillac of semi-automatic firearms.
22:12When you fire an M1 Garand, you have some authority in your shoulder.
22:18It allows you to come around that corner or burst in that door or cross that street
22:22and have at your fingertips eight rounds to influence the battle
22:26without having to break your point of aim and reload.
22:29You've got eight rounds to deal with the enemy, he's got one.
22:32Throughout the Second World War, the M1 defended the thin red line,
22:37often proving the difference between victory and defeat.
22:41The M1 rifle was the first successful semi-automatic battle rifle issued in any quantity
22:47that was rugged enough, accurate enough to dominate the battlefield.
22:52It worked in the Pacific in sandy conditions. It worked well in the jungles.
22:57It was used in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and across France all the way into Germany.
23:04But the Garand did have an Achilles' heel.
23:07Its eight-round clip made a distinctive sound when ejected,
23:11a feature that cost many GIs their lives.
23:15When you fire that last round, the clip automatically ejects with a really audible pinging sound.
23:21And everybody and their brother knows that you're empty.
23:24But GIs soon turned the dreaded ping to their advantage.
23:29One of the common tricks was to load with a full clip, take an empty clip,
23:33and throw it down on the ground, because that's the sound it makes.
23:37And when the other guy would stick his head up, you shoot him.
23:42But despite its limitations, the Garand continued to see service.
23:47M1s were still being used in the Vietnam War in 1963,
23:52even though it had been officially replaced by the M14 rifle.
23:57When the Garand was finally put to bed, over six and a quarter million had been manufactured.
24:04General George S. Patton, at the end of World War II,
24:07stated it was perhaps the greatest battle implement ever devised.
24:12That's quite a bit to say about a foot soldier's rifle,
24:15when you've got atomic bombs and you've got four-engine bombers
24:18and parachute divisions and artillery and everything.
24:22The Garand scores high in innovation and combat effectiveness.
24:25Handling and accuracy are good, but service length is average,
24:29leaving the M1 at number four in our list.
24:36Before we see the top three best of the best,
24:38it's time to have a quick look at a few of the best of the rest,
24:42the firearms that just missed the cut of making our top ten combat rifles.
24:48Nicknamed the Bugle because of its unusual shape,
24:51the Giatte FAMAS is the standard combat rifle of the French Army.
24:56Another weapon that misses our list is the Mohsen Nagant,
25:00Russia's combat rifle from 1891 until the 1960s.
25:06The British L85A2 also misses out.
25:09In its earliest versions, it was a disaster,
25:12but recent modifications have made it a formidable opponent.
25:17A good weapon, but not good enough to make our list.
25:25Coming in at number three
25:27is one of the most accurate and famous combat rifles of all time.
25:33Lee-Enfield SMLE.
25:36Type, bolt-action rifle.
25:40Country of origin, United Kingdom.
25:43Caliber, .303 Enfield.
25:47Cartridge capacity, 10 rounds.
25:51Muzzle velocity, approximately 2,438 feet per second.
25:58Rate of fire, 15 to 20 rounds per minute.
26:03The average British tommy loved his rifle because he knew no other.
26:09The short magazine Lee-Enfield was the first rifle ever put in his hands.
26:13It was his defense against the world.
26:15Soldiers of empire used that rifle to take everything
26:18from elephant to leopard to German colonel.
26:25The Lee-Enfield SMLE built its reputation on reliability,
26:29accuracy and a phenomenal rate of fire.
26:31Its magazine carried 10 bullets,
26:34the largest capacity of any rifle on the battlefield.
26:37Its short bolt-action cocked on closing
26:40and its muzzle cap prevented dirt from clogging the weapon.
26:43It saw the British army through two world wars and numerous conflicts.
26:48But incredibly, the Lee-Enfield story almost ended before it began.
26:53The Enfield SMLE almost didn't exist because of the Boer War,
26:58because of the Mauser.
26:59When the British fought the South African Boers,
27:02who were equipped with German Mausers in 1900,
27:05they were shot to pieces by these wily Dutch farmers
27:09with their German rifles.
27:11And like soldiers everywhere, they thought,
27:13I got to have one of those.
27:15The British began developing a Mauser pattern rifle
27:18to replace the Enfield, but then fate intervened.
27:22World War I began.
27:24There was no time to put a new weapon into production.
27:27The Lee-Enfield got a second chance, and it never looked back.
27:31If I were in World War I, the Lee-Enfield would probably be
27:35the weapon that I would want.
27:37It's a very, very smooth operating bolt-action rifle,
27:42and you can get off a lot of rounds real quick.
27:46At the Battle of Mons in 1914, 12,000 British soldiers
27:51equipped with Lee-Enfield rifles came up against a German force
27:54that outgunned them 3 to 1.
27:57When fire was open, the slaughter was immediate and horrific.
28:01Within minutes, whole German battalions were wiped out.
28:06The British trained soldier could do what was called the mad minute.
28:0930 rounds aimed at a target 200 metres distance in one minute,
28:14and many soldiers could do more than that.
28:16When used by a trained soldier, the volume of fire you can put out
28:20of a Lee-Enfield rifle rivals that of many modern automatic weapons.
28:25The Great War came to an end, but the SMLE didn't.
28:29From Africa to India, it patrolled Britain's empire.
28:33And then, in 1939, it was called into action again,
28:37defending the world against Hitler's Germany.
28:40Well, it was called the Rifle No. 4 Mark I,
28:43which is essentially still the SMLE.
28:45The same magazine, the same bolt, and the same stripper clip feed.
28:50It was very rugged, and it was very good for use throughout the world,
28:54from the deserts of North Africa to the jungles of New Guinea,
28:57Normandy, and through into Germany.
29:01Battle-tested like no other weapon,
29:03the Lee-Enfield SMLE continued in service.
29:06The Korean War, the Suez Crisis.
29:09When it was finally replaced, 17 million SMLEs had been produced worldwide.
29:16The British Empire spanned the world while that rifle was in service.
29:21It was the final rifle of empire.
29:23It served on every continent under every circumstance,
29:26and it has seen such long service
29:29and affected the ebb and flow of 20th century politics so greatly
29:33that it has to be included.
29:35The Lee-Enfield SMLE scores top marks for service length.
29:39Accuracy, handling, and combat effectiveness are also high.
29:43Only innovation is average, putting this British classic at No. 3.
29:49At No. 2 in our top 10 comes the rifle
29:52that has equipped the American soldier for over 40 years.
29:57M16.
30:00Type, semi or fully automatic assault rifle.
30:05Country of origin, United States.
30:09Caliber, 5.56 by 45 millimeter.
30:14Cartridge capacity, 20 and 30 rounds.
30:19Muzzle velocity, approximately 3,281 feet per second.
30:26Rate of fire, 700 to 950 rounds per minute.
30:33There's a lot of people around the planet not breathing anymore
30:37because the M16.
30:39There's a lot of people around the planet not breathing anymore
30:43because the M16.
30:44It'll do its job.
30:45It was great.
30:46Been in lots of firefights where there were lots of orange tracers
30:49going that way and green tracers coming this way,
30:51and it became sort of the quiz essential rifle of Vietnam.
30:55Everybody had one.
30:57During the 1950s, the U.S. military was searching
31:01for a lightweight, modern assault rifle
31:04which could replace the semi-automatic M1
31:07and its selective fire counterpart, the M14.
31:11Eugene Stoner, an engineer at the Armalite factory,
31:15came up with a workable design.
31:18What Gene Stoner does is he cuts out lots of the pipework
31:21and creates a much simpler gas system
31:24that reloads a smaller, lighter round, the 5.56 millimeter round.
31:31And because the weapon fires 5.56,
31:34you could carry twice the amount of ammunition
31:37for the same weight of 7.62.
31:40In my unit, I had kids carrying 1,500 rounds of ammunition,
31:44and that was sort of standard.
31:48Despite being lighter than the older, bigger-hitting rounds,
31:51the 5.56 was still capable of causing untold damage.
31:58Because of the particular ballistics of the 5.56 bullet,
32:01it tumbles when it hits flesh
32:03and it causes immense wound damage.
32:05Because of this, the weapon was good enough
32:07to stop an enemy soldier when you fired at him.
32:10The weapons Stoner designed to chamber the new ammo
32:13stemmed from work he was conducting with high-speed alloys.
32:17Usually used for jet engines and jet parts,
32:20he began to realize that they could also be used
32:23to forge new weapons.
32:25It looked very space-age for the time.
32:27It was a weapon that had not only aluminum alloy forging
32:32that would then be milled or machined,
32:34but also had plastic parts on it.
32:37So it was not very popular among the traditional crowd.
32:41In Vietnam, the M16 got a chance to prove its worth
32:45on the battlefield.
32:48Stoner and the ArmaLite Corporation convinced
32:51the U.S. High Command that they should try fielding
32:53some of them in Vietnam to see how they perform.
32:56This is called Project Agile.
32:58Project Agile is a great success.
33:00People who are using them love them.
33:02It's simply known as the Black Rifle.
33:04It sort of sounds very sexy.
33:06But in 1965, the Vietnam War escalated.
33:10American troops poured into the jungle,
33:12and almost immediately, problems with the M16 began to emerge.
33:17With alarming regularity, the weapon was jamming,
33:20and young soldiers were dying as a result.
33:23When it went to Vietnam, it went with a reputation
33:27that it never needed to be cleaned.
33:29Consequently, no cleaning kits went.
33:31Well, it does.
33:34Wary of a scandal, the American military began to issue
33:37new orders to their troops in Vietnam.
33:40The United States Army looked very closely at this,
33:43designed specialized cleaning kits,
33:45and even printed a comic book called PM Magazine,
33:49Preventive Maintenance Magazine,
33:51with women soldiers in T-shirts telling the soldiers
33:55how to strip their sweet 16 and this type of thing.
33:58And when these new rifles, cleaning kits, and training
34:02were sent to Vietnam, the rifle began to build a reputation
34:05as an excellent jungle carbine.
34:07Post-Vietnam, the M16 is still going strong.
34:11In Somalia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan,
34:14it has kept the peace and taken the fight to the enemy.
34:17In Iraq, a scoped version has allowed Marines
34:20to counter the threat posed by Iraqi insurgents.
34:24In Fallujah in April of 2004,
34:27Marines were taking so many head shots
34:29that an investigative committee was brought in
34:32to determine if they were executing people.
34:35But it was determined that those shots were taken
34:37at hundreds of meters, and it was because the head
34:40was usually the only part that an insurgent would present
34:42in the window.
34:44Despite its early difficulties,
34:46the M16 has been an outstanding performer.
34:49Accuracy is high.
34:51Handling, service length, and combat effectiveness
34:54are also high.
34:56Innovation is good, putting the M16
34:59just outside the top spot in our list.
35:07Before we find out what the number one combat rifle is,
35:11let's run down the top ten list.
35:13At ten, it's the combat kit.
35:16The M14 has been around for 40 years,
35:18but it's still doing a job.
35:21At nine, the weapon Hitler called the storm rifle,
35:24the German Sturmgewehr.
35:27Number eight, the Springfield 03.
35:30Nicknamed the silent death, it was lethally accurate.
35:34Seventh spot goes to the Steyr AUG.
35:37Space-age looks and a space-age design.
35:41At number six, it's the Mauser 98K,
35:44Hitler's favorite rifle.
35:47At five, the big-hitting Belgian battle rifle,
35:49the FN FAL.
35:53Fourth in our list, it's the weapon that helped America
35:56win World War II, the M1 Garand.
35:59At number three, the Lee-Enfield SMLE,
36:02a true British classic.
36:05And at number two, it's the rifle that has seen
36:08the American GI through Vietnam and into the 21st century,
36:12the M16.
36:15And finally, at number one, the best of the best,
36:19a rifle which has become an icon of the 20th century
36:23as both a symbol of freedom and oppression.
36:28Kalashnikov AK-47.
36:31Type, semi or fully automatic assault rifle.
36:35Country of origin, Soviet Union.
36:40Country of origin, Soviet Union.
36:44Caliber, 7.62 by 39 millimeter.
36:49Cartridge capacity, 30 rounds.
36:53Muzzle velocity, 2,329 feet per second.
36:59Rate of fire, 600 rounds per minute.
37:05If I had to go to a planet, an unknown planet,
37:09and I was allowed to take one firearm,
37:11it would be an AK-47.
37:13When Western civilization melts down, I want an AK-47.
37:18The AK-47 is the lord of war.
37:20It probably caused the most death
37:22of any single weapon system produced ever.
37:26When you feel that click,
37:28you know you got 30 rounds of rock and roll.
37:31With over 50 million built worldwide,
37:34the AK-47 is a firearms legend.
37:38Its designer was Mikhail Kalashnikov.
37:41A Soviet tank sergeant, he devised the weapon
37:44while recovering from wounds sustained
37:46on the Eastern Front in World War II.
37:49Mikhail Kalashnikov was an inveterate tanker.
37:53He's self-described as the kind of guy
37:55who couldn't look at a door lock
37:57without wanting to take it apart and put it back together.
38:00As he's recuperating in hospital,
38:02he comes up with the idea for a self-loading rifle.
38:06And in 1947, it is approved as the new small arm
38:09for the Russian infantry, hence its designation
38:12AK-47 Automatic Kalashnikov 1947 Pattern.
38:17Built on the same principles as the German Sturmgewehr,
38:21it chambered an intermediate round
38:23and was built from stamped parts.
38:26Easy to produce and relatively cheap,
38:29the AK-47 looked clumsy.
38:32But when tested, it was supremely reliable.
38:35And to soldiers, that reliability meant something.
38:39What can you do to an AK-47 to make it stop firing?
38:42Not a whole lot. Maybe drive over it with a tank.
38:45The AK, you can bury it in sand, you can bury it in mud,
38:49you can abuse it to the degree where it's covered with rust
38:53and it will still work.
38:56That weapon is going to keep you alive.
38:59Cleaning the AK-47 was also easy.
39:03You pop off the machinery cover. There's the guts.
39:06They're real simple. You don't need Q-tips.
39:09You can use your finger and a towel, a rag.
39:11I saw Afghans clean their AK-47s.
39:14They just tie their boot laces into a multiple of knots,
39:17dip them in motor oil and yank them through the barrel.
39:19And that was clean enough.
39:22But what made the AK-47 a universal killing machine
39:27was the ease with which soldiers could be trained to use it.
39:31It was said in the 70s that a child's first weapon
39:34should be a Kalashnikov because he couldn't go wrong with it.
39:37He couldn't make it not fire.
39:41If I were to take an American soldier out today,
39:44I could get him to fuel strip, clean,
39:48and take care of an AK in about four hours.
39:51The M-16, I'm going to have to take a week.
39:54It's that simple.
39:56In the 1950s and 60s, the AK-47 became synonymous
40:01with Western fears of a massed Soviet invasion in Eastern Europe.
40:06One of the main underlying facts of the Cold War
40:09is that Ivan was going to come thundering through
40:13the Fulda Gap in central Germany
40:16with more tanks than God.
40:19And out of those tanks and armored personnel carriers,
40:22a million Russians, every one of them with a Kalashnikov.
40:27But the threat of a Soviet invasion never transpired.
40:30Instead, it got its first taste of war in Vietnam.
40:35The AK-47's largest use, perhaps, was in the Vietnam War.
40:40Large numbers of AK-47s from the Soviet Union
40:43were provided to the North Vietnamese Army and to the Viet Cong.
40:47The AK-47 went head-to-head with the American M-16
40:51and emerged on the winning side.
40:54The Kalashnikov had proved itself.
40:57Through the latter part of the 20th century,
40:59it could be heard spitting out shells on every corner of the world.
41:04During the Cold War, the Russians would underwrite just about anybody
41:08who would say, oh, yeah, we're socialist, we hate the United States.
41:12They would throw Kalashnikovs at them.
41:14And so we have Kalashnikovs everywhere.
41:18During the PLO's high-profile terrorist activities of the 1970s,
41:22the Kalashnikov was always in the news.
41:25In Afghanistan, Soviet troops and the Mujahideen went toe-to-toe with AK-47s.
41:31And in guerrilla wars across Africa, the clatter of the AK has resounded.
41:37As a result, it has become more than a weapon.
41:40It has become an icon.
41:43If there's a single thing that represents the heyday of Soviet revolutionary expansionism,
41:48it is the AK-47.
41:50It becomes, next to Che Guevara's image on the high school student's T-shirt,
41:54the iconic image of the 1960s and 70s.
41:58It is everywhere.
41:59It's on the flag of a country, of Mozambique,
42:02because it was so central in their revolution.
42:05And so Americans have grown up seeing the AK-47 as the bad guy's gun.
42:10People don't like the looks of the AK.
42:12It's an ugly gun.
42:13You can't picture John Wayne carrying an AK-47.
42:16Would he carry one? Probably. He was a practical man.
42:19In 1974, the Kalashnikov was updated.
42:23The AK-74 fired a 5.45-millimeter cartridge and had a longer effective range of 550 yards.
42:31A muzzle brake was also added, giving it a slightly greater overall length than the AK-47.
42:38Three decades later, it has survived the disintegration of communism to remain the Russian gun of choice.
42:45The Russian military still uses the weapon
42:47and is still product testing newer versions of the same weapon.
42:52They may put newer stocks on it and try to make some small improvements,
42:57but it's still the same action that the Soviet tank sergeant designed at the end of World War II.
43:03Along with the AK-47, the AK-74 has continued to pop up in small wars,
43:09terrorist attacks, and criminal activity worldwide.
43:13The AK-47 is the consummate assault rifle,
43:17and it will be around long after all of us have dissolved into dust.
43:22As long as there's ammo available, they'll be used.
43:26The AK-47 is an indestructible universal killing machine,
43:31hardly surprising then that it scores top marks for combat effectiveness.
43:36Handling is excellent.
43:38Service length is excellent.
43:40Innovation is excellent.
43:43Accuracy is average, but the Kalashnikov compensates for this
43:48with its ability to unleash a lethal wall of lead.
43:57So there it is.
44:00The top combat rifle in the world was the brainchild of a Soviet army sergeant in World War II
44:07and has been produced in more numbers than any other rifle in history.
44:13Ultra-reliable, tough, and versatile,
44:17the AK-47 really is the best of the best.
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