It does not matter what "some parts of the world" call anything. The USA refers to semi-automatic-only copies of military weapons as "assault rifles" in their federal laws. That does not make them assault rifles.
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[*]An assault rifle---forget the AP Style Book definition, its dead wrong---is a reduced power rifle caliber, selective- fire, reasonably compact weapon smaller in size than a full- caliber rifle, capable of a reasonable degree of accuracy out to 400 yards. Generally, an assault rifle accepts a magazine of a least 20 rounds. One can construe certain full caliber rifles to meet this specification, but submachine guns can only loosely border on any definition of the true assault rifle.
http://www.totse.com/en/politics/right_to_keep_and_bear_arms/arifle2.html
[*]Thus, as the United States Defense Department's Defense Intelligence Agency book Small Arms Identification and Operation Guide explains, "assault rifles" are "short, compact, selective-fire weapons that fire a cartridge intermediate in power between submachinegun and rifle cartridges."
http://www.shadeslanding.com/firearms/assault.weapon.html#IC
[/quote]
Go out and search for "definition of assault rifle" on google. These are the first few I found.
http://www.google.com/search?q=definition+of+assault+rifle
There are even discussions of how the G3 and M1 carbine relate to this definition. It's not my definition, it's the DODUSA's.
The CETME-B *is* an assault rifle because it was intended to use a version of the 7.62x51mm NATO round which was dimensionally identical, but lower-powered. The lighter round was for general use, and in emergencies, the full-power NATO which was used in their machineguns would fit, fire, and function.
7.62x51mm CETME. 112 grain bullet at 2,450 to 2,500 fps (42,000 psi)
7.62x51mm NATO. 147 grain bullet at 2,700 to 2,800 fps (50,000 psi)
The G3 was orginially a licsensed copy of the CETME-C, which was only supposed to fire 7.62 NATO.
My definition as to magazine capacity was badly worded. I should have said "generally" has 20+ rounds, because of the nature of detachable mags, one of any capacity can be made and inserted. I concede that point, but note the original MP 43/44 had a 30-round mag, the AK-47 a 30, and the M-16 20 and 30. However, the detachable part is immutable.
Secondly, over short distances, smaller bullets at lighter weights have flatter trajectories. Compare a .44 magnum and a 5.56mm: they have the same kinetic energy at the muzzle, but the 5.56mm is flat enough to hit men at 300m by holding a few inches high. The .44 bleeds energy too fast. The 5.56mm has a better trajectory than the 7.62x39mm
[This message was edited by Col.Sanders on Mar 15, 2001 at 15:10.]