Assault Rifle provides a comprehensive account of the development of the military assault rifle and its ammunition from WW2 to the present day. The book is in two parts. The first part includes: · Brief historical summary of the assault rifle, its origins and development. · Gun design including operating mechanisms and weapon configuration. · Ammunition design and performance. · Ballistics, especially the balance between recoil and effectiveness. · History of assault rifle cartridge. The second part includes: · National military rifle programmes since the end of WW2. · History of developments in each country including experimental programmes. · Detailed descriptions of the principal service and experimental weapons. AUTHOR: Maxim Popenker is a lieutenant [reserve] in the Russian armed forces. He is the creator and webmaster of the leading internet small arms resource, the 'Modern Firearms' website at www.world.guns.ru. ANTHONY WILLIAMS' particular interest is in the history of automatic weapons and their ammunition. He has written on the subject for several years, culminating in the publication in 2000 of Rapid Fire [Airlife]. 250 b/w photos