Orion wrote:Moondog, my limited reading on the subject points to velocity as being the key difference between a standard .22 and an "assault" rife. A .22 can kill you but the bullets from the assault style weapons are so much more destructive of human flesh and bone.
Only partly, the 5.56mm in the military version is unstable and tumbles when it hits anything, it is the combination of the tumbling and the speed that causes such devastating wounds and this is partly a result of the barrel design. If it didn't tumble it would just leave nice neat round holes that are easily patched up, easily only in the context of battlefield wounds.
But the round itself is now easily stopped and/or the impact is mollified by recent developments in LW body armour
"Assault" rifles are defined by the role they play, not by the ammunition they use, originally they were designed to replace both rifles and sub-machine guns/machine pistols. Short and maneuverable with a high rate of fire.
Our old SLR in 7.62 * 51 was an assault rifle as was the Russian AK47 in 7.62 * 39 so it's wrong to associate a weapons role with a calibre
I had to give up my self loading rifles and shotguns when Little Johnny railroaded the legislation through and I did so because, while I thought the law was wrong I was also a law abiding citizen. Thousands did not and in hindsight perhaps they were right and the government was over reacting but note I did not own an assault rifle, just sporting arms. There are semi automatic'/ self loading rifles I would like to buy but an Armalite or any of its clones isn't one of them, they have no place in a non-military situation