The two most common assault rifles in the world are the Russian AK-47 and the American M16. These Cold War era rifles have faced each other in conflicts both large and small since the early 1960s. They are used by military, police, security forces, revolutionaries, terrorists, criminals and civilians alike and will most likely continue to be used for decades to come. As a result, they have been the subject of countless comparisons and endless debate.

The AK-47 was finalized, adopted and entered widespread service in the Soviet army in the early 1950s. Its firepower, ease of use, low production costs, and reliability were perfectly suited for the Red Army's new mobile warfare doctrines. Today, more AK-type weapons have been produced than all other assault rifles combined. On the other hand, the M16 entered U.S. service in the mid 1960s. Despite its early failures, the M16 proved to be a revolutionary design and stands as the longest continuously serving rifle in American military history. Today, many small arms experts consider the M16 the standard by which all other assault rifles are judged.

1. AK-47 Assault Rifle:

The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year of World War II (1945). After the war in 1946, the AK-47 was presented for official military trials. In 1948, the fixed-stock version was introduced into active service with selected units of the Soviet Army. An early development of the design was the AKS (S—Skladnoy or "folding"), which was equipped with an underfolding metal shoulder stock. In 1949, the AK-47 was officially accepted by the Soviet Armed Forces and used by the majority of the member states of the Warsaw Pact.

Even after six decades the model and its variants remain the most popular and widely used assault rifles in the world because of their substantial reliability under harsh conditions, low production costs compared to contemporary Western weapons, availability in virtually every geographic region and ease of use. The AK-47 has been manufactured in many countries and has seen service with armed forces as well as irregular forces worldwide, and was the basis for developing many other types of individual and crew-served firearms. As of 2004, out of the estimated 500 million firearms worldwide, approximately 100 million belong to the Kalashnikov family, three-quarters of which are AK-47s. More details

2. M16 Rifle:

The M16 rifle, officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16, is a United States military adaptation of the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle. In 1963, the M16 entered United States Military service and was deployed for jungle warfare operations during the Vietnam War. In 1969, the M16A1 replaced the M14 rifle to become the U.S. military's standard service rifle. The M16A1 improvements include a bolt-assist, chromed plated bore and a new 30-round magazine. In 1983, the USMC adopted the M16A2 rifle and the U.S. Army adopted it in 1986. The M16A2 fires the improved 5.56×45mm NATO (M855/SS109) cartridge and has a new adjustable rear sight, case deflector, heavy barrel, improved handguard, pistol grip and buttstock, as well as a semi-auto and three-round burst only fire selector. Adopted in 1998, the M16A4 is the fourth generation of the M16 series. It is equipped with a removable carrying handle and Picatinny rail for mounting optics and other ancillary devices.

The M16 has also been widely adopted by other militaries around the world. Total worldwide production of M16s has been approximately 8 million, making it the most-produced firearm of its 5.56 mm caliber. The U.S. Army has largely replaced the M16 in combat units with the shorter and lighter M4 carbine, and the U.S. Marine Corps approved a similar change in October 2015. More details

Comparison:

The AK is rugged, heavy, simple to use, moderately accurate, fires a decently powerful cartridge, requires little maintenance to keep it functioning and cheap to produce. On the other hand, the M-16 is lightweight, simple to use, very accurate, fires a fast, moderately powerful cartridge, requires regular maintenance to keep it functioning and is more expensive to produce. More details

	AK-47	M16 Rifle
Design year	1947	1957
Weight (loaded)	4.78 kg (10.5 lb)	3.6 kg (7.9 lb)
Weight (empty)	4.3 kg (9.5 lb)	3.26 kg (7.18 lb)
Length	87.0 cm (34.3 in)	99.0 cm (39.0 in)
Velocity	2,330 fps (710 m/s)	3,250 fps (990 m/s)
Effective range	380 yd (350 m)	500 yd (460 m)
Accuracy @ 100m	5.9 in (15 cm)	4.3 in (11 cm)
Rate of fire	600 rounds/min	700–950 rounds/min
Magazine capacity	30 rounds	30 rounds
Numbers made	~ 100 million	~ 8 million

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