UBB.threads Forums General Militaria Historic and Period Firearms Forum Best Military Rifle for it's Period

Regarding the assault weapons not being rifles - what other catagory would they be placed in?
A machine gun is generally thought of as being a larger, heavier sometimes crew-served weapon that fires a full-sized rifle cartridge or larger.
A submachine gun is defined as a full auto or select fire weapon that fires pistol cartridges.
That sort of leaves the assault rifle as a "bastard child", albeit one that has made most rifles obsolete....
This is an interesting thread and I would love to hear the opinions of others.