Automatic Rifle

An Automatic Rifle (AR, not to be confused with Assault Rifle) is a class of fully-automatic Infantry weapons designed to provide sustained fire using small caliber bullets. Automatic Rifles typically feed from a box or belt containing 100-200 rounds. They are used by Automatic Riflemen to provide suppressive fire against enemy infantry, as well as effective fire at ranges of up to several hundred meters. Both the weapon and its ammunition are significantly heavier and more cumbersome than an Assault Rifle, making it somewhat less useful in CQC.

The term "Automatic Rifle" is used primarily for convenience, to describe whichever weapon is carried by the Automatic Riflemen in the infantry Fireteams. The same model of weapon might be called a "Medium Machine Gun" instead, if used in an independent Weapon Team. In the real world, terms like "Squad Automatic Weapon", "General Purpose Machine Gun" and "Light Machine Gun" may also be applied, but ShackTac forgoes such minute distinctions in terminology for the sake of simplicity.

Common Automatic Rifles in ShackTac videos include the M60, M249 SAW and M240 for BLUFOR, RPK-74 and PKM for OPFOR. The M27 IAR has also been featured in quite a few videos, as have other models. Some of these models fire Assault Rifle caliber bullets (5.45mm or 5.56mm), while others fire a full-powered round (7.62mm NATO/Russian). In all cases, the AR is typically fitted with a Bipod to provide it stability when stationary. ARs may also be fitted with limited optics (typically a red-dot sight), a flashlight, and/or a laser pointer.

Most ARs are difficult to reload, taking twice as much time as an Assault Rifle (or more). Furthermore, both the weapons and its ammunition are heavy, necessitating a second player (the Assistant Automatic Rifleman) to carry some of the ammunition in order to ease the load off the gunner himself. These factors combined make the Automatic Rifle less effective in close quarters situations. However, the preponderance of ammo, as well as the weapon's ability for sustained automatic fire, make it quite deadly at medium-range and even long-range engagements with enemy infantry, where it will both suppress and kill with ease. ARs firing heavier rounds are even more deadly in such engagements.

For more information about how ARs are used in ShackTac, read the article on Automatic Riflemen.