Battle Rifle

A Battle Rifle is a Small Arm that fires full-powered bullets from a magazine, and is typically capable of "Selective Fire" - switching between Semi-Automatic and Fully-Automatic firing modes as necessary. Battle Rifles are sometimes regarded as a sub-class of Assault Rifles, but the functional differences caused by firing a heavier bullet are great enough that Battle Rifles have been classified as a separate group. Battle Rifles are very accurate weapons for mid-range engagements and beyond (around 200-400 meters), but can become dangerously ineffective at closer ranges. In the real world they have pretty much been supplanted by Assault Rifles for this reason.

Most models of Battle Rifles fire bullets of 7.62mm diameter and 51mm length, often called "7.62 NATO". OPFOR Battle Rifles fire an almost-identical bullet of 54mm length. Older Battle Rifle models might use a similar caliber such as .303 or 7.92mm. In all cases, these "full-powered" bullets are significantly heavier than the bullets used by modern Assault Rifles. They have much better accuracy at range, and a significantly improved chance to penetrate heavy materials such as light vehicle armor, bullet-proof glass, or thick wooden surfaces. On the other hand, the recoil produced when firing a full-powered bullet makes the Battle Rifle significantly more difficult to fire on the move, in fully-automatic mode, and/or without resting the weapon properly on a solid object. Additionally, heavier bullets mean that soldiers can't carry as much ammunition into battle.

These characteristics make Battle Rifles very effective at engaging enemies from a distance, firing in Semi-Automatic mode with high accuracy to score deadly hits. As the target gets closer, however, the Battle Rifle becomes unwieldy. Switching to Fully-Automatic mode with this rifle is often pointless, unless the gun is properly stabilized. These are all reasons why the Battle Rifle was gradually replaced by the Assault Rifle as the standard-issue weapon for modern armies. Battle Rifles are still used by Dedicated Marksmen (who require better accuracy at range), but are no longer carried by Riflemen.

In ShackTac, Battle Rifles generally appear only in the hands of low-quality military forces, or when simulating historical warfare of World War II or the early Cold War period. Independent forces such as rebels or criminals may also be forced to use this weapon instead of modern Assault Rifles. Squad Leaders and other commanders (more likely to engage the enemy only at a distance) are also more likely to carry a Battle Rifle in such scenarios - even when their Riflemen carry more modern Assault Rifles.

The most common Battle Rifle model seen in ShackTac (and one of the most common in the real world) is the Belgian FN FAL, followed closely by the German HK G3 and the American M-14 - all chambered for the 7.62mm NATO bullet. The only OPFOR Battle Rifle - the SVD Dragunov - is even rarer in ShackTac missions. In World War II era scenarios, weapons like the American M1 Garand and British Lee-Enfield may be considered "Battle Rifles", though they lack the ability to switch to full-auto mode altogether.

Cold-War-era Battle Rifle Magazines typically contain 20 bullets in total, while older Battle Rifles may use 10-round or even 5-round magazines. 30-bullet magazines also exist for 7.62 NATO Battle Rifles, but are rare. As mentioned above, the higher weight of full-powered bullets means that soldiers using a Battle Rifle carry significantly less ammunition overall, compared to a modern Rifleman. They must strive to conserve ammo by taking carefully-aimed single shots whenever possible. Firing a Battle Rifle on full-auto is often completely pointless, unless the gun has been properly stabilized by resting it on a solid object. Even then, the recoil may become unmanageable after the first couple of bullets in a burst. Nevertheless, each bullet that hits a living target is much more likely to kill it outright.

Battle Rifles share some similarity to Light Machine Guns, which also fire full-powered bullets. However, LMGs are specifically designed to fire continuous full-auto bursts from a stabilized position (often utilizing a Bipod to counteract the resulting recoil), and are tactically completely distinct weapons that are still in widespread general use today.

Battle Rifles are significantly less versatile than Assault Rifles in terms of the attachments they can be fitted with. Due to the technological eras in which they tend to appear, a narrower variety of attachments is available to begin with. Battle Rifle users typically have to rely on the weapon's built-in iron sights to aim, and attachable Flashlights and Lasers are very rare for these weapons. Unit leaders often have to carry a separate Grenade Launcher on their backs during such missions, since under-barrel Grenade Launcher attachments for Battle Rifles are practically non-existant. On occasion, a Battle Rifle may be fitted with a Bipod to give it extra stability when rested on a scenery object, but even this attachment is very rare.