Media Misinformation: High-Powered

Over the past year and a half since we launched FirearmsTruth.com, we’ve noted that the media misinformation often contains the same statements, words and other questionable points time and time again. For that reason we’ve decided to start a new feature that calls out these points and take a closer look.

To get the ball rolling, we’re going to cover the topic of “high-powered,” as this one seems to crop up time and time again. The media loves to use the term, “high-powered” as in “high-powered assault rifles” and “high-powered weapons.” The problem with this use of the adjective “high-powered” is that it isn’t being accurately used.

As an adjective “high-powered” describes a type of weapon, leaving the reader to believe that the weapon is actually just that… high-powered, as in can shoot a long distance and/or has a very powerful bullet. The fact is that assault rifles are neither. This is because of the very nature of assault rifles is that these were designed not to shoot at great distance or to fire a high-powered round.

And this brings us to a confusing point. There is no official designation on what is, or what is not, high-powered but it is generally agreed to be calibers that are fired from full length rifles. One definition suggests that a “high-powered rifle” is any modern rifle designed to fire a bullet at high velocity from a hollow cylindrical metal shell by means of igniting a primer and detonating a smokeless power charge contained within. Exactly where a “rifle” becomes a “high-powered rifle” has never been definitively established, but obviously rifles chambered for the .30/30, the .30/06, the .270 Winchester, and the .308 – which are designed for hunting medium to big game and/or military use – are high-powered rifles.

So where does the assault rifle come in? Well, the first true “assault rifle” was developed by the Germans in World War II, and it was the StG44 (later known as the MP44). The gun fired a brand new round, known as the 7.92x33mm Kurz, which was designed to be a lighter, more maneuverable rifle round that was to bridge the gap between submachine guns and rifles. The round that was created took the traditional rifle round of the German Army, the 7.92x57mm and reduced it in size.

Thus the new StG44 fired a small round than the rifle. This new gun, which was designed during the war was reportedly developed as the MP43/MP44 (maschinenpistole or machine pistol) as Adolf Hitler had stated that a new rifle wasn’t needed. But as testing advanced the Nazi leader saw the possibilities and one story is that he personally decreed that it be named “Sturmgewehr” or “assault rifle.” Thus what does “assault rifle” really mean?

More importantly when used with the adjective “high-powered,” it is inaccurate because all subsequent assault rifles include the AK-47 and M-16 used new ammo that was designed to be this “intermediate” cartridge. The reasons is that the guns were meant for closer ranges than a traditional rifle, but was a larger caliber than a submachine gun – which typically fired a pistol round. The reason this is necessary to note is that “assault weapons” that are commercially available tend to lack another feature of the military versions, which is the ability for burst or full-auto fire.

High-powered ammunition does have a practical use however. It isn’t with assault weapons obviously, but rather with commercial sporting rifles. Firearms used for target competition and hunting do fire high-powered rounds.

But the fact remains that most of the type the mainstream media uses the term “high-powered” as a descriptive adjective incorrectly.