The assault rifle is a terrifying instrument of death. If you took Automatics as a skill, you need one, plain and simple. Theyâre great when you need a lot of baddies dead fast. Theyâre not as terrifying as combat shotguns in close quarters, but they get much better range, to the point you can snipe with them in some situations. Thanks to autofire, theyâre forgiving to use, so really every archetype can make use of them.
AK-97: This is what I would characterize as the âbasicâ assault rifle. Itâs got average stats, is legal to own, and wonât break the bank. I recommend this for two reasons: Firstly, itâs legal, so you have fewer problems with cops. Secondly, itâs cheap, so a character who isnât specced for combat can use it easily. This is for deckers and mages everywhere. It should be noted the 97 stands for 1997. This thingâs been in use for 78 years, so you know itâs quality.
Ares Alpha: Depending on who you ask, this is either the best assault rifle in the game, or the second best behind the Yamaha Raiden. Itâs got great damage, good accuracy, an integral smartlink and grenade launcher, and two points of free recoil compensation. This is a must have for Automatics gunslingers, though depending on preference you might replace it later. Itâs not clear to me what stats aftermarket underbarrel grenade launchers have, so the included one might be better, worse, or identical.
Colt M23: Ganger trash. Itâs got crap accuracy, crap damage, and nothing to make up for that. I would say itâs a decent budget piece, but youâd be better off with an AK-97, which still doesnât cost much. Even for Priority E Resource builds, this is a mere maybe. This is a gun for gangs, not shadowrunners.
FN HAR: This is the Colt TZ-120 of assault rifles, designed for corporate response teams to use as standard armament. Itâs identical to a AK-97 if you ignore the integral mods, and depending on if you think integral mods take up a space this might be better or worse.
Yamaha Raiden: Compared to the Ares Alpha, you lose a grenade launcher, a point of recoil compensation, and semi auto capability in exchange for a massive magazine, an integral silencer and an extra point of Accuracy. Seeing as you can add an aftermarket grenade launcher, and semi auto doesnât matter much for an assault rifle, that might be a worthwhile tradeoff, depending on playstyle. You canât start the game with this, sadly.
AK-98: An AK-97 with an integral grenade launcher, with no other mods. Due to the grenade launcher, itâs illegal, nixing the main advantage of the 97. While the launcher has low accuracy, thanks to the way grenades work it doesnât actually matter, since you only need three hits anyway.
Ares HVAR: I think thereâs some German errata that makes this thing fire faster (thanks Catalyst, because I totally speak German),  but even then itâs subpar. It hits like a submachinegun, without any of the concealability  or affordability of one. Hell, this thing has the gall to cost more than twice the superior AK-97. What were you thinking, Ares?
HK XM30: Iâm not really sure what to think of this one, because of one unanswered question: Do the different configurations change concealability? If so, you might be able to sneak the carbine around, which makes it the best âSMGâ in the game. If not, you have a (admittedly low powered) sniper rifle that fits in a duffel bag, which makes overwatch that much easier. Either way, donât use this as an assault rifle, because itâs not good in that role.
Nissan Optimum II: This is a crappy assault rifle glued to a crappy shotgun, for way too much goddamn money. Itâs once again more expensive than the superior AK-97, even when you account for the smartlink.
Shiawase Arms Monsoon: Monsoon indeed. This gun holds 120 rounds in six separate barrels, barrels that can accept different ammunition types. This gun serves as the gun for suppressive fire, suppressive fire that can last 6 combat turns (or around 18 seconds.) I recommend getting two of these and a reloading drone, because reloading this thing yourself would be a godawful pain. For some reason you lose a point of AP, though Iâd say itâs worth it.
Colt Inception: This is a DMR, not an assault rifle. If youâre okay with that, itâs a solid option. Once more, thereâs inexplicable AP loss, and the damage is merely average, but the accuracy is excellent.
Krupp Arms Kriegfaust: Itâs a Colt Inception with one less point of damage and one more point of accuracy, with a drum magazine that only holds 25 rounds for some reason. Give this an ammo skip system, extended drums and load it with all sorts of crazy things. Use this if you have the insane dicepools necessary to make use of its accuracy.
SBd-44: One word: Drones. This is the cheapest assault rifle in the game, with an accuracy low enough to reflect that, but since drones can use their Sensor Rating as their accuracy stat, it doesnât matter. Under no circumstances should you use this yourself.
Ultimax Rain Forest Carbine: There are two statblocks for this thing, one in the book and one in Missions errata, so Iâll cover them separately.
Ultimax RFC Vanilla Version: Holy cow, what? 14P Damage? Semi auto only? You sure this is an assault rifle? This is a short range sniper rifle, more like. This thing should be used as a light assault cannon, especially when loaded with explosive rounds. I donât recommend using this particular statblock.
Ultimax RFC Mission version: With the addition of burst fire and the change from 14P to 11P damage, this thing becomes an upgraded Colt Inception. Use as a DMR, not an assault rifle. This is the statblock Iâd use.