Top 7 Battle Rifle Clones

The crucible of combat is a brutal test for any gun, but the battlefield is also a powerful proving ground to determine which firearms make it past the hype and stand the test of time.

We’ve compiled a list of seven firearm designs that have proven worthy of military service and found success as non-military clones on the commercial market. The terms "best" and “top” are highly debatable labels, but the rifles on this list all stand out as go-to military firearms that are also readily available on the commercial market.

Some are true “battle rifles” chambered for full-power cartridges like the 7.62x51mm NATO and classic .30-06 Springfield. Others represent the recent widespread military adoption of rifles chambered for intermediate cartridges such as the 7.62x39mm and 5.56mm NATO.

Now, let’s dive into these clone-worthy military long guns in the order they entered service.

Modern Battlefield Rifles & Their Worthy Clones

1. M1 Garand/M14
2. AK-47
3. FN FAL
4. M16/AR-15
5. Steyr AUG
6. IWI Tavor
7. FN SCAR
Honorable Mentions

1. M1 Garand/M14

Introduced to the U.S. military in 1936, the M1 Garand served American troops through World War II and the Korean War before it was replaced by the similarly designed box-magazine-fed M14.

While there are still a good number of surplus M1 Garands floating around on the market today, the same cannot be said for the modernized M14. Well, at least not the original military variant of the M14. Thankfully, the beloved Garand design lives on at Springfield Armory, where you can find any number of new-production copies in the form of the M1A Springfield.

In fact, the Springfield Armory brand that we know today got a new start thanks to the M1A back in 1974, which means it just celebrated the 50th anniversary of this successful battle rifle clone in 2024.

The design has branched out beyond its original .308 Win and .30-06 Springfield chamberings to include the newer 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge. For those looking for unique foreign cousins of the M1 Garand, the Italian Beretta BM 59 is a noteworthy addition.

2. AK-47 Rifles

With more than 100 million rifles produced since it was designed in 1947, the AK-47 and its many variants may well be the most recognizable military firearms of the 20th century.

These rifles are a common sight on modern battlefields, but there’s an equally impressive number of commercial clones floating around. Some of our favorites include the affordable yet quality Zastava M70s, high-end Arsenal-built AKs, and budget-friendly Romanian WASRs.

Created by the Soviet designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, the first AK-47 rifles helped to kick off a Cold War arms race for infantry rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges like the 7.62x39mm used in the AK-47.

The gun’s rugged and simple yet modernized design also led several other nations to craft their own military firearms based on the AK design. This generated even more distant relatives, such as the Israeli Galil Ace.

3. FN FAL

FN FAL .308 Winchester rifle with pumpkins

Dubbed the “right arm of the free world” for its role in Western militaries during the Cold War, the legendary FN Fusil Automatique Léger, or simply FN FAL, still has some respectable commercial clones these days. That includes guns like the fully American-made SA58, introduced in 1994 by DS Arms, which is itself a business built largely around the FAL design.

Then there’s the “return” of the Harrington & Richardson T48 that harkens back to a test variant of the FAL used in U.S. military trials before the adoption of the M14 battle rifle in the 1950s.

Of course, we would be remiss if we neglected to point out two close cousins to the FAL that vied for military contracts at the same time. The earlier Spanish CETME predated the FAL and helped set the stage for this modern battle rifle in the first place. That was followed by the Heckler & Koch G3/HK91, which represented a very similar but domestically produced German variant. Today, PTR Industries makes a wide range of G3-style rifles, carbines, and large-format pistols.

Beyond the similar G3 and CEMTE rifles, other militaries created more direct copies of the FAL design. Whether it was the original FN FAL, the British L1A1 SLR, the Brazilian IMBEL MD series, or the Argentinian FM FAL, it’s a design that served with distinction in conflicts around the world.

4. M16/AR-15 Rifles

Where do we start with this one? Eugene Stoner designed his ArmaLite AR-10 battle rifle chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO in the latter half of the 1950s. Yet, it was the downscaled AR-15 hosting the intermediate 5.56x45mm NATO that kicked off one of the most copied firearm designs of all time.

AR-pattern rifles are made to fit just about any budget, need, or desire these days. The world is your oyster when it comes to AR-pattern firearms, from high-end Noveske and LWRCI rifles to battle-tested FNs and Colts to budget-friendly Smith & Wesson M&P15s.

Related: Best AR-15s Available Now

Heck, the design has been so successful there’s even a large selection of “California-compliant” AR-pattern guns for those weathering the storm in states that are less gun-friendly. If you’re looking for the most pocket-friendly options, we’ve got a list of AR-15s that fit the bill, too.

The AR platform was so successful that many newer guns with substantially different internal operating systems maintain AR-like controls and other features. Such is the case for the U.S. military’s next-generation XM7/MCX Spear, featuring a short-stroke, gas-operated piston instead of the AR-15’s direct-impingement system.

The move away from the M16/AR-15 family of rifles is the single largest change in American military small arms over the last 65 years. That says a lot in and of itself.

5. Steyr AUG

If for no other reason, the retro but spacey Austrian Steyr AUG earned a spot on this list just by becoming the first widely successful bullpup rifle to enter mainstream military service. But this is no outdated showpiece for some retrofuturism art gallery. The Steyr AUG is nearly a half-century old and still marching right along as the Austrian military’s go-to infantry rifle.

Clones of the AUG are, sadly, rather limited compared to other guns on this list. However, they remain quite popular thanks to the gun’s ongoing military service, Hollywood stardom, and substantial performance record.

There are a decent number of commercial clone variants available from Steyr Arms, including the extra-short AUG MP88 chambered for 9mm, the standard AUG A3 M1, and the now-discontinued long-barreled AUG A1/StG-77 that started it all. Steyr’s 9mm MP88s, in particular, are seeing a recent focus after 88 of the newly manufactured MP88 clones kicked off that gun’s reintroduction to the U.S. import market.

However, production hasn’t pivoted to the type of mass-market appeal we’ve seen with guns like the AR-15 and AK-47. The few non-Steyr clones that exist are somewhat collectible based on their availability. Though, the USA-made MSAR STG-556 clones still pop up at reasonable prices occasionally.

6. IWI Tavor

If the Steyr AUG kicked open the doors for military bullpup clones, the Israeli Tavor tossed in a flashbang grenade and liberated a permanent space on gun shop walls. Built to outperform firearms like the AR-pattern American M4A1 in urban and mechanized combat, the Tavor is compact, rugged, and easy to maintain in harsh conditions.

Israel developed the rifle in the late 1990s and early 2000s for the Israel Defense Forces. However, the commercial Tavor clones most shooters know today actually come from the privatized Israel Weapon Industries, formerly the small arms branch of the state-owned Israel Military Industries.

The Israeli military’s original Tavor TAR-21 entered service in 2001 and was superseded by the upgraded Tavor X95 – aka the Micro Tavor/MTAR – in 2009. Since IWI is not shy about pushing its products onto the commercial market, we’re lucky enough to enjoy a range of Tavor clones as private consumers.

These include the compact Tavor SAR and updated X95, both chambered for the intermediate 5.56 NATO or .300 BLK. Options for pistol-caliber carbines in 9mm are available with the X95 platform. There’s also a Tavor 7 option for those looking to run a full-power battle cartridge like the 7.62 NATO. Although it’s not really fit for this list, IWI makes a 12-gauge Tavor TS12 shotgun for the fans of tactical scatterguns out there.

7. FN SCAR

It’s not the newest combat rifle in America’s arsenal, but the FN SCAR now has more than a decade of combat service under its belt to earn it a spot on this list. Introduced in 2009, the rugged and modular SCAR family features a gas-operated, short-stroke gas piston.

FN built the SCAR to fit the requirements of U.S. Special Operations Command during the Global War on Terror. The SCAR family can be broadly broken down into light and heavy variants, chambered for 5.56 NATO and 7.62 NATO, respectively. Options for 6.5 Creedmoor and .300 BLK are also available.

New-production commercial SCAR variants from FN include the SCAR 16S in 5.56 NATO, the SCAR 17S in 7.62 NATO, the SCAR 20S in 6.5 Creedmoor and 7.62 NATO, and the extra-compact SCAR 15P large-format pistol. Alas, like the Steyr AUG and the IWI Tavor, commercial SCAR clones are currently best had from the original maker.

While not certainly clones, per se, there are SCAR alternatives that have a lot of the same aesthetics and modular qualities, if not the same technical parts and function. Such is the case with the Bushmaster ACR and CZ Bren 2, which both offer SCAR-ish looks and short-stroke gas piston systems. A similar visual comparison could be made about the PSA Jackl, but that gun features a long-stroke gas piston.

Honorable Mentions

Alright, let’s face it, this list barely cracks the surface of all the impressive battlefield rifles that emerged over the last century. We live in a golden age of firearms development, and it’s hard to complain about that.

Guns that didn’t make this list include firearms that were well ahead of their time, such as the Soviet SVT-40, Fedorov Avtomat, and SKS. Then there are the groundbreaking German Gewehr 41, Gewehr 43, and StG 44 rifles. That doesn’t even touch on other current military rifles like the H&K G36, French FAMAS, or the U.S. military’s new XM7/MCX Spear.

You get the picture.

Those are all fair additions in their own way. Feel free to add any other great rifles we missed to the comment section below.