The QBZ-95, or “Type 95 Automatic Rifle” is the standard-issue assault rifle of China. Designed to replace the Chinese copy of the AK-47, the QBZ-95 is unlike any other Chinese rifle. The rifle is issued to all arms of the People’s Liberation Army, as well as the People’s Armed Police. The QBZ-95 is a bullpup design, with the magazine inserted behind the trigger. Like other bullpup rifles, this shortens the overall length of the rifle. The result is a rifle with a barrel 3.5” longer than the M4 carbine, but shorter in overall length. The rifle features a built-in carrying handle, although the use of such a handle creates issues when attaching scopes and other optics. The rifle uses a unique 5.8-millimeter round developed by China and not used outside of its borders. The justification for the round is a bit of a mystery. It seemingly does not provide any significant improvement over existing NATO and Russian cartridges, both of which have seen extensive research and development and the development of a wide variety of subrounds. One possible explanation for the Chinese round is that it makes the QBZ-95 unable to accept externally sourced ammunition.
Although the rifle has so far not seen widespread use outside of China, China’s status and the size of China’s Army earn it a place on this list.