World War II Firearms Ranking

First place: Russian AK-47 rifle

Although American-produced varieties account for 4 of the top ten rifles, this does not affect the Soviet-made Kalashni at all. The Koff AK-47 assault rifle tops the list. It is undisputedly known as "the most outstanding rifle of the 20th century."

This legendary weapon was invented by Mikhail Kalashnikov, a former Soviet Red Army soldier. As a result of being injured in the war, in June 1941, he came to work at the Izhevsk Arsenal. Decades later, this unknown soldier became famous all over the world. His famous AK-47 assault rifle is popular around the world, and its figure appears in almost every battlefield where gunfire rises.

In 1947, when the AK-47 rifle was first equipped with troops, the Soviet Union believed that this weapon had epoch-making significance, so it kept it strictly secret in the first few years. It has only appeared on the stage of world war since the 1960s. The advantage of the AK-47 is immediately apparent - it is easy to use in combat.

The AK-47 rifle uses the moderately powerful M43 short bullet. The round was several grams lighter than the 7.62mm×51mm full-size rifle round used by NATO at the time. Don’t underestimate this gap. During the Vietnam War, the strong American soldiers were panting from exhaustion carrying heavy M14 rifles and 150 rounds of standard full-size rifle ammunition, while the thin Vietnamese guerrillas were carrying so light weapons. Many AK-47 rifles appear and disappear. The AK-47 rifle has strong firepower, and the amount of ammunition fired per minute is twice that of the M14. Coupled with the large amount of ammunition it carries, it often overwhelms the American infantry detachment.

In addition, the AK-47 is particularly suitable for combat in muddy and watery areas due to its reliability design. Vietnamese guerrillas often disguised themselves as farmers working in the paddy fields. They dropped their AK-47s in the mud at their feet. As long as the American soldiers carelessly walk away, these Vietnamese, who were just farmers, will immediately grab their AK-47s and fire from behind. Fiery tongues of fire continued to spit out from the mud-covered muzzle...

It is estimated that AK-47 and subsequent versions of guns have been manufactured around the world in the past 60 years, reaching 100 million. *** Six countries have AK-47 patterns on their national flags and emblems to commemorate the contribution this weapon made to winning independence and freedom for the nation. The reputation of the AK-47 rifle exceeds that of all contemporaneous weapons. Kalashnikov has become a classic word like Russian vodka and the Kremlin.

Second place: American M16 rifle

It can be called the "happy enemy" of AK-47. For more than 40 years, almost all overseas wars the United States has participated in have been, to some extent, a contest between the M16 and the AK-47. During the Vietnam War, when it was learned that the U.S. military had been "repaired" with AK-47 rifles locally, the Pentagon immediately searched for a domestic response plan. At this time, Arete, a company that only specializes in competition guns, recommended a rifle with a stylish appearance and exquisite design. The ammunition it fires is one size smaller than the AK-47, and the gun body is light and short, making it very suitable for penetrating operations in jungle areas and narrow places. The Pentagon decided to use this gun to replace all the current firearms of the US military and put them into the Vietnam battlefield. U.S. Secretary of Defense McNamara officially designated it as the M16 rifle. This decision became a milestone in the history of the development of modern small arms. The emergence of the M16 rifle played a role in demonstrating and leading the small-caliber wave that set off in the world in the late 20th century. In this sense, it is rightly ranked as the second most outstanding rifle.

Even though the 5.56mm bullet used in the M16 rifle has a small caliber, its warhead will roll after being injected into the human body, destroying the internal tissue of the human body and causing huge wounds. Since most of the M16 rifles used by the US military have a black appearance, the Vietnamese guerrillas once spread the saying "Beware of black guns." However, the early M16 rifles were not designed with a speed switch, and the rate of fire was too high, causing some soldiers to often run out of bullets before the mission was over. In addition, the Americans hurriedly sent the M16 rifles to the front line without thorough and reliable testing. During the sexual inspection, it was found that the gun bore was filled with water and could not be fired. During the Vietnam War, some U.S. soldiers would rather throw away their M16s and use AK-47s.

"Understanding shame and then being brave", the United States has never stopped improving and perfecting the M16 rifle. The improved M16A2 rifle and derivative M4 carbine used by the US military today are no less reliable than the AK-47, not to mention far ahead in terms of shooting stability and accuracy. This makes the M16 the most widely equipped assault rifle second only to the AK-47 series.

Third place: British Lee-Enfield rifle

The British Lee-Enfield III rifle ranked third. This old rifle came into use shortly after the Boer War, and by 1907 it was widely equipped with the British army. During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, Afghan rebels mostly used this weapon when setting off ambushes. It was named after its inventor, James Paris Lee, and its manufacturer, Enfield Arsenal.

The main structure of the gun has not been significantly changed since it was finalized in 1888. The most well-known of them is the Lee-Enfield III rifle.

The Lee-Enfield rifle uses a groundbreaking rotating rear-pull bolt action, which makes the rifle loading speed very fast. In addition, its 10-round detachable magazine has twice the ammunition capacity of contemporary rifles, making it It became the fastest manual rifle in the 20th century. During World War II, German soldiers were often killed by the British Army with Lee-Enfield rifles while reloading five rounds of magazines after shooting. Some German officers' memoirs mentioned that the salvo firepower of the British rifle team was more violent than machine gun.

During the Soviet-Afghan War, an American reporter participated in the attack on the Soviet convoy by Afghan armed forces and saw with his own eyes that childish children could skillfully pick up a Lee-Enfield rifle. From a high slope, the fuel tank of a moving Soviet truck was blown open, and more people fired while pulling the bolt of their rifles during the charge. The hit rate was astonishingly high. I am afraid that such a combat effect can only be achieved by "practice makes perfect" description, which further proves the excellent manufacturing process of Lee-Enfield rifle.

Fourth place: American M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle

It is the first semi-automatic rifle to enter active service, and it is also the most used individual weapon in the United States in World War II. We It can be seen in many works of art reflecting World War II. In the movie "Pearl Harbor", there are scenes of Americans shooting at Japanese planes, and they used this kind of rifle.

The equipment of the Garand rifle reflects the U.S. military's consistent insistence on fire suppression tactics with individual weapons. Its equipment made the US military the army with the highest penetration rate of automatic weapons in World War II, allowing its firepower advantage to be fully utilized. On the Pacific battlefield, two Garands taking turns to fire were often able to suppress a Japanese infantry squad.

The most distinctive feature of the Garand rifle is its 8-round magazine. Whenever the last bullet is fired, the M1's gun will make a "ping" sound of metal collision, prompting to change the bullet clip. The M1 rifle experienced the test of various environmental conditions such as mountainous areas, tropical jungles, and dry deserts during World War II. It has good reliability and high shooting accuracy. On the European front, the famous American "Iron-Blooded General" George Patton was a super "fan" of the M1 rifle. Not only did he put his M1 rifle next to the jeep he was riding in for self-defense, he also posthumously awarded a medal to a fallen soldier who killed a senior Italian commander on the Italian battlefield, and the medal hung on the soldier's head during his lifetime. Regarding the M1 rifle used, Patton repeatedly praised the M1 rifle as "the most perfect weapon" he had ever seen.

Fifth place: Belgian FNFAL rifle

In May 1940, in the important Belgian town of Liege under the iron heel of the Nazi German army, a wounded Belgian soldier was almost chased by German soldiers. There was no way out, but fortunately the female owner of a roadside hotel used a wine cellar as a cover, allowing him to escape. The female boss never dreamed that her righteous act would save a talented firearms designer, Seve, for Belgium and even the entire West. After the end of World War II, Seve returned to his motherland and became a well-known arsenal technician. He keenly felt that the assault rifle, which combined the long range of the old-fashioned manual rifle and the instantaneous firepower of the submachine gun, had great future, and developed the first post-war new assault rifle, FNFAL, which was welcomed by the NATO army.

This gun was used by the Australian Expeditionary Force during the Vietnam War. Although FNFAL is long and heavy and not suitable for close combat in the jungle, in fact many Australian soldiers prefer it to the American M16 because they believe that the powerful 7.62 mm × 51 mm bullet used by FNFAL can kill the enemy in one shot, especially The effect is more obvious when the target is farther away. On the Vietnam battlefield, the ace Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) of the Australian Army "cut off" the FNFAL's barrel length by 150 mm on its own initiative, added a flash hider from the M16 rifle, and mounted the XM148 obtained from the US military. type grenade launcher. Although the FNFAL rifle that fires powerful bullets is difficult to control when firing continuously, when the special team unexpectedly encounters the enemy during reconnaissance patrols, the typical approach is to suppress the enemy with powerful firepower while retreating quickly. At this time, the shot can be accurate Might as well fight fast.

Because FNFAL is easy to produce and has a low price, it was quickly listed as the standard rifle of the NATO army, and soon spread to numerous Latin American, Asian, and African countries and more than 90 countries. There are also many countries that carry out imitation or licensed production. FNFAL became one of the military rifles with the largest output, the largest number of production and equipment countries, and the widest distribution after World War II.

Sixth place: German Mauser 98K rifle

In 1935, a Mauser rifle with a shortened barrel based on the original Mauser Karl 98 rifle - Mauser 98K Adopted by the German Wehrmacht, this was the last Mauser rifle used by the Wehrmacht. "98K" means Mauser 1898 short rifle, and K means "Kurz", which means "short" in German. Therefore, its length is shorter than the Mauser Type 98 rifle used by the German army in World War I. The Mauser 98K served as the standard equipment of the German army throughout World War II. German arsenals produced 14 million units during the war.

As the war progressed, the Mauser rifle was given a wider range of uses. For example, when a ZF41 or ZF42 scope is installed, the Mauser 98K can be used as a sniper rifle.

Although its performance and record were excellent, people soon realized that this rifle with a rotating bolt action was outdated. The main problem is that the rate of fire is too low. In the sniper battle with the US military, German soldiers using Mauser 98K rifles had to manually load the gun after completing the shooting. The sound of pulling the bolt was particularly clear in the silent forest. American soldiers could easily determine the location of German soldiers and deal them a fatal blow. The US military used the M1 rifle without manual loading, so the German army suffered a big loss.

It should be said that the Mauser 98K rifle is the ultimate development of manual rifles. Most modern manual rifles are based on Mauser rifles, but there is no room for improvement. It can truly be called the "grandmaster" in the history of world firearms.

No. 7: Austrian AUG bullpup rifle

This weapon looks like a prop from the movie "Star Wars". It has neither the exposed parts that are common on ordinary assault rifles nor the sharp-edged butt. But AUG, as a "monster among guns", has many extraordinary features. The parts made of engineering plastics are very durable and have a service life of firing 100,000 rounds of bullets. By replacing the barrels of different lengths, the AUG can transform between four different roles: submachine gun, carbine, assault rifle and light machine gun. The AUG can be easily disassembled without the need for special tools, which can greatly reduce the maintenance workload and allow soldiers to easily perform maintenance under field conditions.

In the late 1970s, the Sultan of Oman imported a batch of AUG rifles, but almost everyone disliked these "guns without distinctive outlines." Even his own Royal Guard refused to hand over the original AUG rifles. Some M16 rifles. In desperation, the Sultan of Oman had to give them to the Palestine Liberation Organization camped in Lebanon. The PLO commander provided all AUG rifles to the famous Stormtroopers. The gun's high accuracy and lightness make these soldiers who are familiar with special operations love it. In June 1982, the Israel Defense Forces launched the Lebanon War aimed at clearing out the PLO and Syrian garrisons. Soon the Israeli army completed the division and siege of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The extremely excited Israeli Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Adam jumped out of the tank and called on the reporters accompanying the army to take pictures of him. Suddenly, three Stormtroopers jumped over a low wall and rushed over like three bolts of lightning. They fired with AUG rifles and threw grenades. After the smoke passed, Adam and the three commandos fell at the same time. After the autopsy, the military doctor found that the PLA fighters blindly fired with AUG rifles in the chaos, and actually achieved a very high hit accuracy. At least 6 bullets penetrated Adam's abdomen and chest.

The AUG rifle’s instant success in Beirut made it quickly become a hot star in the international market. Interestingly, AUG rifles are also very popular in the film and television industry. This scene often appears in many gunfight movies: the gangster killer opens a box full of AUG parts that he carries with him, quickly assembles the AUG, hides by the window and looks out at someone with a 1.5x scope. This fully reflects its characteristics of easy disassembly, easy concealment and carrying, and high accuracy of the optical sight. Perhaps being a movie star is the most suitable role for AUG.

Eighth place: American Springfield M1903 rifle

During the Spanish-American War in 1898, the 7 mm caliber Mauser used by the Spanish army left a deep impression on the Americans, so The American Springfield Arsenal improved and manufactured its own Springfield rifle (the so-called "Springfield" rifle) based on the Mauser 1888 rifle. Springfield in English is "springfield", which means "Springfield". ). This gun was officially installed in the army in 1903 and was given the army number M1903. The gun uses a Mauser bolt action and a detached 5-round magazine, and uses M1903 or M1906 7.62 mm caliber bullets. Due to its high shooting accuracy, it was once converted into a sniper rifle. A total of 150,000 guns were produced, and they also assisted China in its war of resistance.

The gun's moment of great success occurred in the final years of World War I. The impoverished Tennessee hunter Sergeant York joined the 82nd Infantry Division and came to the French front. On October 8, 1918, his unit was blocked by German machine gun positions and suffered heavy losses. Ignoring the rain of bullets, York went around to the enemy's rear and shot with his M1903 rifle in the best shooting position he adopted while hunting. During this period, a German lieutenant led five soldiers and rushed out of the trench 23 meters away from him to attack him. York fired his rifle and killed them all. His commander fired 20 bullets and killed 21 enemies. The enemy was intimidated by York and quickly surrendered. So York captured 132 German soldiers here, clearing the way for the large army.

Ninth place: German MP434StG44 assault rifle

At the end of 1944, the German "Shears" commando was killed by the Soviet Red Army while performing a reconnaissance mission in the Pripyat swamps of Belarus. Surrounded by death. Seeing that the commandos were about to be wiped out, a German transport plane dropped a batch of weapons. After obtaining this weapon, the "Big Scissors" commando team became even more powerful, crashed into the Soviet position, and miraculously broke through the Soviet defense line.

What created this miracle was the "doomsday weapon" developed by German fascists - the MP43JStG44 assault rifle. After the outbreak of World War II, the German Army Technology Department envisioned developing a rifle that could fire continuously like a submachine gun. This would maintain the lightweight characteristics of the submachine gun and cost much less than traditional rifles. After brainstorming, the MKb42(H) sample gun developed by Heinel Company was selected. It still maintains the 7.92mm caliber, but the length of the ammunition used is shortened by 1J3, which reduces the charge and makes the gun easier to control when firing fully automatically. However, Hitler had no interest in the MKb42(H). As a corporal in World War I, he used Mauser rifles and firmly believed that the larger the gun's range, the better. However, the effective range of the MKb42(H) was much lower than that of the Mauser. As a result, the German technicians painstakingly developed the rifle and it was far ahead. MKb42(H), which is used in other countries, has been looked down upon by heads of state since its inception. The Army Technical Department was well aware of Hitler's volatile temper. The ministry borrowed the name of the submachine gun - MP43 to continue production of the MKb42(H). In 1943, the first batch of 10,000 MP43 prototype guns were sent to the German 5th SS "Viking" Armored Division, which was participating in the Battle of Kursk, for actual combat testing, and the results showed their initial success. Various troops have requested to increase the number of equipment equipped with this gun. When some generals came back from the front to report the war situation to Hitler, they highly praised the MP43's outstanding performance and repeatedly requested an increase in production. Only then did Hitler realize that he had been deceived for a long time. Fortunately, Hitler also learned that the performance of the gun was indeed very good, and personally named the MP43 an assault rifle. Just like that, the firearm family has a new member—an assault rifle. In 1944, the MP43 was renamed StG44, which is often referred to as the German Type 44 assault rifle in later generations.

Tenth place: American M14 rifle

The M14 automatic rifle was developed by Garland, the designer of the M1 semi-automatic rifle, based on the M1 after World War II. It was put into use in 1957 , and was soon dismantled in 1968. The M14 withdrawal originated from the Vietnam War. The M14 is too long and heavy, making it difficult to use in hot and humid climates. In addition, the high-power 7.62 mm × 51 mm bullet is too heavy, so the amount of ammunition carried by individual soldiers in the patrol team is limited. In addition, most of the M14s used by US soldiers can only fire single shots, and their firepower is difficult to compete with the AK-47 rifles when approaching enemies at close range. When the M14 exposed these problems, the U.S. military began to look for new alternatives, and finally chose the small-caliber M16 assault rifle.

The fact that the M14 was replaced does not mean that its performance is poor. It is just that in terms of the environment of modern warfare, the M14 is an outdated weapon. However, relying on its advantages of high accuracy and long range, the M14 has found its "second spring" on the sniper battlefield. The US military later converted the M14 into a semi-automatic sniper rifle, which performed well in combat. Since the United States launched the Iraq War in 2003, in order to deal with anti-American snipers, the US military in Iraq has stepped up counter-sniper operations in a targeted manner. The M14 sniper rifle has become the main weapon of war here. Today, it can also be seen in the armies of the Philippines and the Baltic countries.