The American Military Channel has compiled a rating of the best examples of small arms created in the twentieth century. Each model was evaluated by military experts for accuracy of fire, combat effectiveness, originality of design, ease of use and reliability. The first place was taken by the legendary AK-47, which received the maximum points in 4 categories out of 5.
10th place. M14
Type: automatic rifle with single fire option.
Country of origin: USA.
Caliber: 7.62x51 mm.
Muzzle velocity: about 850 m / s.
Rate of fire: 700-750 rounds per minute.
In World War II, each infantry platoon of the American army used as many as four types of small arms with different types of ammunition. It was not very convenient, so the army authorities decided to develop a new universal rifle capable of performing all the necessary functions at once. The result was the M14, which used a standard 7.62mm cartridge. The rifle passed large-scale combat tests in Vietnam. The soldiers liked the shooting characteristics of the M14, but it turned out to be heavy for an assault strike weapon, and was replaced by the lighter M16. However, until now, some fighters prefer the classic version of the rifle, mainly as a sniper weapon.
9th place. Sturmgewehr 44
Type: automatic assault rifle.
Country of origin: Germany.
Caliber: 7, 92 mm.
Muzzle velocity: 650 m / s.
Rate of fire: 500 rounds per minute.
At the end of World War II, Germany faced the overwhelming superiority of the Soviet army in automatic small arms. The main weapon of the German infantry, the Mauser rifle with a sliding bolt, urgently needed a more rapid-fire replacement. It was supposed to be the revolutionary Sturmgewehr 44 carbine, which marked the beginning of a completely new family of small arms - assault rifles. The key difference between the Sturmgewehr 44 and the light machine guns that performed similar functions was the use of a shortened 7, 92-mm cartridge, transitional between the classic pistol and rifle ammunition. The machine gun appeared at the final stage of the war and did not have time to play any significant role in it. Be that as it may, it rightfully receives high praise for the originality and innovative nature of the design.
8th place. 1903 Springfield
Type: bolt action rifle.
Country of origin: USA.
Caliber: 7.62 mm.
Shop: 5 rounds.
Muzzle velocity: 820 m / s.
Rate of fire: 10 rounds per minute.
Numerous shortcomings of the Norwegian Krag-Jorgensen rifle, used by the Americans during the war with Spain, forced the US army to think about creating their own, more successful infantry weapons. The gunsmiths used a sliding bolt borrowed from the 7 mm Mauser rifle, made minor modifications to it and added a 5-round magazine to it. The result is a very successful design - the rifle has established itself as an extremely accurate, powerful and reliable weapon. The 1903 Springfield was used extensively during both World Wars, and even traveled to Vietnam as a sniper rifle.
7th place. Steyr Aug
Type: automatic rifle with single fire option.
Country of origin: Austria.
Caliber: 5, 56 mm.
Magazine: 30 or 42 rounds.
Muzzle velocity: about 940 m / s.
Rate of fire: 650 rounds per minute.
This machine, which appeared back in 1977, has one very serious drawback - it looks too much like some kind of blaster from another fantastic saga. According to many analysts, its futuristic appearance scared off many potential buyers at one time. The Steyr Aug developers used a Bull-Pup arrangement, in which the bolt and other firing mechanism parts are carried inside the stock. This made it possible to make the weapon compact and lightweight. Other interesting features of the rifle include a transparent plastic magazine, an integrated telescopic sight, and the ability to drop cases both to the right and to the left - at the request of the soldier.
6th place. Mauser K98k
Type: bolt action rifle.
Country of origin: Germany.
Caliber: 7, 92 mm.
Magazine: 5 rounds.
Muzzle velocity: about 860 m / s.
Rate of fire: 10-15 rounds per minute.
The Mauser 98 rifle, released at the end of the 19th century, absorbed the most promising achievements of the then weapons industry. These include smokeless powder, cartridge clips that you can simply slide into the magazine, and finally the sliding bolt action still used in most hunting rifles. The weapon proved itself very well during the First World War, and in the 1930s, during the rearmament of the German army, the rifle was modified, as a result of which it became lighter and easier to aim. The improved Mauser K98k is one of the most legendary rifles of the 20th century.
5th place. FN FAL
Type: automatic rifle with single fire option.
Country of origin: Belgium.
Caliber: 7.62 mm.
Magazine: 20 rounds.
Muzzle velocity: about 820 m / s.
Rate of fire: 650-700 rounds per minute.
The gunsmiths of the Belgian company Fabrique Nationale (FN), who created the FAL rifle, were clearly inspired by the German Sturmgewehr 44 assault carbine. Initially, their weapon used almost the same short-cut cartridges as the German model, but this ammunition did not meet NATO standards, so at some point was redesigned for a longer and more powerful cartridge. It was in this form that the FAL became the classic weapon of the Cold War. More than 50 countries have adopted it, despite the low accuracy of fire in automatic fire mode. FN FAL served well for Australian troops in Vietnam, Israeli soldiers during the Six Day War, and was used by both sides during the Falkland Islands War.
4th place. M1 Garand
Type: semi-automatic rifle.
Country of origin: USA.
Caliber: 7.62 mm.
Magazine: 8 rounds.
Muzzle velocity: about 860 m / s.
Rate of fire: 30 rounds per minute.
The M1 Garand rifle, adopted by the Americans for service in 1936, proved to be excellent during the Second World War. In the mid-forties, General Patton called it the most effective weapon ever created by man. Of course, this is a strong exaggeration, but there is no doubt that at that time the M1 was the most successful, accurate and massive semi-automatic rifle. Its production was curtailed only in the early 1960s, and more than 6 million copies were produced in total.
3rd place. Lee-enfield smle
Type: bolt action rifle.
Country of origin: Great Britain.
Caliber: 7, 7 mm.
Magazine: 10 rounds.
Muzzle velocity: about 740 m / s.
Rate of fire: 15-20 rounds per minute.
Serving as the main weapon of the British infantry during the First World War, this rifle remained in service until 1956. For non-automatic rifles, the Lee-Enfield SMLE had a phenomenal rate of fire, which was explained by the extremely successful bolt design and also a capacious magazine that could hold 10 rounds (therefore the Lee-Enfield SMLE was in the lead throughout the first half of the twentieth century). A trained shooter could fire up to 30 rounds per minute from it, hitting a target 200 m distant. Such demonstrations are called "crazy minutes". It should be noted that the density of fire achieved with the Lee-Enfield is comparable to that of modern semi-automatic rifles.
2nd place. M16
Type: Automatic assault rifle with single fire option.
Country of origin: USA.
Caliber: 5, 56 mm.
Magazine: 20-30 rounds.
Muzzle velocity: about 1000 m / s.
Rate of fire: 700-950 rounds per minute.
The M16 appeared as a modern alternative to the M1 semi-automatic rifle, as well as its counterpart to the M14. During the Vietnam War, the new rifle showed a very unpleasant tendency to jam, but a little refinement made it somewhat more reliable. Since then, the M16 has managed to establish itself as a very accurate, comfortable, durable and effective weapon. Among the unconditional innovations that the designers of this rifle went for was the use of lightweight alloy and plastic parts. In addition, the rifle uses lighter 5, 56 mm cartridges (instead of 7.62 mm in the M1 and M14). All this made it possible to approximately double the amount of ammunition that each soldier is capable of carrying.
1st place. AK-47
Type: Automatic assault rifle with single fire option.
Country of origin: USSR.
Caliber: 7.62 mm.
Magazine: 30 rounds.
Muzzle velocity: about 1000 m / s.
Rate of fire: 710 rounds per minute.
According to experts, to date, more than 75 million Kalashnikov assault rifles (AK-47 and AKM) have been produced in the world. This weapon, created back in 1947, is still in service with dozens of armies of the world. There is an opinion that the Kalashnikov assault rifle was created on the basis of the German Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle. There really is a very obvious external similarity between them, but in their design they differ very, very much. The AK-47 is composed primarily of stamped components, making it extremely easy to manufacture and inexpensive. At the same time, the machine has amazing reliability - it can easily withstand the most difficult operating conditions that can disable any other rifle. The accuracy of the AK-47 is rated as average, but this drawback is fully compensated for by its high firepower, low weight, reliability and ease of use.
