Walther P-38
Walther P-38
The Walther P-38 (P38) was produced in 1944 in Germany. The P38 in the picture was a custom made for Hitler's army. It is a 9 mm pistol that was developed by Walther as the service pistol of the Wehrmacht at the beginning of World War II. It was intended to replace the costly Luger P08, the production of which was scheduled to end in 1942. The P38 concept was accepted by the German military in 1938 but production of actual prototype ("Test") pistols did not start until late 1939. Walther began manufacture at their plant in Zella-Mehlis and produced three series of "Test" pistols, designated by a "0" prefix to the serial number. The third series satisfied the previous problems and production for the Heer (German Army) began in mid-1940, using Walther's military production identification code "480". After a few thousand pistols the Heer changed all codes from numbers to letters and Walther was given the "ac" code. All production was performed at the Walther plant until mid- to late 1942 when additional production began at the Mauser plant in Oberndorf (code "byf" until early 1945, then "svw") and at the Spreewerk plant in Hradek and Nisou, Czechoslovakia ("cyq"). Production continued until the end of the war and into the post war period. The early Walthers, until late 1941, were made to almost commercial standards of fit and finish. As the pressures of war required increased production the exterior finish declined but the operating components of the P38 remained remarkably well-made throughout the war, especially at Mauser.
Tokarev TT-33
Tokarev TT-33
In 1930, the Revolutionary Military council approved a resolution to test new small arms to replace its aging Nagant M1895 revolvers. During these tests, on January 7, 1931, the potential of a pistol designed by Fedor Tokarev was noted. A few weeks later, 1,000 TT-30s were ordered for troop trials, and the pistol was adopted for service in the Red Army.
But even as the TT-30 was being put into production, design changes were made to simplify manufacturing. Minor changes to the barrel, disconnector, trigger and frame were implemented, the most notable ones being the omission of the removable backstrap and changes to the full-circumference locking lugs. This redesigned pistol was the TT-33. The TT-33 was widely used by Soviet troops during World War II, but did not completely replace the Nagant until after the war.
M1 Garand
M1 Garand
The M1 Garand (officially the United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1) was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. In 1936, it officially replaced the bolt-action Springfield M1903 rifle as the standard service rifle of the United States Armed Forces (the M1903 retaining a valuable role as a sniper rifle) and was subsequently replaced by the selective-fire M14 in 1957. However, the M1 continued to be used in large numbers until 1963 and to a lesser degree until 1966.
The M1 was used heavily by U.S. forces in World War II, the Korean War, and, to a limited extent, the Vietnam War. Most M1 rifles were issued to American Army and Marine troops, though many thousands were also lent or provided as foreign aid to America's allies. The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honor guards. It is also widely sought by the civilian population as a hunting rifle, target rifle, and military collectible. The name "Garand" is pronounced variously as [gəˈrænd] or [ˈgærənd]. According to experts and people who knew John Garand, the latter version is preferred.
Colt M1911
Colt M1911
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol (handgun) chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It was designed by John M. Browning, and was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985, and is still carried by some U.S. forces. It was widely used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Its formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original Model of 1911 or Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1, adopted in 1924. The designation changed to Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1 in the Vietnam era. In total, the United States procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols during its service life.
The M1911 is the most well-known of John Browning's designs to use the short recoil principle in its basic design. Besides the pistol being widely copied itself, this operating system rose to become the pre-eminent type of the 20th century and of nearly all modern centerfire pistols.
Type 99 Light Machine Gun
Type 99
The Type 99 was the basically same design as the Type 96 light machine gun, and had a number of parts in common. However, it dispensed with the oiler and had better primary extraction, increasing reliability over its predecessors. Early models had a mono-pod at the stock and a flash suppressor on the muzzle, which was screwed onto a threaded portion of the gun barrel. A top-mounted curved detachable box magazine held 30 rounds, and the finned gun barrel could be rapidly changed to avoid overheating.
The Type 99 had a blade front sight and a leaf rear sight, with graduations from 200 to 1,500 meters, with a wind adjustment. A 2.5X telescopic sight with a 10 degree field of view could be attached at the right side of the gun. These were often issued to the best marksmen of the unit and occasionally employed like a sniper rifle. A standard infantry bayonet could be attached to the gas block below the barrel.
Thompson Submachine Gun
Thompson
The Thompson Submachine Gun was designed by General John T. Thompson, who was inspired by the trench warfare of World War I to develop a "one-man, hand-held machine gun", firing a rifle caliber round. While searching for a way to allow such a weapon to operate safely, Thompson came across a patent issued to John Bell Blish. Thompson found a financial backer, Thomas Fortune Ryan, and started the Auto-Ordnance Corporation in 1916 for the purpose of developing his weapon. The principal designers were Theodore H. Eickhoff, Oscar V. Payne, and George E. Goll. By late 1917, the limits of the Blish lock were discovered, and it had been found that the only cartridge currently in U.S. service suitable for use with the lock was the .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol). The project was then titled "Annihilator I", and by 1918, most of the design issues had been resolved. However, the war ended before prototypes could be shipped to Europe.
22 Hornet Magnum
Revolver, Single Action Only,22 Hornet, Barrel Length 10", 5 rd,Safety Transfer Bar, Hogue Rubber Grip,Sights:Factory-Black Fixed Front; Ajustable rear, 4.36 lbs ; Stainless
Gewehr 43 (G43, K43, Gew 43, Kar 43)
The Gewehr 43 or Karabiner 43 (G43, K43, Gew 43, Kar 43) is a 7.92x57mm Mauser caliber semi-automatic rifle developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was a modification of the G41(W) using an improved gas system similar to that of the Soviet Tokarev SVT40.
Germany's quest for a semi-automatic infantry rifle resulted in two designs - the G41(M) and G41(W), from Mauser and Walther arms respectively. The Mauser design proved unreliable in combat when introduced in 1941 and only several thousand were made. The Walther design fared better in combat but still suffered from reliability problems. In 1943 Walther introduced a new modified gas system with aspects of the G41(W) providing greatly improved performance. It was accepted and entered into service as the Gewehr 43, renamed Karabiner 43 in 1944, with production amounting to just over 400,000. The Gewehr 43/Karabiner 43 joined the ranks of the Tokarev and Garand as general issue semi-automatic rifles during the war.
M1919 Browning machine gun
The Browning M1919 is a .30 caliber medium machine gun family widely used during the 20th century. It was used as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries, especially during World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War. Although it began to be superseded by newer designs in the later half of the century (such as by the M60 machine gun), it remained in use in many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries and elsewhere for much longer.
Many M1919s were rechambered for the new 7.62 × 51 mm NATO round and served into the 1990s, as well as up to the present day in some countries. The United States Navy also converted many to 7.62 mm NATO, and designated them Mk 21 Mod 0; they were commonly used on river craft in the 1960s and 1970s in Vietnam.
MG42
The MG42 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 42, or "Machine Rifle 42") is a machine gun that was developed for and entered service with Nazi Germany in 1942, during World War II. The 7.92 mm rifle caliber weapon was developed from, and was intended to supplant the MG34 machine gun, though both were manufactured and used until the end of the war.[1] The MG42 has a proven record of reliability, durability, simplicity, and ease of operation, but is most notable for being able to produce a stunning volume of suppressive fire. The MG42 has one of the highest average rates of fire of any single-barreled light machine gun, between 1,200 and 1,500 rpm, resulting in a distinctive muzzle report. There were other automatic weapon designs with similar firepower at its inception, such as the Hungarian-Gebauer single-barreled tank MGs and the Russian 7.62 mm GShak aircraft gun. However, the MG42's belt-feed and quick-change barrel system allowed for more prolonged firing in comparison to these weapons.
The MG42's lineage continued past Nazi Germany's defeat, forming the basis for the nearly identical M52, MG1 (MG 42/59), and subsequently improved into the still very similar MG2, which was in turn followed by the MG3. It also spawned the Swiss SIG 710-3, MG42/59, and a 5.56 mm Spanish CETME Ameli machine gun, and lent many design elements to the American M60. The Ameli and the MG3 were in service with many armies during the Cold War and remain so into the 21st century.
Glock 17
Glock is the name of a family of pistols designed and produced by the Austrian company Glock GmbH of Deutsch-Wagram, founded in 1963 by engineer Gaston Glock to manufacture high-strength synthetic and steel components.
In May 1980, the company was invited to bid on a contract to supply the Austrian military with a new duty pistol to replace the World War II-era Walther P38 service handgun. Samples were submitted for assessment trials and, after passing all of the exhaustive endurance and abuse tests, Glock emerged as the winner with the Glock 17 model. The handgun was adopted into service with the Austrian military and police forces in 1982 as the P80 (Pistole 80).Shortly thereafter, the weapon was accepted into service with the Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish armed forces. The Glock 17 gave rise to a range of modified versions with alternative caliber chamberings, external dimensions and weights, all retaining the basic design elements of the model 17. By 1992, some 350,000 pistols had been sold in more than 45 countries, including 250,000 in the United States.
Desert Eagle
The Desert Eagle is a large-bore gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the U.S., and manufactured primarily in Israel by IMI (Israel Military Industries, now Israel Weapon Industries). Manufacturing was moved to Saco Defense in the state of Maine from 1996 to 2000 which carried the XIX designation, but shifted back to Israel when Saco was acquired by General Dynamics.
Due to its easily recognizable silhouette and large-caliber cartridge, the Desert Eagle has become an almost archetypal weapon in popular culture.
Magnum Research has marketed various versions of the short recoil Jericho 941 pistol under the Baby Eagle name; these have no functional relationship to the Desert Eagle and bear only a moderate cosmetic resemblance.
PPSh-41
The impetus for the development of the PPSh came partly from the Winter War against Finland, where it was found that submachine guns were a highly effective tool for close-quarter fighting in forests or built-up urban areas. The weapon was developed in mid-1941 and was produced in a network of factories in Moscow, with high-level local Party members made directly responsible for production targets being met.
A few hundred weapons were produced in November 1941 and another 155,000 were produced over the next five months. By spring 1942, the PPSh factories were producing roughly 3,000 units a day. The PPSh-41 was a classic example of a design adapted for mass production (other examples of such wartime design were the M3 submachine gun, MP40 and the Sten). Its parts (excluding the barrel) could be produced by a relatively unskilled workforce with simple equipment available in an auto repair garage or tin shop, freeing up more skilled workers to other tasks. The PPSh-41 used 87 components compared to 95 for the PPD-40 and the PPSh could be manufactured with 7.3 machining hours compared with 13.7 hours for the PPD.
In the field, the PPSh was a durable, low-maintenance weapon that could fire 900 rounds/min. The weapon had a crude compensator to lessen muzzle climb and a hinged receiver which facilitated field-stripping and cleaning the bore in battle conditions.
Over 6 million of these weapons were produced by the end of the war. The Soviets would often equip whole regiments and even entire divisions with the weapon, giving them unmatched short-range firepower. Though 35-round curved box magazines were available from 1942, the average infantryman would keep a higher-capacity drum magazine as the initial load. The PPSh-41 drum magazine was a copy of the Finnish M31 Suomi magazine which held 71 rounds, but in practice, misfeeding of the spring was likely to occur with more than 65 or so cartridges. The standard load was probably one drum and a number of box magazines, when box magazines were available.
STG-44
MP43, MP44, and StG44 were different designations for what was essentially the same rifle, with minor updates in production. The variety in nomenclatures resulted from complicated circumstances in Nazi Germany. Developed from the Mkb 42(H) "machine carbine", the StG44 combined the characteristics of a carbine, submachine gun and automatic rifle. StG is an abbreviation of Sturmgewehr. The name was chosen for propaganda reasons and literally means storm rifle as in "to storm an enemy position" (i.e. "assault", leading to the modern terminology "assault rifle"). After the adoption of the StG44, the English translation "assault rifle" became the accepted designation for this type of infantry small arm.
The rifle was chambered for the 7.92x33mm Kurz cartridge, also known as 7.92 mm Kurz (German for "short"). This shorter version of the German standard (7.92x57mm Mauser) rifle round, in combination with the weapon's selective-fire design, provided a compromise between the controllable firepower of a submachine gun at close quarters with the accuracy and power of a Karabiner 98k bolt action rifle at intermediate ranges. While the StG44 had less range and power than the more powerful infantry rifles of the day, Wehrmacht studies had shown that most combat engagements occurred at less than 300 m with the majority within 200 m. Full-power rifle cartridges were overpowered for the vast majority of uses for the average soldier.
The StG44's receiver was made of heavy stamped and welded steel as were other contemporary arms such as the MP40 and MG42. This made for a fairly heavy rifle, especially one firing an intermediate-power cartridge. Difficulties with fabrication, the need to use available non-priority steels, and the exigencies of war resulted in a heavy receiver. U.S. military intelligence criticized the weight of the weapon along with the inclusion of the fully automatic feature which it considered "ineffectual for all practical purposes." The British were also critical saying that the receiver could be bent and the bolt locked up by the mere act of knocking a leaning rifle onto a hard floor. Many of these criticisms are more a testimonial of the Allied aversion rather than an accurate view of the weapon's characteristics which were proven during combat in the war.
To its credit, it was the first weapon of its class, and the concept had a major impact on modern infantry small arms development. By all accounts, the StG44 fulfilled its role admirably, particularly on the Eastern Front, offering a greatly increased volume of fire compared to standard infantry rifles. In the end, it came too late to have a significant effect on the outcome of the war.
PTRS-41
The rifle entered mass production in 1941 and was widely used on the Eastern front in World War II. While it was heavy and had a terrible muzzle flash, it was a cheap, simple, and accurate weapon, thus ensuring its place in the Soviet arsenal. It performed well against early German tanks, but was more useful when attacking supply trucks and other soft-skinned vehicles since the armor of German tanks thickened as the war progressed. As a countermeasure, German tanks were often fitted with "schurzen" ("skirts") armor plates on their thinner sides.
The 14.5 mm antitank rifles were put to a variety of other uses. Besides tanks and armoured vehicles, they were used to destroy mortars and machine gun emplacements.
During the war a number of these rifles were captured and used by the Germans. The rifles were given the designation Panzerbüchse 784(r) or PzB 784(r).
Kar 98k
The Karabiner 98k was a controlled-feed bolt-action rifle based on the Mauser M 98 system. It could be loaded with five rounds of 7.92x57mm IS ammunition from a stripper clip, loaded into an internal magazine. It was derived from earlier rifles, namely the Karabiner 98b, which in turn had been developed from the Mauser Model 1898. The Gewehr 98 or Model 1898 had an internal, staggered row magazine of five cartridges within the receiver. Since the rifle was shorter than the earlier Karabiner 98b from which it was derived (the 98b was a carbine in name only, being identical in length to the Gewehr 98 long rifle), it was given the designation Karabiner 98 Kurz, meaning "Carbine 98 Short". Just like its predecessor, the rifle was noted for its reliability, good accuracy and an effective range of up to 500 meters (547 yards) with iron sights.
M1A1 Carbine
The M1 carbine bolt mechanism is similar to the M1 Garand rifle, though the carbine has a different gas system and trigger mechanism design. The gas system is a lightweight tappet-and-slide gas system. Initially fed from a 15 round magazine, a 30 round magazine was introduced for the M2.
The very first carbines, those made before mid-1943, were originally equipped with a "V-cut" extractor for removal of the fired round from the chamber. The "V-cut" design was found to be flawed and unreliable. In the field "V-cut" extractors were reground to a straight configuration, which enhanced reliability, until factory production was able to supply the better design.
The .30 Carbine cartridge was intermediate in both muzzle energy (ME) and muzzle velocity (MV). It is essentially a rimless version of the obsolete .32 Winchester Self-Loading cartridge. The .30 Carbine had a round-nose 110 gr (7.1 g) bullet, in contrast to the spitzer bullet designs found in most full-power rifle cartridges of the day. From the M1 Carbine's 18 in (460 mm) barrel, the .30 Carbine cartridge produced a muzzle velocity of approximately 1,970 ft/s (600 m/s), a velocity between that of contemporary submachine guns (approximately 900 to 1,600 ft/s (300–500 m/s)) and full-power rifles and light machine guns (approximately 2,400 to 2,800 ft/s (700–900 m/s)). At the M1 Carbine's maximum listed range of 300 yards (270 m), its bullet has about the same energy as pistol rounds like the 7mm Nambu do at the muzzle. Bullet drop is significant past 200 yards (180 m).
One characteristic of .30 Carbine ammunition is that from the beginning of production, non-corrosive primers were specified. This was the first major use of this type of primers in a military firearm. Because the rifle had a closed gas system, not normally disassembled, corrosive primers would have led to a rapid deterioration of the gas system. The use of non-corrosive primers was a novelty to service ammunition at this time. Some misfires were reported in early lots of .30 M1 carbine ammunition, attributed to moisture ingress of the non-corrosive primer compound.
Categorizing the M1 carbine series has been the subject of much debate. The M1 is sufficiently accurate at short ranges. At 100 yards (91 m), it can deliver groups of between 3 and 5 minutes of angle, sufficient for its intended purpose as a close-range defensive weapon. Its muzzle energy and range are beyond those of any submachine gun of the period, though its bullet is much lighter in weight and smaller in diameter than .45 caliber weapons, and much less powerful than those of other service rifles of the period. The M1 and later M2 carbine was never designed to be an assault rifle, in league with the later German StG44 and Russian AK-47, and the .30 Carbine gives up significant muzzle velocity (roughly 350 ft/s (110 m/s)) to both. Additionally, the bullets used in the cartridges of the AK-47 and StG44 are spitzer designs, and suffer less energy loss and trajectory drop at distances beyond 100 yards. Most authorities list the effective combat range of the M1 Carbine at around 200 yards, compared to 250-300 yards (230–270 m) for the AK-47 and StG44.
Arisaka
The Arisaka Rifle was designed by Colonel Nariakira Arisaka (有坂 成章; 1852 - 1915), who was later promoted to Lieutenant General and also received the title of baron from Emperor Meiji, in 1907. Several productions runs were made, with later models being made more cheaply, for example the ovoid bulb-shaped bolt of earlier runs was replaced by a smaller and utilitarian cylindrical shape.
The Arisaka bolt-action rifle saw heavy use everywhere the Japanese Imperial Army fought. Prior to WWII, Arisakas were used by the British Navy, Russian Army, in Finland and Albania. The Czech Legion that fought in the Russian Revolution were almost entirely armed with Type 30 & 38 Arisakas. Many captured Arisaka rifles were employed by neighboring countries both during and after World War II, in places such as China, Thailand and Cambodia. However, after the Japanese surrender in the summer of 1945, all manufacturing of rifles and ammunition stopped abruptly, causing the Arisaka to quickly become obsolete. Since most Imperial Japanese Armoury contents were thrown into Tokyo Harbour after the signing of the surrender, spare ammunition also became rare.
One of the final standing orders of the Imperial Army was to file off the Emperor's family chrysanthemum insignia, or mon, from each of the rifles, thereby preventing dishonor from having the symbol fall into surrender. Therefore, the value of one of the rifles to a collector is slightly higher if the insignia, referred to by collectors as a "mum", is intact, as this implies the rifle was captured on the battlefield prior to Japan's surrender. The only insignias that survive on Arisakas are those brought back to the USA by GIs as war trophies, and those captured by Chinese forces. Some of the Chinese captured Arisakas were later exported to the United States, including some Type 38 carbines rebarrelled and rechambered for the standard Chinese 7.62x39mm round. Most removed mums were completely ground off, but some were merely defaced with a chisel or had the number "0" stamped repeatedly along the edges. The latter was usually done with rifles removed from military service (and thus no longer the Emperor's property) prior to the end of the war, including rifles given to schools or sold to other nations.
Mosin Nagant
The Mosin-Nagant (Russian: Винтовка Мосина, ISO 9: Vintovka Mosina) is a bolt-action, internal magazine fed, military rifle that was used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various Eastern bloc nations. Also known as the Three-Line Rifle (Трёхлинейная винтовка, ISO 9: Trëhlinejnaâ vintovka), it was the first to use the 7.62x54mmR cartridge.
As a front-line rifle, the Mosin-Nagant served in various forms from 1891 until the 1960s in many Eastern European nations, when the sniper rifle variant was replaced by the SVD (Снайперская винтовка Драгунова, ISO 9: Snajperskaâ vintovka Dragunova). The Mosin-Nagant is still used in many conflicts due to its ruggedness and the vast number produced during World War II.
Springfield
The Springfield Model 1922 is a .22 caliber bolt action rifle. It features a 24 inch (61 cm) barrel and a 5 round magazine. It was built as a training rifle, designed to mimic the M1903 Springfield rifle for training purposes. It was produced in several different versions until World War II, when shortages of materials made production of a training rifle impractical.
The 1922M1 variant was introduced in 1925. This version had a new bolt head, an improved firing mechanism, modifications to the chambering, and a new rear sight. The stock was also modified to incorporate a flat based pistol grip.
The M1922M1 NRA variant was introduced in 1927. This rifle basically consisted of the improved M1 version's action in the original 1922 version stock. This version was made for civilian use only and was not purchased by the U.S. Military.
The 1922M2 variant was introduced in 1933. This version featured a simplified bolt and a shallower pistol grip on the stock.
Double-Barreled Shotgun
Double-barreled shotguns, often known as doubles, are almost universally break open actions, with the barrels tilting up at the rear to expose the breech ends of the barrels for unloading and reloading. Since there is no reciprocating action needed to eject and reload the shells, doubles are more compact than repeating designs such as pump action or semi-automatic shotguns.
Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR)
The BAR (short for Browning Automatic Rifle) is a family of American 7.62 mm automatic rifles (or machine rifles) and light machine guns used by the United States and numerous other countries during the 20th century. The primary variant of the BAR series is the M1918, chambered for the .30-06 Springfield (7.62x63mm) rifle cartridge and designed by John Browning in 1917 for the U.S. Expeditionary Corps in Europe as a replacement for (and improvement on) the French-made Chauchat and Hotchkiss M1909 machine guns.
Nambu
Kijiro Nambu was the designer of the Nambu pistols. He was a General in the Imperial Japanese Army who also developed the Type 38 Heavy Machine Gun and Type 11 Light Machine Gun. In 1904, he developed the first model of the Nambu pistol. Though it was not introduced into the IJA, the Nambu pistol was produced by private enterprise and it was introduced by IJN in 1915. According to Japanese data in Wiki,this pistol was not really designed by Nambu. The real Nambu pistol is another design which is also similar to the Luger P-08: due to misidentification by Americans, Japanese also call this pistol a Nambu type-14 post-war.
Colt Python .357 Magnum Revolver
The Colt Python is a .357 Magnum caliber revolver manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. The Colt Python is considered to be a premium American revolver. Along with the Colt Peacemaker it is considered to be one of the finest revolvers ever made by Colt.
Colt Manufacturing Co. announced the termination of its production of Python revolvers in October 1999 due to lack of sales and rising production costs. The Colt Custom Gun Shop continued making a limited number of Pythons on special order until 2003, when even this limited production was terminated.
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