List of WWII European Rifles

[agunter999]

http://europe-in-history.com/world-a...ifles-of-wwii/
This is a list of WWII Rifles used by European Nations, you will find this information also in my website just above. If you see any errors or have any additions please let me know

Name	Manufacturer	Numbers built	Country of Origin	Year
FN Model 1930	FN	?	?	?
Mannlicher M1890/30	Steyr	105,000	Austria	1930
Mannlicher M1895/30	Steyr	?	Austria	1930
Kropatschek Model 1886	Steyr	?	Austria-Hungary	1886
Mannlicher M1888	Steyr	195,000	Austria-Hungary	1888
Mannlicher-Schönauer	Steyr	310,000~	Austria-Hungary	1903
Dutch Mannlicher M.95	Hembrug	?	Austria-Hungary/Netherlands	1895
Mannlicher M1893	Steyr	?	Austria-Hungary/Romania	1983
Mannlicher M1895 S	Steyr	?	Austria/Bulgaria	1934
Mauser M1835	FN	?	Belgium	1935
Mauser M1889/36	FN	?	Belgium	1936
FN Model 1924	FN	?	Belgium/Yugoslavia	1924
Ross rifle	?	?	Canada	1905
vz. 24	Zbrojovka Brno	?	Czechoslovakia	1924
vz. 33	Zbrojovka Brno	150,000	Czechoslovakia	1933
ZH-29	Zbrojovka Brno	?	Czechoslovakia	1929
Mosin–Nagant KL300	Estonian Armoury	4,025	Estonia	1930s
Mosin–Nagant M/24	SIG/SAKO	3,000	Finland	1924
Mosin–Nagant M/27	many	?	Finland	1927
Mosin–Nagant M/28	many	?	Finland	1928
Mosin–Nagant M/30	many	?	Finland	1943
Mosin–Nagant M/39	many	96,800	Finland	1939
Mosin–Nagant M/91	SAKO	?	Finland	1920s
Berthier rifle	Châtellerault.	2,000,000+	France	1890
Fusil Automatique Modèle 1917	Tulle, Saint-Etienne	?	France	1917
Gras 1874	Saint-Étienne and Steyr	?	France	1874
Lebel Model 1886	Chatellerault, Saint-Etienne and Tulle	3,450,000	France	1887
MAS 36	Saint-Etienne	?	France	1936
FG 42	many	?	Germany	1942
Gewehr 41	Mauser	6,673	Germany	1941
Gewehr 43	Walther	402,713	Germany	1943
Gewehr 98	Mauser	5,000,000~	Germany	1889
Karabiner 98 Kurz	Mauser	14,643,260	Germany	1935
StG 44	C. G. Haenel Waffen und Fahrradfabrik	425,977	Germany	1942
StG 45	Mauser	30	Germany	1944
Volkssturmgewehr	many	10,000	Germany	1944
Mauser M1900	Mauser	?	Germany/Luxembourg	1900
Mauser M1893	Mauser	?	Germany/Spain	1893
Mauser M1916	Mauser	?	Germany/Spain	1916
Swedish Mauser m/1938	Mauser	88,000	Germany/Sweden	1938
Mannlicher 31.M	FÉG	?	Hungary	1931
Mannlicher 35.M	FÉG	?	Hungary	1936
Mannlicher 43.M	FÉG	?	Hungary	1943
Mannlicher Gew.98/40	FÉG?	?	Hungary	1941
Mannlicher M1890/31	FÉG	?	Hungary	1931
Carcano Model 1891	?	2,063,750	Italy	1891
Carcano Model 1938	?	?	Italy	1938
Mauser 24L	?	?	Lithuania?	?
Krag-Jørgensen	?	?	Norway	1886
Gevær M/89	?	?	Norway/Denmark	1889
karabin samopowtarzalny wz.38M	?	150~	Poland	1934
Karabin wz.98a	many	44,500	Poland	1934
Karabinek wz.29	Państwowa Fabryka Karabinów, Fabryka Broni	264,000	Poland	1929
Mauser-Vergueiro	Fábrica de Braço de Prata	?	Portugal	1904
AVS-36	?	34,000	Russia	1936
AVT-40	?	?	Russia	1942
Fedorov Avtomat	Kovrov Arms Factory	3,200	Russia	1915
Mosin-Nagant Model 1891/30	many	37,000,000~	Russia	1930
SKS	?	?	Russia	1945
SVT-38	?	?	Russia	1938
SVT-40	?	?	Russia	1940
Mauser M43 La Coruña	La Coruña	?	Spain	1942
Ag m/42	Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori	30,000	Sweden	1942
K31	W+F Bern	528,230	Switzerland	1933
Lee-Enfield (Short)	RSAF Enfield	17,000,000+	UK	1907
Pattern 1914 Enfield	Winchester, Remington and Eddystone	1,235,298	UK	1914
Mannlicher M95/24	?	7,500	Yugoslavia	1924
Mauser M24	Kragujevac Arsenal	?	Yugoslavia	?

[conon394]

Seems A bid Biased:

"he leading manufacturers of modern rifles were the Germans but they were never truly alone."

They had nothing to beat the Garand that they could produce in quality or quantity - If had to pick I take the Mix of M1 Carbine/M1 Garand/Thompson and Colt 1911 for my army small arms pick (I would the BAR but we are shading into MGs and I'll admit the Germans had the best there at least at the light end)

[agunter999]

The Garand in my opinion apart from it's mass availability was not really a very good weapon, I am more of a bolt action kind of guy. The MP40 is better that the Thompson due to the stability but the best smg ever is the Hungarian Danuvia 43M or possibly the 39M as I don't love pistol grip. The M1 Carbine was a very innovative weapon and I really do appreciate it however the K31 is technically a carbine so has to take pole position. One thing that the US weapons do have for them is the mass production which is vital to win a war.

You've just inspired me to make a SMG list now

[Darkhorse]

The Thompson represented what was probably the best SMG money could buy at the time, but it was a complicated, expensive and hard to produce weapon so guns such as the Sten or MP40 are more practical as far as an army was concerned - apart from the United States, which did not have to worry about the expense and production of such weapons.

That said, I would argue that the Owen SMG was the best of the era and its then modern and unusual design balanced a form of finesse with practicality at all levels. It was perfect for the Australians and British in the Far East (I've seen documents pertaining to the British acquisition of the Owen as late as 1950 for the Malayan Emergency) and took into account the failings of the Sten and Austen.

This thread is about rifles, so I should probably mention them!

You can't really fault the Garand, it was relativity simple and easy to use although personally I dislike the en bloc clip system of loading. The Johnson rifle was another innovative system but obviously the Garand was superior in most respects. People often overlook the G43, probably because of the absolute failure that was the G41. However, the G43 was pretty reliable. durable, simple, easy to produce and a clear improvement on the rugged and effective Soviet SVT it was based on and the ability to Lee Enfield style load the magazine, in conjunction with the classic magazine detach and replace, was also welcomed and added flexibility.

Soldiers could carry a few magazines for high-pressure, high-tempo situations and still top up half a magazine or reload with stripper clips when the circumstances demanded a more sustained, conservative, and static engagement. I.e, the magazines were perfect, for example, if bumped on patrol, as a soldier could blast through a mag or two suppressing the enemy and allowing himself or his companions to find cover - a time where he needs to reload quickly and keep his rate of fire up. Once the soldier was had gone prone and is behind cover, and the initiative and weight of firepower on his side, he can reload with the stripper clips as there is no need to rush, his personal rate of fire is less important (as the units machine gun would by now be emplaced and could have switched from a drum to belts) and he can focus on a more accurate placement of shots.

Whilst far from a useless or niche weapon, and like I said you can't really fault it, not without being picky anyway, but the Garand had design limitations which did limit some of its flexibility (pretty much all to do with how it loaded). Other self-loaders like the G43 and bolt actions with a large magazine capacity like the Lee Enfield did not suffer from the same problems.

All that said, the G43 did not have bayonet lugs, quite the flaw...

[Condottiere 40K]

Outside of prototype assault rifle, probably the Garand represents the best features that you'd want for a combat rifle.

As for SMGs, a later model Sten.

Pistols/revolvers should provide more fodder for dispute.

[agunter999]

Personally I believe that a mix of rifles and LMGs is the best mix as the MG can denied areas and supress while rifles make accurate and calculated kills, I know it is an old view however this tends to lead me to exclude the semi autos from my favourites list. I do like the concept of the FG42 though. Anyway the Enfield rifle's high rate of fire and efficient magazine draws me very much towards it as a rifle however Mausers and the K31 are certainly not to be forgotten. I personally love mannlichers but they are not really the best :/