Most accurate WWII bolt rifle?

K

Kimio

New member
Out of curiosity, I was wondering which of the dozens of designs developed during WWII, which nation(s) had the most accurate rifle.

Now with war time production, shortcuts were undoubtedly made, and while most bolt guns are inherently more accurate that their semi auto cousins, I would imagine designs such as the K31 would be up there with being the most accurate.
 
Well, you'll find a lot of opinion, but not a lot of fact with a question like that. My opinion is worth every penny you paid for it, so here goes...

Swiss K31s and Swede M96s are definitely top notch in the accuracy department, but some of that is likely due to the fact that both countries were neutral and didn't have to use their rifles for anything other than training and competition.

The "1942" configuration of the Springfield 1903 is the sniper rifle to beat at NRA vintage sniper matches. Having an 8x optic with excellent adjustments really helps. Of course all of those winning matches are essentially full rebuilds.

The least accurate of the bunch would be the Lee Enfields where even the Sniper variant was only expected to be accurate to 2 minutes, and the Russian M38 and M44 variants where they lacked the sight radius of the M91/30 which was capable of surprisingly good accuracy, although it only to 1.5 minutes of accuracy to be pulled off the production line and modified into a sniper rifle.

German Mausers were very much like Russian Mosins in terms of accuracy. So among the beligerant parties, the 1903 Springfield with 8x Unertl scope was the best of the bunch in my opinion.

In terms of what was the most accurate standard issue rifle, take your pick. Most of the time the rifles would shoot a lot tighter than the infantryman carrying it, so kind of a moot point to argue which rifle was more or less accurate.

Jimro
 
"Accurate" is a very fluid term. You know all of the reasons, quid-pro-qous and addendums as to why so I won't go into it..

I have no first hand experience or thoroughly studied knowledge to base it from, but if I had to lay some $$$ on a bet my guess would be something German. They knew how to manufacture the machinery of war..especially guns.
 
First thing I'll say is to not sell the M-1 Garand short in the accuracy category. Otherwise I'd guess the Swedish Mausers would be high on the list. Then I wager on the 1903A4, 1903A3, K-98 and other Mauser designs. The British No4Mk1s would come before the No1 MkIIIs, and the late production Japanese rifles bringing up the tailend.
 
In my opinion I'd have to say that the Smith Corona 03A3 is every bit as accurate as a K-31 given it's better sights and better quality barrel. But the ammo available to the Swiss was definitely the most accurate at the time. Basically a tie between them. My Remington 03A4 with a weaver 2.5x scope will shoot 1MOA or less with match ammo all day too though.
 
well the swedish M41 had a reputation for being the most accurate of the WWII sniper issue rifles but they had the best glass of the time paired with the best ammo production practices of the time, and they never overtly participated in WWII(though they sure did a lot covertly). the K31 is widely considered very accurate but much like the swedes they also had very good ammunition and never overtly participated in the war. the finns did a lot of refinement on the mosin nagant and turned a pike that shot bullets into a precision rifle that accepted bayonets. the 1903A3 has an excellent reputation for accuracy despite the relatively poor ammo production practices during the war while ironically the 1903A4 snipers are considered to be some of the worst sniper rifles due to the poor quality of the scopes they were fitted with and poor selection process compared to other nations. with personal experience in my personal collection, the most accurate military surplus rifle I have ever owned was a 1903A4 that I restored but went with modern optics. it was the only rifle I could consistently use out to 500 yards reliably. a close second, is ironically the Arisaka type 44 cavalry carbine followed by an M41 mauser.

now the least accurate rifles I've ever used is somewhat of a tie between an M95 mannlicher carbine and a MAS36. the mannlicher however has driftable sights so I was able to cope somewhat with its inaccuracies while the MAS36 has no way at all to adjust the sights.
 
Wasn't the query about rifles "designed and used" and what nation had them during WWII, not those designed and used before 1940?

If pre WWII rifles are allowed, nothing comes close to the Winchester Model 70 National Match rifle made for competition but also used with Unertl and Weaver scopes as sniper rifles. The Unites States of America was the Nation.
 
well lets see, if we discount anything designed before 1940 and still used in WWII that leaves.... the FG42 which was a semi, the MP44 which was a select fire, and the... oh wait.. the 1903A3 is the only contender.

all listed rifles thus far were fielded by one military force or another during 1931-1945(1931 was when Japan began invading China).
 
I will agree with post #2. the winner in my opinion is the Springfield 1903. but my opinion is just that, not grounded in facts
 
According to a person who used them in battle, the P17 had an advantage over the Springfield(when shooting at the enemy at long range) due to it's barrel length and sights. The fact that these rifles were issued to frontline troops is evidence that logistics sometimes don't match plans.
 
Without a doubt the M1903. I would say of the M1903 series the 'A3 because of the sights.

And they were still being produced after 1940 if we want to get picky.

No we can all have our opinions or we can look which rifle outscores the others at the CMP Vintage Military Rifle Matches.

Excluding the Vintage Sniper (where M1903s rule) and the Carbine Matches, you have the Garand Match, the Springfield Match, and the Military (all other) Match.

Check the CMP Website for the scores of the different matches. The Springfield Scores are high on the average (which is why they have their own class).

The CMP gives Achievement Awards for certain scores. Gold, Silver and Bronze. Out of a possible 300 pts.

For the Garand

Gold 281 +, Silver 273-280 Bronze 264-272

Springfield

Gold 282 +, Silver 274-281 Bronze 265-273

Military (all other)

Gold 277 +, Silver 269-276, Bronze 257-268

The Garand as we see is a close second to the Springfields

There are exceptions of course, you can find some good Military rifles and you can find some bad Springfield Rifles, but on the whole the Springfield rules the roost.

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Vintage Snipers are pretty much the same. Normally the 1903s win, except the Cody CMP games. The M1 series sniper rifle won out. 2nd place was Springfields, that team came in 2nd even after saving around.

Wheather the A4 or the A1s are better is dependent on the shooter. Personal I tried the 8X scopes, I prefer the 'A4s but it has to do with my High Power Background using open post sights. For that reason I like the post in the scope of the Weaver K 2.5 or M-82. But that is personal opinion on my part.
 
Finnish Mosin's

The Finn's liked the rugged design of the MN but upgraded the sights and barrel. Highly regarded in the collector market.
 
Im working on collecting all the WW1 & 2 rifles so unfortunately my collection is young and therefore rather incomplete. I would describe accuracy as grouping rather than POI. So from what I have the FN Mauser is by far the most accurate, it is fitted with a modern scope when I bought it. MOA or better at 100yds. The worst is a tie between a Enfield Jungle carbine and a shot out M95 (Hungarian) both of which are capable of keeping 5 shots on a 8" late at 100yds but just barely. 2 Mosins (Hungarian Carbine and a Russian 91) I have are pretty good. Able to keep them in a 4" circle at 100. Chinese SKS will also shoot as well as the Mosins.
With that huge sample size its clear that the Germans had the best :D.
 
It looks like the intent of the OP was to discuss all WWII sniper rifles.

The Model 70 Winchester must have been the cream of the crop in that war.

I'm surprised that I only saw one person mention it.
 
Original query:
. . .which of the dozens of designs developed during WWII, which nation(s) had the most accurate rifle.
Click to expand...
developed during WWII" is the operative.

WWII started in July, 1937 (Japan invading China) or September, 1938 (Germany invading Poland), based on most points of views.

The only rifle I know of that was one of "the dozens of designs developed during WWII" was the 30 caliber M1 carbine. All the others were developed before then.

Was any other service rifle in any country developed between either of those dates and mid 1945 on VE or VJ Day?

Here's another myth:
the P17 had an advantage over the Springfield (when shooting at the enemy at long range) due to it's barrel length and sights.
Click to expand...
While it's a popular belief that barrel length (sight radius?) improves accuracy at long range when it's longer, it doesn't really work out that way. The front sight visually moves about the desired impact point in the same subtended cone angle regardless of the distance it is from the rear sight. If a rifle shooter can keep his line of sight inside a 2 MOA subtended angle and the range is 1000 yards, his aiming point stays inside a 2 MOA area on target. How far apart the sights are doesn't matter. It all looks the same regardless of how far apart the sights are.
 
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I could start another thread, but as long as we have the experts assembled here......I have a question.

I was just watching "A Company of Heroes" a WWII movie which is set in the Ardennes forest in Belgium in winter and features a sniper rifle.

Anybody seen it and knows the rifle??

The guy seems to jack rounds into the chamber by pulling back on a straight bolt on the left side of the receiver. Maybe the rifle is really a Semi-auto and this bolt action operation is just Hollywood fantasy, Idunno.

Anyhow, I'm stumped but maybe somebody here knows.
 
The guy seems to jack rounds into the chamber by pulling back on a straight bolt on the left side of the receiver.
Click to expand...
It sounds a bit like a G 43?
Was the sniper German?
It was a semi-auto though but the charging handle was kind of on the left hand side.
 
I haven't seen the movie, but the IMFDB has, and the sniper rifle shown in the movie (2013) is a German G43.

The front sight has been removed. The rifle is designed to be a semi auto, but will function as a manual repeater.

Most likely explanation is using movie blanks in a gun not altered to function semi auto with movie blanks, requiring the action to be worked by hand. And the director/editor including that in the movie for its dramatic visual effect.
 
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