Most influential rifles of the 20th Century

C

Chad Young

New member
This topic idea proved to be very interesting in the handgun forum, so I decided to try it here also.

What *FIVE* rifles which were introduced in the 20th century (1900-present) would you consider to be the most influential in terms of the design, construction, engineering, and use of firearms?

My nominees are:

1. M1 Garand
2. Remington 700
3. Armalite AR-15/M-16
4. Kalashnikov AK-47/AKM/AK-74
5. Marlin lever action rifles

What would your list be?
 
You will note all of my choices are military arms.. since nothing feeds invention like the prospect of war...

#1 AK 47 (kalishnikov) (and its pedecessor the MP/STG 44) But Sgt. Kalishnikov's rifle is BY far the BEST combat arm ever devised. Had the US spent MORE development on the M-1 carbine we may have had our own "assault rifle" in place before the adoption of the m-14. Its cheap to make, reliable as hell, sturdy eats dirt and keeps on going. The only gun likely to keep firing until completely rusted shut. (see David Hackworth's About Face for his story about digging one up) Made in damn near every country that stepped out of the stone age.

#2 M-1 (garand) First succesful semi in the age of bolt rifles. Still a great weapon. Heavy and overpowered by today's standards but very accurate and sturdy.

#3 AR-15/M-16 (Eugene Stoner) Once they decided to clean it once in a while it proved worthy, you can carry a lot of bullets and with the RIGHT bullet the cartridge is very lethal. Distributed/copied all over the world.

#4 BAR (Browning) Pre-courser to the SAW. Overly heavy and complex, was designed to be issued to rifleman instead OF bolt action ww1 guns in trench warfare. The idea of man portable, reliable automatic weapons started successfully here. Built like a tank.

#5 FAL (FN) The right arm of the free world was distributed ALMOST as much as the AK variants. Also very easy to produce. If you are nostalgic for heavy cartridges this is your rifle.

I'd ALSO venture the MOST influential designof the PAST FEW years is COOPER's Scout rifle.. like it or HATE it everyone is trying to copy it.. I'd call that influential.

Dr.Rob
 
If I were to pick five I would pick the 1903 Springfield as it is the father of the Mod 70. The M1 Garand as the forerunner to all American made gas operated rifles The 721 Remington because it was the first rifle that had prospects of accuracy. The 95 Mauser as it was the first of a long line of great rifles and last I think it would have to be the mod.94 Win because it was the hunters rifle from the day it was designed until today
 
My picks for the Most Influential rifles of the 20th Century are all self-loaders. With few exceptions, all the boltguns and lever actions we have today are derived from 19th Century designs.

1. M1 Garand (first successful self-loading battle rifle)

2. MP44 Sturmgewehr (first modern assault rifle. The MP44 was the cause. The M16, FAL , AK, G3, et al were the effect)
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3. Ruger 10/22 (prototypical plinker: cheap, accurate, reliable. Who doesn’t own one?)

4. BAR (first SAW that worked)

5. Thompson SMG (technically not a rifle, it was the first popular "bullet hose")

Honorable Mention:

6. Knight Mk-85 (the first and the best, everybody and his brother has copied this inline muzzleloader)

[This message has been edited by Kernel (edited December 16, 1999).]
 
Since the criteria is influential rifle, let's see:

Hacker Martin's Boone Tree gun...opps, wrong century.

1) German Stgw 44 (in all its variations). While it wasn't the first "assault rifle" (the Federov has that honor), it was the rifle which gave birth to the worldwide acceptance of the concept of a rifle using a medium lenght cartridge along with full auto capability. It caused all post war nations to reconsider the basic infantry rifle, the bullet and tactics.

2) M1 Garand. First truly successful and reliable semi-automatic rifle utilizing the full length cartridge. Would have been better if it was fed from a BAR magazine though (no full auto needed).

3) AK47. Again, not the first assualt rifle, but it set the standards by which all other modern rifles are judged. Not bad for a fifty year old gun which still enjoys widespread popularity.

4) German G3 (HK91). Tracing its lineage to the Spanish CETME and Mauser's Stgw 45, the delayed roller locked blowback utilized mass stampings to save production costs. It also help spawn the concept of "weapon systems" whereby an individual trained in using one variant could readily be adapted to use another (rifle to smg to mg).

5) Remington 700. Cylindrical receiver makes for easy production. Strong lock up design with good facilities to handle ruptured cartridges. One of the best (OK, it needs adjustment) factory triggers out there. It serves as a basis for sniping rifles by many top notch riflesmiths.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
Gonna have some duplicates here:

1) AK series: most successful assault rifle

2) STG-44: first successful assault rifle

3) M1 Garand: first successful self loading rifle, "the most important battle implement ever invented"

4) Thompson smg: first subgun, not exactly successful right off the bat, but the idea was sound.

5) HK-G3/FN FAL: a toss up, but with the execption of the USA, every other free country used one of these. Maybe we wouldn't be stuck with the M-16 if we'd adopted the FAL.
 
I'm a little surprised that not more people are picking the AR/M16 rifle. Here's my five, in no particular order.

1. AK47. First mass-produced assault rifle, simple design allows it to be made in third world countries by unskilled labor(and it still works).

2. M1 Garand. First really sucessful gas operated semi-automatic battle rifle.

3. AR15/M16. Advanced design allows modular construction and simple servicing while retaining light weight and durability(even if the recent versions have gone away from the original plan).

4. Sten Mk 3. This was a radical departure from the normal method of small arms design, and while the actual weapon had it's problems, the concept was a complete departure from the norm at the time. It changed people's mindset from craftsmanship like Rolls-Royce to quick and dirty mass production like Henry Ford and showed what was possible. The Sten is the great-grandfather of most modern military small arms.

5. Winchester 94. While the design doesn't actually fit into this century, the rifle itself is so important in the sporting field that I had to include it. It's robust design and reasonable weight and accuracy made it probably the most prevalent hunting rifle in the first half of the century, and it's still one of the most popular today.

As always, this all is IMHO, YMMV, and all the rest.

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With my shield or on it...
 
I had actually left the Winchester '94 and the Mauser '98 actions out because their origins lie in the late 1800s. However, I may have to change my #5 to the BAR instead of the Marlin lever action. I hadn't thought of that one when I started this thread.

I am a little surprised, though, that no one nominated any bullpup design rifles like the FAMAS, AUG, or that one British rifle. Have they just not been around long enough to be considered influential yet?

I almost nominated the new rifle (dangit, I cannot remember its name and who made it!) with its straight-pull bolt action that uses no lugs. Instead, it uses an array of metal "fingers" to surround the base of the cartridge and lock the chamber. I will have to dig up my magazines and drop the name in here sometime.
 
Bullpups are nothing new and I think there was even a bolt-action M1903 Springfield rifle in that configuration (will check later). John Garand developed a prototype prior to retiring and the Brits also developed one some (I think in .280 Brit/7mm) prior to adopting the FN-FAL. The Bullpup Valmet AK predates both the Steyr Aug and the FAMAS. At least that's why I didn't nominate either of those two guns.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
Artech, The Sten Gun was a good pick. Prior to the Sten firearms were made from expensive machined forging. After the Sten designers realized you could make cheap & effective guns from just about anything. A concept still copied today. Gary mentioned the Rem 700's tube steel receiver.... ever look at a Sten?

The M16 is derivative of other designs in both general layout and basic mechanisms. What makes it influential is it's use of aluminum alloy. Add to this the fact that those parts can be made from castings (tho GI Poodle Poppers are forged).
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Chad, Another real good pick. The British .280 EM-2 was a pioneering bullpup design that was developed in the late 1940s. Chambered in a .276 caliber intermediate cartridge it never took off, mainly because of Britain's poor economic condition after WWII and the insistence of NATO (i.e. the US) that they adopt the 7.62x51. There is little doubt that it influenced a generation of weapon designers, the results of which we see today in so many designs. -- Kernel

[This message has been edited by Kernel (edited December 16, 1999).]
 
1. Mauser
2. M-1 Garand
3. AK-47 (Kalashnikov)
4. AR-15/M-16 (Armalite)
5. Uzi (SMG)


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Courage is only fear that has said its prayers.
 
well only one comes to mind but ill try


1.rem700
2.ruger 10/22
3.rem700
4.rem700
5.rem700

well i tried!

lilbro
 
Well here goes. All of mine are civilian arms, because well I am a civilian. smile...

1. Savage 99 - well it was almost in the 20th century.... great gun period.

2. Ruger 10/22 enough said

3. Ruger #1 --- brought the single shot to the main stream America and made shooting elegant again.

4. Winchester 88 --- just great rifle

5. Marlin Camp gun --- fun easy to shot and made the advent of having 9mm or 45 ACP in both pistol and rifle easy for the masses.

Merry Christmas, happy new year.

Judge Blackhawk
 
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