WWII Rifles

WWII Infantry Rifles Information from Wikipedia.com

Germany

98/K98

The Karabiner 98k was a bolt action rifle adopted as the standard infantry rifle in 1935 by Nazi Germany and one of the final developments from the long line of Mauser rifles.

A bolt-action rifle with Mauser-type action holding five rounds of 7.92x57 mm on a stripper clip with an internal magazine. It was derived from the earlier rifles, namely the Karabiner 98b whichhad itself been developed from the Mauser Model 1898. The Gewehr 98 or Model 1898 took its principles from the Lebel Model 1886 rifle with the improvement of a metallic magazine of five cartridges.

The rifle was noted for its good accuracy and effective range of up to 500 meters. For this reason it was also used with a telescopic sight as a sniper rifle which extended the effective range to about 800 m when used by a skilled marksman. The 98k had the same disadvantages as all other turn-of-the-century military rifles: being comparatively bulky and heavy, and the rate of fire was limited by how fast the bolt could be operated. It was designed to be used with a bayonet and to fire rifle grenades. A version with a folding stock was introduced in 1941 to be used by airborne troops.

Since it was shorter than the earlier carbines, it was given the designation Karabiner 98 Kurz, meaning Short Carbine Model 98. It was the standard rifle, though submachine guns were often preferred, especially for urban combat where the rifle's range was not very useful. Towards the end of the war the 98k was being phased out in favor of the MP44, which fired a less powreful round but could be used like a submachine gun in close-quarters and urban fighting.

Japan

Type 38 Rifle or T30

The Type 38 Rifle Arisaka (Sanpati-shiki hoheijyuu) was a bolt-action rifle. For a time it was Type 38 was the standard rifle of Japanese infantry. It had a high reliability and a high accurancy. It was known also as the Type 38 Year Meiji Carbine in Japan. An earlier similar weapon was the Type 30 Year Meiji Rifle, which was also used alongside it. Both of these were also called Arisaka rifles after the inventor.

The Type 38 Cavalry Rifle is a short-barreled model of the Type 38 Rifle. It was used not only by cavalry, but also used by engineer, quartermaster and other non-frontline troops. It was introduced into service at the same time, the barrel was shorter at 487 mm, giving an overall length of the rifle of 966 mm and a weight of 3.3 kg

Other variants developed from the Type 38 were the Type 44 Cavalry Rifle, Type 97 Sniper Rifle, TERA Rifles and the final development, the Type 5 Rifle.

Type 99 Rifle

The Type 99 Rifle (From the Japanese Kyuukyuu-shiki syoujyuu or Kyuukyuu-shiki tyousyoujyuu) was a bolt-action rifle of the Arisaka design used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

Although the Type 38 Rifle was an excellent rifle, the small caliber (6.5mm) bullet it fired was not considered effective enough. The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) developed the Type 99 based on the Type 38 but with a calibre of 7.7 mm.

The IJA had intended to completely replace the Type 38 with the Type 99 by the end of the war. However, the outbreak of the Pacific war never allowed the army to completely replace the Type 38 and so the IJA used both rifles during the war.

The Type 99 was produced in four versions, the regular issue Type 99 Rifle, the Type 99 Short Rifle (the most common) and Takedown Short Rifle and the Sniper Rifle Type 99.

USSR

Mosin Nagant 1891/30

The Mosin-Nagant is a military rifle that was used by the armed forces of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union and was in service in various forms from 1891 until the 1960s, when it was finally replaced in its final function as a sniper rifle by the SVD rifle - Snayperskaya Vintovka Dragunova - Dragunov's Sniper Rifle.

The rifle was originally the "winner" of a competition in Imperial Russia meant to replace the antiquated Berdan rifles then in use (which were single-shot breech-loading rifles, similar to the British Martini rifle). Sergei Ivanovich Mosin submitted a design, which was combined with that of the design of the Belgian designer Leon Nagant (which the army had favored) to pander to Russia's national pride, and the resulting rifle, the Mosin Nagant Model 1891 was accepted for service.

The cartridge it was designed for, the Russian 7.62x54R, has been in service continuously since its adoption, and remains so to this day. Millions of Mosin-Nagant rifles were made before and after the introduction of the SKS and AK series rifles, stockpiled in vast armories in the Soviet Union. Recently a large quantity of them have found their ways into the American market as antiques and collectables and also as a dependable, reasonably accurate, and cheap plinking and hunting rifle. Due to the gargantuan surplus created by the Soviet industry during WWII, these rifles can be acquired today for as little as 50 dollars.

American

M1 Garand

The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, .30 Caliber, M1) was the first semi-automatic rifle to be put in active military service. It officially replaced the Springfield 1903 rifle as the standard service rifle in 1936, until officially replaced by the M14 that was developed from it in 1957. It would be heavily used in WWII, Korea, and to a limited extent in Vietnam. It was primarily used by the U.S., but also some other countries. It continues to be used as a civilian firearm, and by some drill teams.

It weighs 9 pounds 8 ounces (4.3 kg) unloaded, and is 43.5 inches (1.1 m) long. The rifle is fed by an en-bloc clip which holds eight rounds through the top of the receiver; this made the reloading of the rifle in mid-clip somewhat more time consuming than firing off the remaining rounds. After the firing of the last cartridge, the clip is automatically ejected and the bolt locked to the rear. This creates a "ping" sound, but it is not as loud on a battlefield as some believe. Clips can also be manually ejected at any time, or reloaded while partially full and still inside the weapon. The latter is not commonly done because it requires both hands to do and takes more time than ejecting the clip.

Originally chambered for the 0.276 in (7 mm) Pedersen cartridge using a 10 round clip, it was later standardized to use the then-official U.S. military rifle round: "Ball Cartridge, 0.30 in (7.62 x 63 mm), Model of 1906," commonly known as the .30-06 (thirty-ought-six). Its maximum effective range is listed at 550 m, with capability of inflicting a casualty with armor-piercing ammunition well beyond 800 m.

Developed by weapons designer John Garand during the 1920s and 1930s at the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, it eventually became the standard rifle of the US military, being adopted in 1932 and formally entering service in 1936 because of the executive decision by the current Army Chief-of-Staff General Douglas MacArthur. It served through World War II and the

Korean War where it proved to be an excellent rifle, so much so that the Axis Powers used as many as they could capture. The Japanese even developed a prototype copy for their own use near the end of World War II, but it never reached production. Some Garands were still being used in the Vietnam War in 1963, although it had been officially replaced by the M14 rifle in 1957. It took until 1965 for the changeover to the M14 to be completed, with the exception of the sniper versions. U.S. military drill teams still use the M1, including the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill team. The sniper versions, introduced in WWII, were also used in Korea and part of Vietnam.

Perhaps the distinct edge it gave the Allied forces over their enemy in battle is why General George S. Patton called it "the greatest implement of battle ever devised." The rifle remains popular with civilian weapons collectors and enthusiasts all over the world.

M1 Carbine

The M1 Carbine (more formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) was a lightweight semi-automatic rifle and carbine that was a standard firearm in the US military during World War II and the Korean War. In a select-fire version, it was known as the M2 and M3 Carbines. It has also been a popular civilian firearm as well.

The firearm was developed in part due the cancellation of the .276 Garand, lessons learned for earlier wars, observations of conflicts during the 1930s and earlier, and dissatisfaction with existing submachine guns and rifles. The US Army's M1 Garand rifle was orginally developed for a light .276 round, but this development was cancelled in the 1930s. This delayed introduction of the Garand, now chambered for the more powerful 30-06, until the mid-1930s (1936), and left the army without the lighter, handier rifle it had wanted.

Troops in the rear, or frontline troops that had to carry a lot of other equipment (such as medics and engineers) had found the older full-size rifles too cumbersome, and pistols and revolvers not to be powerfull enough. Submachine guns like the Tommy Gun, were powerful for close range encounters, but did not have a long enough range to be effective (and were much more expensive than pistols). Much the same applied to Paratroopers, a concept that was also under consideration at the time. The 30-06 Garand then entering into service in the late 1930s was as heavy and cumbersome as the existing service rifles; it was decided a new weapon was needed for these other roles.

It could provide soldiers with a firearm lighter than carbine versions of a full power rifle, being but lighter and handier than the full-sized M1 Garand rifle. However, it was more powerful and easier to use in many situations than the M1911A1 pistols, and with much longer range and more accuracy than a submachine gun. The M1 Carbine was particularly intended for soldiers who needed a lightweight rifle - such as paratroopers or engineers, or in shorter-range engagments like cities.

In 1938, the Chief of Infantry requested that the Ordnance Department develop a light rifle or carbine, though the formal requirement for the weapon type was not approved until 1940. This lead to a competition in 1941 by major US firearm companies and designers. Winchester Repeating Arms at first did not submit a design. The company was too busy perfecting the Winchester Military Rifle in .30-06. The rifle originated as a design by Jonathan Edmund "Ed" Browning, the half-brother of inventor Jonathan Moses Browning. A couple of months after Ed Browning died in May of 1939, Winchester hired ex-convict David M. "Carbine" Williams, a some-time bootlegger who had devised a short-stroke gas piston design while serving a prison sentence for murder. (This unlikely true story, a natural for the movie industry, was the basis of the 1952 movie Carbine Williams starring James Stewart.) Winchester hoped that Williams would be able to complete various designs left unfinished by Ed Browning. Williams first design change for the rifle was the incorporation of his short-stroke piston design. After Marine Corps semi-automatic rifle trials in 1940, Browning's rear-locking tilting bolt design was considered to be unreliable in sandy conditions. As a result, the rifle was redesigned yet again to incorporate a Garand-style rotating bolt and operating rod.

By May 1941, the rifle prototype had been shaved to a mere 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg). Winchester contacted the Ordnance Depatment to examine their design. They believed that the design could be scaled down to a carbine which weighed 4.5 to 4.75 pounds (2.0 to 2.2 kg). In response, Major Ren� Studler demanded that they produce a carbine prototype as soon as possible. The first model was developed in 13 days by William C. Roemer and Fred Humeston. It was cobbled together using the trigger housing and lockwork of a Winchester M1905 rifle. The prototype was an immediate hit with Army observers. After the initial Army testing in August 1941, Winchester set out to develop a more refined version. The improved model competed successfully against other carbine candidates

In September 1941, and Winchester was notified of their victory the very next month. Standardization as the M1 Carbine was approved October 22, 1941. Contrary to popular myth, Williams had little to do with the carbine's development. As a matter of fact, he went about creating his own design apart from the other Winchester staff. Williams' carbine design was not ready for testing until December 1941, two months after the Winchester M1 carbine had been adopted and type-classified.

The weapon was designed primarily to offer non-frontline troops a better weapon than a pistol in terms of range and hitting power, but without the cost or weight of a full power weapon. The weapon would give rear-echelon troops a better chance to defend themselves if directly attacked by front line forces. It was also easier for less experienced soldiers and smaller framed people to fire the weapon than the full power rifles of the day. In addition, it was useful for soldiers like radiomen, engineers, and medics that had to carry a lot of other equipment. Also, officers or NCO's would sometimes choose it over a submachinegun. The automatic and dedicated paratrooper versions would further expand its use.

The first M1 Carbines were delivered in mid 1942. Initially the weapon was going to be automatic-fire, but this feature was dropped on the production version. The feature would be added again on the M2 Carbine, a selective fire M1. The weapon ended up being popular among frontline troops as well and would go on to be used heavily in WWII, Korea, and to a degree in Vietnam. The weapons started to be replaced by M16s in the late 1960s, and many of the older carbines were given to the South Vietnamese.

The M1 series was finally replaced by the M16 in the 1960's, though it continued to be used as a civilian firearm. The M1 series was the most produced US weapon for several decades, until surpassed by M16 production.

The weapon was also issued to some regular troops, particularly officers, drivers, and radio operators, since it was lighter and more handy than the M1 Garand rifle, and was still considered suitable for shorter range combat. Variants including folding stocks for paratroopers and select fire versions (M2 and M3).

The Carbine was a intermediate weapon for the period; the muzzle velocity from its 18 inch barrel was 600 to 585 m/s (depending on the round), as opposed to sub-machine guns (typically 300 to 400 m/s), but less than full power rifles of the day (typically 700 to 800 m/s). For example, the M3 "grease gun" had a muzzle velocity of 281 m/s, while for the German assault rifle StG 44 it was 647 m/s, the Bren light machine gun, 744 m/s, and the Garand , 853 m/s.

The firearm's power should not be confused with a number later, shorter barreled firearms using the round (such as pistols). With a much shorter barrel, much less power is extracted from the powder than with a longer barrel.

The M1 carbine had a high practical rate of fire and typical combat did not require the range of a full-power rifle, and the carbine's light weight, compactness, and low recoil made it a convenient self-defense weapon.

United Kindom

Lee-Enfield No. 4 MKII

The Lee-Enfield was the British army's standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. In various marks it was standard army issue for the first half of the 20th century, a momentous period which saw two world wars and the loss of Britain's empire; it was also used by many of Britain's commonwealth allies, including India, Australia, and Canada. It fired the .303 British cartridge from a ten-round detachable box magazine, loaded from five-round chargers.

The Lee-Enfield rifle was derived from the earlier Lee-Metford, a physically similar black powder rifle which combined James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt system with a barrel featuring rifling designed by William Ellis Metford. Lee's action was a major improvement on existing bolt-action designs. The rear-mounted lugs place the operating handle much closer to the operator, over the trigger, making it much quicker to operate than "traditional" designs like the Mauser, which forced the operator to move his hand forward to operate the bolt; also, the bolt's distance of travel was identical with the length of the cartridge, and its rotation was only 60 degrees (compared to the conventional 90 degree rotation of Mauser-style actions). The disadvantage was that the rear lugs placed a greater load on the rigidity of the bolt up to the receiver.

The speedy bolt and large magazine capacity (ten rounds, compared to the five of the Mauser and its derivatives like the US M1903 Springfield) ensured that a trained rifleman could fire between 15 to 30 aimed rounds a minute, making the Lee-Enfield the fastest military bolt action rifle of the day.

Experiments with smokeless powder in the existing Lee-Metford cartridge seemed at first to be a simple upgrade, but the greater heat and pressures generated by the new cartridges proved to wear out the shallow, rounded, Metford rifling. Replacing this with a new square-shaped rifling system designed at the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) Enfield solved the problem, and the Lee-Enfield was born. In order to avoid throwing away massive stocks of existing cartridges, the government demanded that the new design use the existing rimmed design, a decision which ensured that the .303 British survived well into the age of rimless cartridges.

The rifle was introduced in November 1895 as the .303 calibre, Rifle, Magazine, Lee-Enfield, or more commonly simply Magazine Lee-Enfield, or MLE. The next year a shorter version was introduced as the Lee-Enfield Cavalry Carbine Mk.I, or LEC, with a 21.2 inch (538 mm) barrel as opposed to the 30.2 inch (767 mm) one in the "long" version. Both underwent a minor upgrade series in 1899, becoming the Mk.I*'s.

In 1902 a carbine version of the original was introduced, the famous Short Magazine Lee-Enfield, or SMLE. The barrel length was now half-way between the original and the carbine, at 25.2 inches (640 mm). The SMLE's visual trademark was its blunt nose, the end of the barrel having shrunk into the stock. The shorter length was controversial at the time, many influential thinkers believing that it was neither short enough for horseback use nor long enough for accurate long-range fire. A replacement was sought.

The SMLE design was fairly difficult to manufacture because of the many forging and machining operations required. In the 1920s several experiments were carried out to help with these problems, reducing the number of complex parts. The No.1 Mk.V used a new receiver-mounted sighting system, which moved the rear sight from its former position half-way up the barrel. The increased gap improved sighting accuracy. The No.1 Mk.VI also introduced a "floating barrel" which was not connected strongly to the stock, allowing the barrel to move with the expansion and contraction of heating without changing the bedding forces, and thus accuracy. Small numbers of rifles were also built with an experimental semi-automatic loading system.

By the late 1930s the need for new rifles grew, and the Rifle, No.4, Mk.I was adopted in 1939, although widespread production did not start until 1941. The No.4 was similar to the Mk.VI, but lighter, stronger, and with a new adjustment system for setting the "headspace", the spacing between the front of the bolt and rear of the receiver. Unlike the SMLE, the No.4 did not have a blunt nose, the barrel protruding some way from the stock. The new floating barrel improved accuracy, and the No.4 became the most common sniper rifle in the British forces, fitted with a 3x scope. Known as the No.4 Mk.1(T), many were re-barreled after the war to the new 7.62 mm NATO round and continued in service until the early 1980s as the L42.

Later in the war the need for a shorter, less heavy rifle for use in the jungles of the Far East led to the development of the Rifle, No.5, Mk.I "Jungle Carbine". With a severely cut-down stock and a prominent flash hider, the design was somewhat shorter and 2 lb (907 g) lighter. Despite a rubber butt-pad, the .303 round produced too much recoil for the lightweight rifle to be a complete success, and it was never popular with the troops - partly because of the fierce recoil, and partly because of an alleged "Wandering Zero".

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