Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Five best guns of WW2

Yep. 98K and the SMLE #4 are hard to beat, as far as bolt action rifles go.

Found a Arisakas in Dad’s stuff after he passed. Need to figure out which model it is.
Also, I found him a un-issued Beretta made Carcano carbine many years ago to go with his WW-II collection. It’s a slick little rifle. I also got him a box of the Norma ammo, when I gave it to him. He never fired it. I need to try it out.

The 10 shot magazine and the slick way the bolt operates is what makes the Enfield a better “battle rifle” than all the other bolt actions made back then, IMO. Mine is pretty accurate too. It’s one of the American made models contracted by Savage Arms.

LOL. My first thought too, David.

Any list of great battle guns should automatically include John Browning’s 1911’s.
And look how many wars it was used in, too.

Even today, in modern times, a man is pretty well armed with a 1911 and a M1 Garand !

particularly that POS Moisin-Nagant with Lee Enfields and Springfields around.

I've worked on several M-N rifles. Cheap to make is their defining point, IMO. AKA POS. Kilt a lot of German and Geman conscripts tho.

Poles, Lithuanians, Finns, etc.

The Garand, 1911, M98, Arisaka should all be on the list, IMO, as far as hand-held go. I never liked the Lee-Enfield personally, but it was certainly effective rifle for another POS. Adjusting head space by screwing on a different bolt head was a neat feature, except the right bolt heads for the ones I've worked on were almost impossible to find, so there were some I just refused to work on, whatever the problem. Those needing the #4, especially, got a pass from me.

I would never buy a M-N nor an Enfield, either one, but maybe that's just me.

I want to get "Shots Fired in Anger" to read. It's about the Japanese' firearms in the War in the Pacific. Although the Arisaka was a homely rifle it was very strong and lethal. They were brutal and efficient killers but used some insane tactics.

I know it's more than 5 but you can't beat them!

The Japanese were apparently pretty decent marksmen too!

I know, I know, the Mauser is a better rifle than the Mosin Nagant. I love Mausers and I own two of them, a German Mauser and a Swedish Mauser. That Swede is just a beautiful rifle. Very accurate.

I spoke up for the Mosin Nagant. Yes it is crude, and in practice, doesn't even have a damn safety. But the Russkies made 'em by the millions and they killed a lot of Krauts. The Mosin is rugged and reliable. The main reason I like Mosins is the Finn reworks. The Finns captured hundreds of thousands of Mosins in WW1 and reworked them. VKT and Sako put on new barrels, new stocks and sights, the only original part is the action. These Finn remakes are beautiful rifles, and accurate. The little Finnish Army used these rifles to stand Russia to a draw in the first year of WW2. Finnish ski patrolmen snipers must have killed a hundred thousand Russians with these rifles.

Here is my VKT M39.

You don't know Enfolds then. Without question, the best combat bolt action ever.

No I don't like Enfields. Went hunting with my dad's Enfield once and made a bad shot on a buck. I don't like peep sights.

I did like "Rule .303 " in Breaker Morant.

The 1917 Enfield was indeed a great rifle.