Found this article sorta interesting.
5 Best Guns of WW2
As a veteran, number 1 warms my heart.
7mm

Great article. Glad to see them pay homage to the Mosin Nagant.

I'd like to see the BAR on there but it probably wasn't widely used enough. The BAR is an awesome design for its time.

Bb

I do believe those conscripted Russian peasants woulda done just as well or better with Enfield No.4’s but a pretty good article anyway.

Well, at least he got 2 right.

The M1 Garand and the M2 50 cal machine gun.

And I would have picked the Enfield No 4 in .303 cal over the Mosin Nagant any old day of the week & twice on Sunday. 🤠

Mg 42 laid a bunch of guys in the. Ground

What a useless machine gun

Ever used one, or seen one used? I have. You are obviously clueless.

No 1911? (Bleep) him.

How many krauts or japs did you kill

I thought that as well. There is no doubt that the Mosin Nagant rifles have their place in history, and were a very reliable weapon, but for a battle rifle, the SMLE's were a better choice. For my purposes, I'd even pick the K98 over the Mosin Nagant.

Also, I'd chosen the German MP40, the Schmeisser, over the Russkie SMG, but it's pretty much a tossup. At least they didn't pick the Sten Gun.

While I believe the STG44 was maybe the most influential rifle to come out of WW2, there just wasn't that many of them made. I'd probably have picked the MG42, as it saw widespread use, and the design is still in use today.

The choices did not thrill me.

Garand and M2: Yes

The rest? No.

Tend to agree with you Burleyboy, most all of John M Brownings designs were awesome designs for their time and many years later still are. The BAR didn't become outdated but they ran short.of men to carry them and hump the extra ammo to feed them. The belt fed 1919 wasn't lwt either and needed a guy to hump the tripod.Belts of ammo weren't lwt either but gave longer sustained fire than 20 rd mags. But the concept was a good one as US military has gone back to shoulder fired machine guns. I've allways wanted a BAR the semi auto version would be enough for me they just cost 2 damned much...mb

Lotsa personal bias in that.
Everyone has it.

Garand and The Ma Duece 1 and 2.

The rest.
I would put the MG42 STG 44 at 3 and 4 due to all the features and design from them put into wpns after them.

#5 for a bolt rifle .... The Enfield 10 shots and the ability to work its bolt rapidly.

Whatever...

If they invent a time machine and stuff my fat ass in to go back and try to survive for a week on the front lines, I would want a weapon with the ability to put a volume of fire at up to intermediate ranges as reliably as possible.

I'm thinking StG, G43, SVT40, Garand, or M1941 Johnson.

If it had been left up to the Marines, the Johnson was their choice.

For me the Garand was the greatest weapon carried in WWII. It was reasonably accurate and had a good rate of fire. Nothing is perfect and the Germans had some fearful weapons but we were well equipped.

Seems there exist a large population of shooters who feel the Mosin Nagant is some kind of miraculous battle rifle. I theorize it was because of the massive influx of them in the past 20-30 years, and their availability to those who picked them up as possibly their first rifle. So what if they made a scadzillion of them. The 98k was much better rifle and the SMLE #4 was a much better battle rifle.

I don’t see any advantages to a Mosin Nagant that say a Mannlicher Carcano doesn’t have. For that matter I feel the Type 38 and Type 99 Arisakas are better rifles that the Nagant.

When it comes to the strongest and most gas proof actions, the Jap rifles are so far ahead of the Nagants, and for that matter, just about everything else, that it's not eve close.

Bingo!!!!

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.