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WW2 Small Arms Identification Guide

This is one of a series of identification guides for the small arms (pistols, rifles, submachine guns, assault rifles, and light machine guns) issued or in use during World War 2. To the best of our knowledge, all the examples shown are original pre-1945 manufacture. If anyone has questions or suggestions, please contact [email protected].

© 2000, 2010, 2013 by GermanDaggers.com



WW2 Rifle Identification Guide





Automatgevar M42 - Sweden - produced 1942-1950s
Caliber 6.5mm - 10 round box magazine
30,000 produced



Arisaka Type 30 - Japan - produced 1897-1905
Caliber 6.5mm - 5 rounds
554,000 produced



Arisaka Type 38 - Japan - produced 1906-1942
Caliber 6.5mm - 5 rounds
3.4 million produced



Arisaka Type 38 Carbine - Japan - produced 1906-1942
Caliber 6.5mm - 5 rounds



Arisaka Type 44 Carbine - Japan - produced 1912-1942
Caliber 6.5mm - 5 rounds



Arisaka Type 65 - China - produced 1920s
Caliber 6.5mm - 5 rounds



Arisaka Type 97 - Japan - produced 1937-1945
Caliber 6.5mm - 5 rounds
22,500 produced



Arisaka Type 99 - Japan - produced 1941-1945
Caliber 7.7mm - 5 rounds
2.5 million produced



Arisaka Type I - Japan (made in Italy) - produced 1937-1943
Caliber 6.5mm - 5 rounds
60,000 produced



Arisaka Type 2 - Japan - produced 1942-1945
Caliber 7.7mm - 5 rounds
19,000 produced



AVS-36 - Soviet Union - produced 1936-1938
Caliber 7.62mm - 15 round box magazine
34,000 produced



Berthier 1907-15-M34 - France - produced 1915-1936
Caliber 7.5mm - 5 rounds
435,000 produced



Berthier 1907-M16 Carbine - France - produced 1916-1936
Caliber 7.5mm - 5 rounds



Carcano M1891 - Italy - produced 1891-1945
Caliber 6.5mm - 6 rounds
3 million produced



Carcano M1891 Carbine - Italy - produced 1893-1945
Caliber 6.5mm - 6 rounds



Carcano M1891 Short Rifle - Italy - produced 1897-1945
Caliber 6.5mm - 6 rounds



Carcano Modello 1938 - Italy - produced 1938-1945
Caliber 7.35mm - 6 rounds



Fedorov Avtomat Rifle - Soviet Union - produced 1915-1924
Caliber 6.5mm - 25 round box magazine
3,200 produced



FEG 35M - Hungary - produced 1935-1950s
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds



FEG 43M - Hungary - produced 1943-1950s
Caliber 7.92mm - 5 rounds



FN M24 - Yugoslavia (made in Belgium) - produced 1925-1945
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds



Gevar M89 - Denmark - produced 1889-1945
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds



Gewehr 41 - Germany - produced 1941
Caliber 7.92mm - 10 rounds
Mauser design - 6,700 produced



Gewehr 41 - Germany - produced 1941-1943
Caliber 7.92mm - 10 rounds
Walther design - 150,000 produced



Gewehr 43 - Germany - produced 1943-1945
Caliber 8mm - 10 round box magazine
403,000 produced



Gewehr 43 - Germany - produced 1944
Caliber 7.92mm Kurz - 30 round box magazine



Gewehr 98 - Germany - produced 1898-1918
Caliber 7.92mm - 5 rounds
5 million produced



Hanyang 88 - China - produced 1895-1947
Caliber 7.92mm - 5 rounds
1.1 million produced



Karabin wz.98a - Poland - produced 1936-1939
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds
44,500 produced



Karabinek wz.29 - Poland - produced 1930-1939
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds
264,000 produced



Karabin Samopowtarzalny wz.38M - Poland - produced 1938-1939
Caliber 8mm - 10 round box magazine
150 produced



Karabiner 98 Kurz - Germany - produced 1935-1945
Caliber 7.92mm - 5 rounds
14.6 million produced



Krag-Jorgensen M1894 - Norway - produced 1936-1939
Caliber 6.5mm - 5 rounds
248,500 produced



Lebel Modele 1886 - France - produced 1887-1920
Caliber 8mm - 8 round tube magazine
2.9 million produced



Lee-Enfield No1 Mark III - Great Britain - produced 1907-
Caliber .303 - 10 rounds
17 million produced



Lee-Enfield No4 - Great Britain - produced 1939-
Caliber .303 - 10 rounds
17 million produced



Lee-Enfield No5 Carbine - Great Britain - produced 1944-
Caliber .303 - 10 rounds
17 million produced



M1903 Springfield - United States - produced 1903-1974
Caliber .30-06 - 5 rounds
1.3 million produced



M1917 Enfield - United States - produced 1917-
Caliber .30-06 - 6 rounds
2.2 million produced



M1 Grand - United States - produced 1936-1957
Caliber .30-06 - 8 rounds
6.25 million produced



M1941 Johnson - United States - produced 1941-1945
Caliber .30-06 - 10 round rotary magazine
70,000 produced



M1 Carbine - United States - produced 1941-1945
Caliber .30 Carbine - 15 or 30 round box magazine
6.5 million produced



M30 Luftwaffe Drilling - Germany - produced 1941-1942
Caliber 12 guage double over 9.3mm rifle
Sauer & Sohn - 2,500 produced



MAS Modele 36 - France - produced 1936-1949
Caliber 7.5mm - 5 rounds



Mauser M24 - Yugoslavia - produced 1925-1945
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds



Mauser M89/36 - Belgium - produced 1936-1939
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds



Mauser Selbstloader M1916 - Germany - produced 1915-1916
Caliber 7.92mm - 25 round box magazine
1000 produced



Mauser Type 24 (Zhongzheng Rifle) - China - produced 1935-1950
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds
5-600,000 produced



Mauser Type 45 - Siam (made in Germany) - produced 1903
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds



Mauser Type 66 - Siam (made in Germany) - produced 1924
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds



Mondragon Rifle - China (made in Switzerland) - produced 1908-1911
Caliber 7mm - 8 round clip, 20 or 30 round drum



Mosin Nagant M1891/30 - Soviet Union - produced 1891-1965
Caliber 7.62mm - 5 rounds
37 million produced



Mosin Nagant M1891/38 Carbine - Soviet Union - produced 1938-1945
Caliber 7.62mm - 5 rounds



MTB 1925 - Italy - produced 1925
Caliber 6.5mm - 5 rounds



Pattern 1914 Enfield - Great Britain - produced 1915-
Caliber .303 - 5 rounds
1.24 million produced



Puska vz. 24 - Czechoslovakia - produced 1924-1942
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds
3.4 million produced



Puska vz. 33 - Czechoslovakia - produced 1934-1942
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds
150,000 produced



Rieder Automatic Rifle - South Africa - produced 1941-
Caliber .303 - 10 or 30 round box magazine



Ross Mark II - Canada - produced 1903-1914
Caliber .303 - 5 rounds
420,000 produced



Steyr Mannlicher M1895 - Austria - produced 1895-1921
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds
3 million produced



Steyr Mannlicher M1895 Carbine - Austria - produced 1924-1930
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds



Steyr Mannlicher M1895/30 Carbine - Austria - produced 1930-1945
Caliber 8mm - 5 rounds



SVT-38 - Soviet Union - produced 1938-1940
Caliber 7.62mm - 10 round box magazine
150,000 produced



SVT-40 - Soviet Union - produced 1940-1945
Caliber 7.62mm - 10 round box magazine
1.6 million produced



Volksgewehr VG 1 - Germany (Walther) - produced 1944-1945
Caliber 8mm - 10 round box magazine
50,000 produced



Volksgewehr VG 2 - Germany (Spreerwerke) - produced 1944-1945
Caliber 8mm - 10 round box magazine
10,000 produced



Volksgewehr VG 3 - Germany (Rheinmetall) - produced 1944-1945
Caliber 8mm - 10 round box magazine
less than 5,000 produced



Volksgewehr VG 4 - Germany (Mauser) - produced 1944-1945
Caliber 8mm - 10 round box magazine
less than 1,000 produced



Volksgewehr VG 5/VK 98 - Germany (Steyr) - produced 1944-1945
Caliber 8mm - 5 round internal magazine
several thousand produced



ZH-29 - Czechoslovakia - produced 1929-1938
Caliber 8mm - 5, 10, or 20 round box magazine