[sremington]

OK here is a question for you guys. Now I have been catching up on my WWII movies and was wondering what you thought was the best WWII rifle used at the time.

So what would be your favorite WWII weapon of choice?

 

[Dirigo]

STG44

 

[Ithaca37]

STG44

I have got to second that. Probably one of the most influential rifles in modern history.

But, if you are talking about standard issue, the 44 wouldn't really count. In that case I would have to say the M1 Garand due to its semi-auto fire and the fact that it held 8rds which while inferior to the 12rds of the british SMLE, stood out amongst some other rifles of the time.

 

[Ithaca37]

Isn't anyone else going to weigh in on this?!? Come guys, someone must have a different opinion the those already stated.

What do you think the answer is Remington?

 

[sremington]

I sort of like the M-1 Garand, but as you stated earlier the clip capacity was far more inferior.

I say we open it up to not just rifles but the entire span of weaponry used at the time. Now that could bring in more discussion!

 

[sremington]

But I would have to add that the STG44 looks cooler :wink:

 

[kenton6]

The M-1 Garand went through hell and back and that dang thing as big and cumbersome as it was, kept on working. It shot a good round, killed a lot of enemy and didn't fail too many people. There has to something said for that.

 

[Ithaca37]

I sort of like the M-1 Garand, but as you stated earlier the clip capacity was far more inferior.

While the SMLE had a larger capacity, soldiers were not provided extra magazines for quick reloads (wasted potential if you asked me) they had to recharge the magazines by hand with the 12rds. On the other hand the 8rds of the Garand were contained in an en-bloc clip which is how all of the ammo was issued. Obviously this made for extremely quick reloads.

En-bloc Clip:

 

[Robert L. Brown]

No doubt in my military mind that the M-1 Garand was the best all-around weapon. Gen. Patton was right. The only semi-auto battle rifle that was more reliable was the next generation of the Garand concept, the M-14. It didn't see a lot of battle action 'till Viet Nam ( and it was as big as and weighed as much as our South Vietnamese "help").

 

[Ithaca37]

I think this is really an impossible question to answer definitively. With a few exceptions, the vast majority of the weaponry fielded in WWII was both rugged and reliable. Each battle rifle had its own special qualities and deficiencies making it very had to pick just one as the best. I still think the STG 44 wins this one though because of the impact it has had on the design of modern military weapons. It was the first Assault Rifle (notice I didn't say assault weapon, there is a difference for all you VPC goons out there) and its design changed the course of history.

 

[Ithaca37]

A pic from "back in the day" - or maybe not the pic seems to have disapeared....at least on my browser....

And here it is (on the left) today, still in use and pictureed with the most famous of its offspring...the Kalashnikov

 

[aroostookbasser]

Mauser 98.....with scope....one shot one kill...silenced........
(you can run......can't hide....you'll just die tired....)

 

[Ithaca37]

Hate to burst your bubble, but the M98 was never equipped to be outfitted with a silencer. In fact there was very little silencer use during the war because the technology was fairly new and their use was predominantly limited to OSS operatives or foreign counterparts.