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I own MBRs from all the major combatants from the 20th century, and shoot them all. What do you think was the worst rifle of WWII? Here, by my count, are the candidates:
1) Gew98- China, Reich, Poland, others
-Large ring Mauser was great. It was used by both sides and ws the basis for the 1903 Arisaka, and P14/M1917. It is still the standard which all bolt actions are measured against.
2 ) 1903A3- USA
-Nothing wrong with this rifle other than it not being cock on closing. I think the A3 is a better rifle than the original 1903, despite the cost savings that went into making it.
[b]
3) Type 38 and type 99 (mauser copies)- Japan
- Both great rifles with good rounds. Arisakas are often derided as being the worst, but testing revealed that they are exceptionally strong, and even the last ditch rifles performed well.
4) MAS 36- France
-good rifle with some good features, but it was made too late without anything really innovative. It's greatest improvement was the caliber.
5) No1MkIII*, No4 mk I, and No5 MK II Lee Enfields- Australia, UK, Canada, and the rest of the commonwealth
- good performing rifle with great capacity and speed of operation. It is a somewhat weak action, the rear locking lugs have issues, and the .303 was an artifact before WW1, but the Brits were too broke to replace it. They are no where near the bottom, but they don't deserve the accolades that they are generally given by Anglophiles.
6) Mosin Nagant (all varients)- USSR, Finland, Baltic states
- same criticism for the ammunition as with the Enfield and M95, plus bad ergonomics and poor quality finish, but the loose tolerances were turned into an advantage because it reduced the chances of the gun freezing up in the cold weather.
7) M95 and its variants- Various countries were already obsolete at the beginning of WWII, but they continued to serve. The trench conditions that played such havoc with it in WWI weren't widespread in WWII, and they were generally reserved for reserve and garrison soldiers only. Because they are sensitive to operating dirty and have an en bloc clip (rejected by every post 1891 design), the M95 is definitely in the running. The fact it wasn't used often by combat soldiers and has a rate of fire advantage keeps it from the bottom slot.
8 ) Carcano- Italy, Finland
- en bloc clips, round nose bullet, less strong action. The only countries other than Italy who ever used them did so out of desperation. In Finland, they were despised and quickly withdrawn from issue. Italy should have just modernized the bullet they loaded their ammunition with, and switched to an mauser/Arisaka type magazine instead of messing around with the switch to 7.35. If they had done that, they would have ended up with a fine rifle like the Swedish Mauser or type 38 Arisaka. The practice of shortening longer gain twist barrels to carbine length resulted in many carbines with extremely poor accuracy.
M1888- China, Reich
-The 88 was used more than most people realize, especially in China, and performed well, but Mannlicher clips, a weak action, and the barrel shroud make the M1888 the worst bolt action, although the fact that they weren't primary weapons makes me leave it un numbered.
Any thoughts?
1) Gew98- China, Reich, Poland, others
-Large ring Mauser was great. It was used by both sides and ws the basis for the 1903 Arisaka, and P14/M1917. It is still the standard which all bolt actions are measured against.
2 ) 1903A3- USA
-Nothing wrong with this rifle other than it not being cock on closing. I think the A3 is a better rifle than the original 1903, despite the cost savings that went into making it.
[b]
3) Type 38 and type 99 (mauser copies)- Japan
- Both great rifles with good rounds. Arisakas are often derided as being the worst, but testing revealed that they are exceptionally strong, and even the last ditch rifles performed well.
4) MAS 36- France
-good rifle with some good features, but it was made too late without anything really innovative. It's greatest improvement was the caliber.
5) No1MkIII*, No4 mk I, and No5 MK II Lee Enfields- Australia, UK, Canada, and the rest of the commonwealth
- good performing rifle with great capacity and speed of operation. It is a somewhat weak action, the rear locking lugs have issues, and the .303 was an artifact before WW1, but the Brits were too broke to replace it. They are no where near the bottom, but they don't deserve the accolades that they are generally given by Anglophiles.
6) Mosin Nagant (all varients)- USSR, Finland, Baltic states
- same criticism for the ammunition as with the Enfield and M95, plus bad ergonomics and poor quality finish, but the loose tolerances were turned into an advantage because it reduced the chances of the gun freezing up in the cold weather.
7) M95 and its variants- Various countries were already obsolete at the beginning of WWII, but they continued to serve. The trench conditions that played such havoc with it in WWI weren't widespread in WWII, and they were generally reserved for reserve and garrison soldiers only. Because they are sensitive to operating dirty and have an en bloc clip (rejected by every post 1891 design), the M95 is definitely in the running. The fact it wasn't used often by combat soldiers and has a rate of fire advantage keeps it from the bottom slot.
8 ) Carcano- Italy, Finland
- en bloc clips, round nose bullet, less strong action. The only countries other than Italy who ever used them did so out of desperation. In Finland, they were despised and quickly withdrawn from issue. Italy should have just modernized the bullet they loaded their ammunition with, and switched to an mauser/Arisaka type magazine instead of messing around with the switch to 7.35. If they had done that, they would have ended up with a fine rifle like the Swedish Mauser or type 38 Arisaka. The practice of shortening longer gain twist barrels to carbine length resulted in many carbines with extremely poor accuracy.
M1888- China, Reich
-The 88 was used more than most people realize, especially in China, and performed well, but Mannlicher clips, a weak action, and the barrel shroud make the M1888 the worst bolt action, although the fact that they weren't primary weapons makes me leave it un numbered.
Any thoughts?
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