Wow, a lot of significant guns missing from that list:

1. The Brown Bess
2. Spencer repeating rifle
3. Mauser 98
4. MG-42
5. FN-FAL

Just off the top of my head.

AK-47? I thought that name had been abandoned and it's called AKM.

(could be wrong).

Tarl3k: tlchwi02: Tarl3k: Archduke Ferdinand

assuming we're talking about old franz, he got shot with a pistol

Sorry, my bad. I thought he was killed from a distance, herpa derpa...

Princip did use a handgun, but the guy on the grassy knoll did, indeed, use a rifle.

ScotterOtter: The Colt might have been the most widely used handgun in the old west, but the shotgun was way more common and infinitely more important.

And the first semi-auto shotgun was invented by...John Moses Browning, the Browning Auto-5.

wee: Dancin_In_Anson: I have one of those and have fired 3...4 if you want to count any number of different Glock models.

Five for me. Though I've also fired a Gatling, Uzi, and an M2.

R.A.Danny: The whole list could have Browning designs on it, no need to be mean spirited.

I'd throw in the CETME, a Winchester lever action of some variety, maybe also the MG34. But yeah.

Never got to fire it, but my buddy had one of these...http://world.guns.ru/machine/usa/browning-m1917-m1919-e.html Browning M1917

His dad grew up an Army brat, spent a lot of time in Germany, and dug this up, along with two bayonets in a field he used to play in. The thing was ready to fire, my friend even had the clips for the ammo, we just didn't have the funky dummy round you initially load it with, nor the tripod. It looked totally cool sitting next to the TV, and freaked quite a few people out when you informed them that it was definitely real, and was definitely in firing condition.

His dad also had a WWII Luger that I DID get to fire one time, it was pretty nice. This one he didn't find in a field though, he had to pay serious money for that puppy. Even had the swastika emblem on the grips.
As for the list, I've fired a Springfield version of the Colt 1911, and some version of Glock. For semiauto rifles though, I'm pretty satisfied with my SKS. 

EDIT: Good thing I hit 'Preview', and not 'Add Comment', since the link thing isn't working, sorry about that.

STG44 instead of AK47(considering the STG made the soviets go WE NEED ONE OF THOSE! you could argue one would not exist without the other)
MP18 instead of Uzi(or if you want to go with "popular SMG" make it the MP5)

Strangely, because of the impact it had on law enforcement and handgun design, I agree with the glock being on there. It changed the way we looked at handguns, and took police officers from having .38 revolvers as standard issue to high capacity semi-auto glocks. I hate glocks personally, but I can't argue against the impact the design had.

The XM-25 is not a gun, it's a bloody grenade launcher. And really it's just natural evolution of the weapons platform. WTF is it doing there?

the reason the AK is on the list is because any one with common sense and a little knowledge can build one..........

example (waits for Cali to ban shovels)

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/179192-DIY-Shovel- A K-photo-tsunami-warning


/list fails with out the STG 44 or Grease Gun
//or without the Tommy Gun

I met John Browning's grandson (or at least on of them) in October, so I am getting a kick...

/Was a cool dude, living the dream. At the time he was in Santa Cruz, spending a month at a condo on the beach.
//He's married to my wife's, friend's, husband's, mom...so ya know, we are practically brothers.

DjangoStonereaver: The Thompson wasn't the first portable automatic weapon (the BAR and Bergmann MP 18 both
predate it), but it was the first mass-marketed one, and unlike the MP44 was sold widely and
influenced later designs either directly or as what NOT to do (IE, make the weapons less mechanically
complex).

plus, if we're arguing history, its had a pretty big impact on popular culture. thanks to its association with american gangsters and how iconic they've been made by hollywood, its an incredibly iconic historical item.

List fails without the M1819 Hall rifle. The first mass produced gun adopted by the American army.

/I want one so bad.

Before video games I only knew about civilian guns. Now with FPS games, I have a new appreciation for SMGs and grenade launchers. But only as a passing interest, I would like to fire some of them but have no interest in using them for their intended purpose. Unless in a video game.

I was hoping to see the .50 cal sniper rifle and the S&W model 29/629.

Marcus Aurelius: Complete list fail for missing the Sturmgewehr 44.

That's not American, so it didn't make the token non-American spot.

/ list fails without?

I am not going to click through a slideshow. My initial list

Colt Peace Maker/Navy
Henry RIfle
K98
M1911
Maxim
STG44
Shosho

/added the last one to see if anyone is paying attention

Came to see the "right arm of the free world" (the FN FAL), left disappointed. The STG44 is more deserving of a place in that list than the AK-47.

I was glad to see the Ma Deuce on the list as it was everywhere in the us forces in World war II on aircraft and tanks and trucks , jeeps and even used by the infantry.

The list does fail on many counts though.

For example i would have dropped the Glock and replaced it with the Henry Rifle aka "that damned Yankee rifle that they load on Sunday and shoot all week!"

Most important gun?

clearly you mean Chekhov's

Saiga410: I am not going to click through a slideshow. ***snip***

This is posted to the Geek tab ferchrissakes: desli.de

PedanticSimpleton: Came to see the "right arm of the free world" (the FN FAL), left disappointed. The STG44 is more deserving of a place in that list than the AK-47.

yeah this list was more "some guns that americans might recognize" then "actual guns with real historical impact." The historical impact of anything on the list is obviously just incidental.

Stone Meadow: Strategeryz0r: The XM-25 is not a gun, it's a bloody grenade launcher. And really it's just natural evolution of the weapons platform. WTF is it doing there?

No, it's a gun because it fires an integrated round, like any common pistol or rifle. The bullet just happens to have a computerized fuse and an explosive charge. It belongs on this list because it is a game changer, same as the other entries.

It wont be a game changer until it becomes financially feasible to deploy on a large scale. It's a cool toy right now, but at 30k it's just not a good investment regardless of it's capabilities. That's WAY too expensive for an infantry weapon.

PedanticSimpleton: Came to see the "right arm of the free world" (the FN FAL), left disappointed. The STG44 is more deserving of a place in that list than the AK-47.

STG 44 created the concept, but the influence of the AK 47 on war cannot be underestimated. It's literately the universal assault rifle for much of the world. It's pretty much fool proof as well, the ultimate peasant weapon.

Missing from list

Strategeryz0r: Stone Meadow: Strategeryz0r: The XM-25 is not a gun, it's a bloody grenade launcher. And really it's just natural evolution of the weapons platform. WTF is it doing there?

No, it's a gun because it fires an integrated round, like any common pistol or rifle. The bullet just happens to have a computerized fuse and an explosive charge. It belongs on this list because it is a game changer, same as the other entries.

It wont be a game changer until it becomes financially feasible to deploy on a large scale. It's a cool toy right now, but at 30k it's just not a good investment regardless of it's capabilities. That's WAY too expensive for an infantry weapon.

In 1991 it cost about $4K to equip a light infantry soldier. That is about $6,500 today. I'm reasonably certain that number has gone up considerably with the common use of night vision and other higher tech equipment. $30K is too high for general deployment, but I don't think $10K would be too much to issue at the squad level.

Antimatter: PedanticSimpleton: Came to see the "right arm of the free world" (the FN FAL), left disappointed. The STG44 is more deserving of a place in that list than the AK-47.

STG 44 created the concept, but the influence of the AK 47 on war cannot be underestimated. It's literately the universal assault rifle for much of the world. It's pretty much fool proof as well, the ultimate peasant weapon.

It's arguable that the AK wouldn't exist without the STG 44 though. The effectiveness of the weapon prompted the Soviets to design their own, which brought us to the AK47. It's essentially an argument about what's more important? Creation of the concept? Or evolution of said concept?

Rent Party: Strategeryz0r: Stone Meadow: Strategeryz0r: The XM-25 is not a gun, it's a bloody grenade launcher. And really it's just natural evolution of the weapons platform. WTF is it doing there?

No, it's a gun because it fires an integrated round, like any common pistol or rifle. The bullet just happens to have a computerized fuse and an explosive charge. It belongs on this list because it is a game changer, same as the other entries.

It wont be a game changer until it becomes financially feasible to deploy on a large scale. It's a cool toy right now, but at 30k it's just not a good investment regardless of it's capabilities. That's WAY too expensive for an infantry weapon.

In 1991 it cost about $4K to equip a light infantry soldier. That is about $6,500 today. I'm reasonably certain that number has gone up considerably with the common use of night vision and other higher tech equipment. $30K is too high for general deployment, but I don't think $10K would be too much to issue at the squad level.

Exactly. It'll be a game changer when it becomes viable for larger scale deployment. As it stands it's a toy that a handful of units get the privilege of playing with. Hardly anything worthy of being "one of the most important guns in history."

grimlock1972: I was glad to see the Ma Deuce on the list as it was everywhere in the us forces in World war II on aircraft and tanks and trucks , jeeps and even used by the infantry.

The list does fail on many counts though.

For example i would have dropped the Glock and replaced it with the Henry Rifle aka "that damned Yankee rifle that they load on Sunday and shoot all week!"

It's hard to narrow this down to just 10/11 weapons though. The Henry should be on there, but also stuff like the brown bess musket, the FAL, etc.

The Glock, for better or worse, did change policework, as others pointed out. Police forces went from being armed with 6 sot .38 revolvers to being armed with cheap, glock polymer semi-autos. Later gunmakers also started offering polymer pistols, and they became popular for CHL use as well.

Strategeryz0r: Antimatter: PedanticSimpleton: Came to see the "right arm of the free world" (the FN FAL), left disappointed. The STG44 is more deserving of a place in that list than the AK-47.

STG 44 created the concept, but the influence of the AK 47 on war cannot be underestimated. It's literately the universal assault rifle for much of the world. It's pretty much fool proof as well, the ultimate peasant weapon.

It's arguable that the AK wouldn't exist without the STG 44 though. The effectiveness of the weapon prompted the Soviets to design their own, which brought us to the AK47. It's essentially an argument about what's more important? Creation of the concept? Or evolution of said concept?

It's really an ether or I'd think. One created the concept, the other made it the universal norm.

Stone Meadow: Sure, the XM-25 is expensive now, but give it two years and it will be in every squad.

Also, one dead grunt is about $300,000 in direct costs, so if one in ten saves a life they have paid for themselves.

That's an interesting way of looking at it. Arguable that it saves money by not having to use say.. a JDAM to clear fortified positions.

Antimatter: It's really an ether or I'd think. One created the concept, the other made it the universal norm.

Right, but the real question is would the AK even exist without the STG44? Kind of a what's more important? The chicken or the egg?

Strategeryz0r: Stone Meadow: Sure, the XM-25 is expensive now, but give it two years and it will be in every squad.

Also, one dead grunt is about $300,000 in direct costs, so if one in ten saves a life they have paid for themselves.

That's an interesting way of looking at it. Arguable that it saves money by not having to use say.. a JDAM to clear fortified positions.

Antimatter: It's really an ether or I'd think. One created the concept, the other made it the universal norm.

Right, but the real question is would the AK even exist without the STG44? Kind of a what's more important? The chicken or the egg?

Another way to look at it would be would the STG-44 exist without the SVT-40 Tokarev rifle?

Strategeryz0r: Stone Meadow: ***snip***

Right, but the real question is would the AK even exist without the STG44? Kind of a what's more important? The chicken or the egg?

I am way out of my league here as far as gun design/history, but, this being Fark, was the design/concept of the STG44 so unique that it is unlikely as similar weapon wouldn't ever have been developed?

Now, you could easily counter that the AK would not have appeared as early or easily as it did, but to imply that the concept of a cheap, durable, select fire assault rifle would never have been put into practice without the STG44 as a template seems wrong.

roc6783: Strategeryz0r: Stone Meadow: ***snip***

Right, but the real question is would the AK even exist without the STG44? Kind of a what's more important? The chicken or the egg?

I am way out of my league here as far as gun design/history, but, this being Fark, was the design/concept of the STG44 so unique that it is unlikely as similar weapon wouldn't ever have been developed?

Now, you could easily counter that the AK would not have appeared as early or easily as it did, but to imply that the concept of a cheap, durable, select fire assault rifle would never have been put into practice without the STG44 as a template seems wrong.

The AK47 was basically the Soviets response to the STG44. Even though the STG44 saw relatively limited deployment by German forces, as it was crafted late in the war when Germany's manufacturing was already massively crippled, every participant in the war saw what they were trying to do with it. It was obvious from the get go that a weapon in between a standard high caliber battle rifle, and a low caliber SMG, had the capacity to change warfare as we know it.

So the Soviet's went into full on R&D mode to create their own variant of what was to be called "the assault rifle." It just so happens that they did what the germans couldn't, and created a cheap, easily mass produced, highly effective, incredibly reliable weapon.

Like I said it goes both ways, you have arguments on both sides as to which is more important. But it is very easy to argue that the AK may not have existed without the STG coming first. Or it may have come later. Who knows!

/by no means a gun expert, this is my interpretation of the history behind these weapons. If I am wrong, feel free to correct me and call me dumbass.

roc6783: I am way out of my league here as far as gun design/history, but, this being Fark, was the design/concept of the STG44 so unique that it is unlikely as similar weapon wouldn't ever have been developed?

Now, you could easily counter that the AK would not have appeared as early or easily as it did, but to imply that the concept of a cheap, durable, select fire assault rifle would never have been put into practice without the STG44 as a template seems wrong.

its more of a without the STG44 would any of the people who made decisions about military weapons and tactics ever have actually given these weapons a chance?

roc6783: Strategeryz0r: Stone Meadow: ***snip***

Right, but the real question is would the AK even exist without the STG44? Kind of a what's more important? The chicken or the egg?

I am way out of my league here as far as gun design/history, but, this being Fark, was the design/concept of the STG44 so unique that it is unlikely as similar weapon wouldn't ever have been developed?

Now, you could easily counter that the AK would not have appeared as early or easily as it did, but to imply that the concept of a cheap, durable, select fire assault rifle would never have been put into practice without the STG44 as a template seems wrong.

What the STG did that was unique was the shortened rifle cartridge. A lot of others at the time had semi and select fire rifle but they all used full size rifle cartridges.

jedihirsch: the Coffee Mill gun of the civil war predated the gatling by about half a year. And the BAR and Lewis Gun were the first two light portable machine guns and they were valuable. As other earlier noted, what about the MP43/StG44. What about the Sharpes repeating carbine and the later guns modeled after it (revolutionized rifle's worldwide and cavalry tactics. It won the US Gettysburg and Cold Harbor). Also what about the Mauser 98 used from 1898-1945 (models 98A's in the beginning till the 98K's of WW2). The AR-15/AR-10's (original variant, not the later modified ones used in Nam) were revolutionary as well as the modern day IWI TAR-21 assault rifle, considered the best modern assault rifle on the market and the best bulpub by a large margin. Also the belgian P90 PDW is also revolutionary with its top loading bulpub design. And don't forget the Calico Helicon Magazine guns that they are suing the chinese for patent violations. This article is very suspect

My husband would love talking to you. I still stand by my statement that the M1819 Hall rifle needs to be on the list, but many of the ones you listed do as well. I could also make a good case for the 1891 Mosin-Nagant, since slight variations of the Mosin design have been in continuous combat use since the rifle was first introduced (currently being used as one of the primary weapons of the insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq).

My list of important guns, and why:

1. The hand cannon. The beginning of modern firearms.
2. The matchlock musket (arquebus) had the first practical trigger system and made the musket a formidable weapon.
3. The flintlock musket, of which the British Land Pattern Musket was the most produced, most widely-used, and most important.
4. The Chassepot and the von Dreyse needle guns - two early breech-loading designs adopted into military use. Later rifle designs owe much to the Chassepot, especially.
5. The Springfield model 1861 muzzle-loading Rifle Musket, firing Minie ball ammunition. Percussion cap replaces flintlock. Used extensively throughout the American Civil War.
6. The Colt 1851 Navy Revolver - a revolution in firepower. Widespread military use on several continents.
7. The Gatling Gun - human-powered rapid-fire weapon
8. The Maxim Gun - self-powered rapid-fire weapon
9. Colt M1911 and the Luger 1908 - both were technological breakthrus; both were designed to use new types of ammo; .45 ACP and 9x19 Parabellum, respectively.
10. The M1 Garand - first semi-automatic rifle issued to military forces
11. Stg44 - first modern assault rifle
13. The FN P90 - modern submachine gun with many newer technologies - ultracompact bullpup design, top-feeding magazine with rounds stored perpendicular to the barrel/bolt

Narrowing the list to 10 might be tough.