The service rifle (also known as standard-issue rifle) of a given army or armed force is that which it issues as standard to its soldiers. In modern forces, this is typically a highly versatile and rugged assault rifle suitable for use in nearly all theatres and environments. Service rifles are also often selected for their upgradability (e.g. the addition of underslung grenade launchers, sights, flashlights, laser sights, etc). This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The armed forces of a state are its government sponsored defense and fighting forces and organizations. ... This article is about a military rank. ... The AK-47 is the worlds most common assault rifle. ... In warfare, a theater or theatre is normally used to define a specific geographic area within which armed conflict occurs. ... A grenade launcher is weapon that fires or launches a grenade to longer distances than a soldier could throw by hand. ... Soon after the invention of the laser in 1960, it was described as a solution in search of a problem. However, since that time, the laser has found a place as a useful tool in many scientific, military, medical and industrial applications. ...

Although certain weapons issued to special forces units are rarely considered 'service weapons' in the truest sense, certain specialist rifles and submachine guns are categorized as such if issued as per standard operating procedures upon entering special environments or scenarios. These may include urban warfare (FIBUA/MOUT) and jungle warfare environments. For other uses, see Special forces (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Standard Operating Procedure(s) or SOPs (pronounced letter by letter, ie ESS OH PEE(s) ) is a military term used to describe a procedure or set of procedures to perform a given operation or evolutions or in reaction to a given event. ... Urban warfare is a modern warfare conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. ... Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain. ...

Most armies also have service pistols/side arms. A service pistol is any handgun (revolver, or semi-automatic) issued to military personnel, or in some contexts, law enforcement officers. ... A side arm is a small personal weapon that is typically worn on the body in a holster in such a way to permit immediate access and use. ...

History

The bolt-action M1903 was used as the USA's service rifle until 1936, when it was replaced by the gas-operated M1 Garand

Originally, rifles used in combat were not standard-issue weapons like the service rifles of today. Rifles were for specialist marksmen only, whilst the ordinary infantry were issued less accurate smoothbore muskets which had a higher rate of fire, with bore diameters as high as 19 mm, or 0.75 inch. By the middle of the 19th century, however, rifles were becoming more and more common on the battlefield, with the muskets being phased out. Originally, these combat rifles were single-shot muzzleloading weapons, but as technology advanced through the 18th and 19th centuries, so too did the technique of loading rounds. First, breech-loading firearms, like the Prussian Needle gun of the mid-18th century came to prominence, which then evolved into repeating weapons, such as the bolt-action Mosin-Nagant rifle used by Imperial Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the Soviet Union in the Second World War. By this time almost all prominent armies in the world had some sort of standard service rifle. During the Second World War, there was yet another leap forward in rifle design which was to influence service rifles even today. That is, the use of a fired cartridge's gas emissions to automatically rechamber rounds into the breech once a bullet had been fired, as well as expelling the old cartridge. These weapons were known as gas-operated firearms. Some of the earliest examples of these were most prominent in the Second World War, and were usually semi automatic, such as the American-made M1 Garand, first brought into service with the United States in 1936. These "battle rifles", as they were called, usually fired a "full-sized" (as opposed to an intermediate) rifle cartridge, such as the .30-06 Springfield or .303 British. Another type of commonly-issued rifle which was to become well known during this time was the assault rifle, a (usually) fully-automatic rifle firing a lighter "intermediate" cartridge, as opposed to the full-sized cartridges used by battle rifles. The first of these was the Sturmgewehr 44, used by Nazi Germany in the later stages of the Second World War. The StG44 was not issued in large numbers, and was never adopted as Germany's service rifle. However, this weapon was to serve as the precursor to other assault rifles such as the Soviet AK-47, the American M-16, the Belgian FN FAL, the German G3 and the Swiss Sturmgewehr 57, which today supersede battle rifles as the service rifle of choice for militaries the world over. Image File history File links Source:http://tri. ... Image File history File links Source:http://tri. ... The Springfield 1903 rifle (military designation United States Rifle, Caliber . ... The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ... The Dreyse needle-gun (German das Zündnadelgewehr or figuratively firing-pin rifle) was a military breechloading rifle, famous as the arm of the Prussians in 1866 and of the Germans in 1870 and 1871. ... The Mosin-Nagant (Мосин-Наган) is a military rifle of Russia and later the Soviet Union, in service in various forms from 1891 until the 1960s, when it was finally replaced in its final function as a sniper rifle by the SVD... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Gas-operated firearm. ... The FN FAL battle rifle The term battle rifle can have different meanings. ... .30-06 Springfield cartridge specifications. ... The AK-47 is the worlds most common assault rifle. ... Sturmgewehr 44 (StG44) was an assault rifle developed in Nazi Germany during World War II and was the first of its kind to see major deployment. ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... M16 (more formally United States Rifle, Caliber 5. ... The Fusil Automatique Leger, or Light Automatic Rifle (LAR). ... The G3 is a 7. ... The SIG 510/Sturmgewehr 57 is a battle rifle manufactured by SIGARMS (now SAN Swiss Arms) of Switzerland. ...

Service rifles by nation

Belgium

Mauser is the common name of a German arms manufacturer, maker of a line of bolt-action rifles from the 1870s to present. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... The Belgian FN 1949 is a semi-automatic rifle that was developed in 1949. ... A semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round that is fired. ... .30-06 Springfield cartridge specifications. ... The Fusil Automatique Leger, or Light Automatic Rifle (LAR). ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... NATO 7. ... The FNC (Fabrique Nationale Carabine) is a 5. ... U.S. Military 5. ...

People's Republic of China

Chinese SKS rifle

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1142x222, 61 KB) Opis Source:http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1142x222, 61 KB) Opis Source:http://www. ... The Type 88, sometimes known as Hanyang 88, was a Chinese rifle that was issued to the regular Nationalist Revolutionary Army during Second Sino-Japanese War. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... The 8mm Mauser cartridge next to a United States nickel. ... The Type Zhongzheng rifle (中正式), also known as the Chiang Kai-shek Rifle and Type 24 (二四式) after the Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, was a Chinese-made copy of the German Mauser Standard Modell, the forerunner of the Karabiner 98k. ... The Mosin-Nagant (Мосин-Наган) is a military rifle of Russia and later the Soviet Union, in service in various forms from 1891 until the 1960s, when it was finally replaced in its final function as a sniper rifle by the SVD... The 7. ... The SKS is a Russian semi-automatic carbine, designed in 1945 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. ... A semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round that is fired. ... The Soviet 7. ... The Type 56 assault rifle is a Chinese copy of the Kalashnikov AK-47. ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... The Chinese Type 81 Assault Rifle was the principal automatic rifle used by the Peoples Liberation Army from the mid-1980s until 1995. ... The QBZ-95 (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally Infantry Rifle Automatic, Model 1995) is an assault rifle manufactured by Arsenal 266, part of Norinco and Arsenal 296, under Jianshe Corp, China South for the Peoples Liberation Army, the armed forces of the Peoples Republic of China, Chinese Peoples Armed...

France

FAMAS bullpup assault rifle

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2334x798, 232 KB) FAMAS Copyright © 2005 David Monniaux This picture was improved by the Wikigraphists of the Atelier graphique. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2334x798, 232 KB) FAMAS Copyright © 2005 David Monniaux This picture was improved by the Wikigraphists of the Atelier graphique. ... The FAMAS (Fusil dAssaut de la Manufacture dArmes de St-Etienne, Assault Rifle by St-Etienne Arms Factory) is an assault rifle in bullpup configuration designed and manufactured in France by the Saint Étienne arms factory, which is a member of the French government-owned GIAT Industries complex. ... The Chassepot, officially known as Fusil modèle 1866, was a military breechloading rifle, famous as the arm of the French forces in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and 1871. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... The Fusil Gras mle 1874 used by the French Army was an adaptation to metallic cartridge of the Chassepot breechloading rifle by general (then captain) Basile Gras. ... The Lebel Model 1886 rifle (French: Fusil dInfanterie Modèle 1886) is a French bolt action rifle, and which has the distinction of being the first military rifle designed to use smokeless powder-based cartridges. ... The 8x50R French (8mm Lebel) rifle cartridge was the first smokeless gunpowder cartridge to be made and adopted by a country, introduced by France in 1886. ... The MAS Modèle 36 was the last bolt-action rifle to be standard in adopted by any large army. ... 7. ... The MAS 49 is a French designed semiautomatic rifle that was intended to replace the motley collection of aging French bolt-action rifles and captured German rifles after the end of WWII. The MAS (which stands for Manufacture dArmes St. ... A semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round that is fired. ... The FAMAS (Fusil dAssaut de la Manufacture dArmes de St-Etienne, Assault Rifle by St-Etienne Arms Factory) is an assault rifle in bullpup configuration designed and manufactured in France by the Saint Étienne arms factory, which is a member of the French government-owned GIAT Industries complex. ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... U.S. Military 5. ...

Germany

G36 rifle

Image File history File links 800px-G36bw. ... Image File history File links 800px-G36bw. ... H&K G36 The Heckler und Koch Gewehr Model 36 (company designation G36, Bundeswehr designation ) is a modular weapon system designed in West Germany in the 1980s and 1990s. ... German Empire, 1871–1918; Adoption of the rifle included parts of modern day Poland but not Bavaria The Mauser Model 1871 adopted as the Gewehr 71 or Infanterie-Gewehr 71 ( I.G.Mod. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... The Model 1888 Commission Rifle (a. ... The 8mm Mauser cartridge next to a United States nickel. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Karabiner 98 Kurz (often abbreviated Kar98k or K98k) was a bolt-action rifle adopted as the standard infantry rifle in 1935 by the Wehrmacht,[3] and was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles. ... Sturmgewehr 44 (StG44) was an assault rifle developed in Nazi Germany during World War II and was the first of its kind to see major deployment. ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... 7. ... The Fusil Automatique Leger, or Light Automatic Rifle (LAR). ... NATO 7. ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... The Soviet 7. ... The G3 is a 7. ... The G36 (company designation, Bundeswehr designation Gewehr G36) is an assault rifle designed in the early 1990s and manufactured in Germany by Heckler & Koch. ...

Israel

IMI Galil assault rifle

Galil - Israeli assault rifle This file has been listed on Wikipedia:Images and media for deletion. ... Galil - Israeli assault rifle This file has been listed on Wikipedia:Images and media for deletion. ... Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1 with bayonet, scabbard attached The Lee-Enfield was the British armys standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... The Karabiner 98 Kurz (often abbreviated Kar98k or K98k) was a bolt-action rifle adopted as the standard infantry rifle in 1935 by the Wehrmacht,[3] and was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles. ... The 8mm Mauser cartridge next to a United States nickel. ... The Fusil Automatique Leger, or Light Automatic Rifle (LAR). ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... NATO 7. ... Estonian soldiers armed with Galil rifles in Baghdad during the Iraq War. ... U.S. Military 5. ... M16 (more formally United States Rifle, Caliber 5. ... Caliber: 5. ...

Italy

For a discussion of this weapon as it pertains to the John F. Kennedy assassination, see John F. Kennedy assassination rifle. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... 6. ... The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ... A semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round that is fired. ... .30-06 Springfield cartridge specifications. ... After World War 2, Italy adopted the US-designed M1 Garand rifle in . ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... NATO 7. ... The Beretta AR70/90 assault rifle is the Italian standard isssue service rifle of the Italian armed forces. ... U.S. Military 5. ...

Japan

Arisaka Type 38 rifle

Image File history File links Source: http://history. ... Image File history File links Source: http://history. ... In Japanese, Murata (村田) means ‘village rice paddy’. It is a name that is found throughout Japan, but not in large numbers. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... Arisaka is a family of Japanese military bolt-action rifles, in production from approximately 1898 until the end of World War II in 1945. ... The 6. ... The Type 99 Rifle (From the Japanese 九九式小銃or九九式長小銃 Kyuukyuu-shiki syoujyuu or Kyuukyuu-shiki tyousyoujyuu) was a bolt-action rifle of the Arisaka design used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Although the Type 38 Rifle was an excellent rifle, the small caliber (6. ... The 7. ... The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ... A semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round that is fired. ... .30-06 Springfield cartridge specifications. ... // The Howa Type 64 Rifle, referred to as the 64式 (ロクヨンしき or rokuyonshiki), is a Japanese-exclusive battle rifle used by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Japanese Coast Guard. ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... NATO 7. ... // The Howa Heavy Industry Type 89 Assault Rifle, referred to as the 89式 (はちきゅうしき or hachikyuushiki) or Buddy (バディー or badhii), is a Japanese-exclusive assault rifle used by the Japan Self-Defense Forces, Japan Coast Guard and the Special Assault Team. ... U.S. Military 5. ...

Norway

A collection of rifles from the Fram museum, a Jarmann M1884 second from the bottom.

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 439 pixelsFull resolution (2235 × 1227 pixel, file size: 341 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Composite image, created from two images taken at the Fram museum in Oslo by the uploader. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 439 pixelsFull resolution (2235 × 1227 pixel, file size: 341 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Composite image, created from two images taken at the Fram museum in Oslo by the uploader. ... Fram (Forward) was a ship used in expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, Oscar Wisting, and Roald Amundsen between 1893 and 1912. ... Remington M1867 Country Norway Type rolling block rifle Inventor Date of design 1867 Service duration 1867 - mid 1890s (rifle) 1888 - 1908 (modified carbines) Cartridge 12. ... The Remington M1867 was a typical rolling block rifle A rolling block is a form of firearm action where the sealing of the breech is done with a specially shaped breechblock able to rotate on a pin. ... The 12. ... The Norwegian Jarmann M1884 was among the first bolt action repeating rifles to be adopted in the Western world. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... The 10. ... The Krag-Jørgensen is a repeating bolt action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. ... 6. ... Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1 with bayonet, scabbard attached The Lee-Enfield was the British armys standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. ... The Karabiner 98 Kurz (often abbreviated Kar98k or K98k) was a bolt-action rifle adopted as the standard infantry rifle in 1935 by the Wehrmacht,[3] and was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles. ... The 8mm Mauser cartridge next to a United States nickel. ... The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ... A semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round that is fired. ... .30-06 Springfield cartridge specifications. ... Norwegian soldiers in 1983, armed with AG-3s The AG-3 (no. ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... NATO 7. ... The HK416 is an assault rifle designed and manufactured by Heckler & Koch to be an improved version of the M4 carbine pattern firearm. ... U.S. Military 5. ...

Russia/Soviet Union

AK-47 assault rifle

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2388x952, 619 KB) Summary Description Date 11 Jul 1988 Source http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2388x952, 619 KB) Summary Description Date 11 Jul 1988 Source http://www. ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... The Berdan rifle is a Russian rifle created by famous American firearms expert and inventor Hiram Berdan in 1868. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... The Mosin-Nagant (Мосин-Наган) is a military rifle of Russia and later the Soviet Union, in service in various forms from 1891 until the 1960s, when it was finally replaced in its final function as a sniper rifle by the SVD... The 7. ... The SKS is a Russian semi-automatic carbine, designed in 1945 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. ... A semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round that is fired. ... The Soviet 7. ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... AK74 assault rifle The AK-74 assault rifle is the modernized version of the AK-47 developed in 1974, chambered in a smaller cartridge (5. ... Cutaway of the 5. ...

United Kingdom/British Empire & Commonwealth of Nations

Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III rifle

The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006 Headquarters Marlborough House, London, UK Official languages English Membership 53 sovereign states Leaders  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Secretary-General Don McKinnon (since 1 April 2000) Establishment  -  Balfour Declaration 18 November 1926   -  Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931   -  London Declaration 28 April 1949  Area  -  Total... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1200x329, 255 KB)A 1908 RSAF Enfield . ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1200x329, 255 KB)A 1908 RSAF Enfield . ... Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1 with bayonet, scabbard attached The Lee-Enfield was the British armys standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. ... The Enfield 1853 Rifled Musket (also known as the Pattern 1853 Enfield, P53 Enfield, and Enfield Rifled Musket) was a . ... The percussion cap or primer was the crucial invention that enabled firearms to fire in any weather. ... SNIDER-ENFIELD BREECH LOADING RIFLE. The British . ... A breech-loading weapon, usually a gun or cannon, is one where the bullet or shell is inserted, loaded, into the gun at the rear of the barrel, the breech; the opposite of muzzle-loading. ... The . ... The Martini-Henry (also known as the Peabody-Martini-Henry) was a breech-loading lever-actuated rifle adopted by the British, combining an action worked on by Friedrich von Martini (based on the Peabody rifle developed by Henry Peabody), with the rifled barrel designed by Scotsman Alexander Henry. ... A falling block rifle or a falling-block action rifle is a single-shot rifle with a particular type of the manual firearm action in which a solid metal breechblock slides vertically in grooves cut into the breech of the rifle and actuated by a lever. ... The . ... The Lee-Metford rifle was a breech-loading British army service rifle, combining James Paris Lees rear-locking bolt system and ten-round magazine with a seven groove rifled barrel designed by William Ellis Metford. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1 with bayonet, scabbard attached The Lee-Enfield was the British armys standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. ... The Fusil Automatique Léger (light automatic rifle) or FAL is a 7. ... A semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round that is fired. ... NATO 7. ... British soldier with L85 in the 1991 Gulf War British soldier with L85 SA80 (Small Arms for 1980s) is a family of related arms that include the British Armys standard combat rifle. ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... U.S. Military 5. ...

United States of America

M-16A1 rifle

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 228 pixelsFull resolution (1192 × 340 pixel, file size: 129 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): M16 rifle User:Some Guy421/Userboxes... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 228 pixelsFull resolution (1192 × 340 pixel, file size: 129 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): M16 rifle User:Some Guy421/Userboxes... // The military Sharps rifle (also known as the Berdan Sharps rifle) was a falling block rifle used during and after the American Civil War. ... A falling block rifle or a falling-block action rifle is a single-shot rifle with a particular type of the manual firearm action in which a solid metal breechblock slides vertically in grooves cut into the breech of the rifle and actuated by a lever. ... Modern reproduction of the Springfield Model 1861 The Springfield Model 1861 was a rifled musket shoulder arm used by the United States Army and Marines during the American Civil War. ... The percussion cap or primer was the crucial invention that enabled firearms to fire in any weather. ... 1855 minie ball design from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia The Minié ball (or minie ball) is a type of muzzle-loading rifle ordnance named after its main co-developer, Claude-Étienne Minié. It came to prominence in the Crimean War and American Civil War. ... The Model 1873 Trapdoor Springfield was the first ever standard issued Breech-loading rifle for the United States Army. ... A breech-loading weapon, usually a gun or cannon, is one where the bullet or shell is inserted, loaded, into the gun at the rear of the barrel, the breech; the opposite of muzzle-loading. ... The Krag-Jørgensen is a repeating bolt action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... The . ... The Springfield 1903 rifle (military designation United States Rifle, Caliber . ... .30-06 Springfield cartridge specifications. ... The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ... A semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round that is fired. ... Caliber: 7. ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... NATO 7. ... M16 (more formally United States Rifle, Caliber 5. ... U.S. Military 5. ...

See also

• Rifle
• Battle rifle
• List of assault rifles
• List of service rifles of national armies