Small arms captured in Fallujah, Iraq by the US Marine Corps in 2004

The term small arms generally describes any number of smaller infantry weapons, such as firearms that an individual soldier can carry. Its usually limited to things like revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, shotguns, carbines, assault rifles, rifles, squad automatic weapons, light machine guns and hand grenades. However, it can also include medium and heavy machine guns, as well as smaller mortars, recoiless rifles and some rocket launchers, depending on the context. What small arms are not, are large mortars, howitzers, cannons, vehicles, and larger pieces of equipment. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x1000, 1112 KB) Summary PhotoID: 200412145414 Submitted by: 1st Marine Division Operation/Exercise/Event: Operation Iraqi Freedom Caption: Small arms and rocket-propelled grenades found by Marines from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in a house in Fallujah. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x1000, 1112 KB) Summary PhotoID: 200412145414 Submitted by: 1st Marine Division Operation/Exercise/Event: Operation Iraqi Freedom Caption: Small arms and rocket-propelled grenades found by Marines from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in a house in Fallujah. ... This article is about the city of Fallujah in Iraq. ... United States Marine Corps seal The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military. ... An assortment of modern handheld firearms using fixed ammunition, including military assault rifles, a sporting shotgun (fourth from bottom), and a tactical shotgun (third from bottom). ... A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment (such as a uniform and weapon) to defend that country or its interests. ... The Colt Single Action Army, one of the most popular revolvers of all time A revolver is a multishot firearm, usually a handgun, in which the rounds are held in a revolving cylinder that rotates to fire them through a single barrel. ... A Browning 9 millimeter semiautomatic pistol Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century A pistol or handgun is a usually small firearm that can be used with one hand. ... MP5KA4 9 x 19 mm with 3-round burst trigger group A submachine gun is a firearm that combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the ammunition of a pistol, and is usually between the two in weight and size. ... A pump-action and two semi-automatic action shotguns, 20 boxes of shotgun shells, a target thrower, and three boxes of clay targets. ... A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than a rifle or musket of a given period. ... The AK-47 is the iconic assault rifle. ... A rifle is a firearm that uses a spiral groove cut into the barrel to spin a projectile (usually a bullet), thus improving accuracy and range of the projectile. ... A squad automatic weapon (SAW) is a light or general-purpose machine gun, usually equipped with a bipod and firing a 7. ... A Home Army (Polish resistance) soldier equipped with an Brno ZB26 LMG during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. ... A WWII-era MkIIA1 pineapple fragmentation hand grenade A hand grenade is a small hand-held bomb designed to be thrown by hand. ...

Normally, if heavier items are included, the term light weapons, encompassing heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, man-portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns and missile launchers, recoilless rifles, and mortars with calibers of less than 100 mm (3.9 inches) is used. These weapons usually require a crew of two or more individuals to carry and operate, launch explosive projectiles, or both. The M2 machine gun with a tripod weighs 58 kg (128 lb). ... A grenade launcher is weapon that fires or launches a grenade to longer distances than a soldier could throw by hand. ... Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... M67 recoilless rifle. ... US soldier firing an M224 60-mm mortar. ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod, also common for handguns. ... A projectile is any object sent through space by the application of a force. ...

See small arms proliferation issues for the international movement to restrict the sale of military-grade small arms in conflict zones. // The international movement to limit the availability of small arms in conflict zones Various international organizations (including Oxfam GB, Amnesty International and the United Nations) and domestic groups (eg the Small Arms Working Group in the US) have committed themselves to limiting the trade in, and proliferation of small arms...

See also: list of firearms Located below is an extended list of personal firearms, ranging from pistols to machine guns and even to large handheld devices such as grenade launchers and anti-tank rifles. ...