During the Second World War, rifles with manual reloading were most widely used. Contrary to numerous cultural cliches, it was they who were the workhorses of all the army, even despite confident offensive of automatic weapons in the face of submachine guns, self-loading rifles and assault rifles. Each country had its own "classic" rifle. It's time to recall the most successful of those that were used in the European theater of operations, as well as look at their strengths and weaknesses. After all, as you know, there is no perfect weapon.
1. Mauser 98k
The German 98k rifle of 1935 was a modification of the Mauser rifle that appeared in the 19th century. This weapon can be deservedly included in the pantheon of the best rifles of the Second World War for no other reason than that in unlike most other types of firearms of its family, the Mauser 98k had neither bright advantages nor bright shortcomings. The rifle was not the most accurate, not the fastest, not the lightest. However, it fully complied with the principle "the best is the enemy of the good."
2. Mosina 91/30
To paraphrase a joke from the movie "Snatch": heavy, like a communist hammer and fatal, like hitting a famous place with a sickle - a living Soviet coat of arms! The workhorse of the Red Army. Far from the best World War II rifle, even after the 1930s modernization: worse ergonomics, low rate of fire, heavy weight, not always good workmanship. Among the advantages, one can single out cheapness, unpretentiousness, very good ballistics of the 7.62x54R cartridge, extremely tenacious barrel and bolt, and the absence of small parts in the design. Actually, it was the good ballistics of the Mosinka that made it so popular among snipers.
3. MAS-36
A rifle without an army, alas. The French MAS-36 began to enter service with the army in the second half of the 1930s. Interesting fact: MAS-36 was the last mass-produced bolt-action rifle in history. The weapon was full of interesting and very successful technical solutions. The strengths include general unpretentiousness, good ergonomics, the absence of obvious problems in design and operation. Among the shortcomings: the frankly dubious design of the fuse and the shutter delay system, which required a “special” approach to operation on the march.
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4. Springfield 1903
What is good for an American is death for a German. Or was there something with the Russians? It does not matter, during the First World War, the aphorism was quite relevant for the partners in the Entente. In the course of the US Army and Marine Corps, Springfield remained until the end of World War II. After the modernization of the late 1920s, the rifle almost lost all its main shortcomings, primarily related to shooting accuracy. True, problems with ballistics still arose when installing a bayonet. Of the advantages, it is worth highlighting the high rate of fire, as well as, in fact, the fact that it was the first serial army rifle with the ability to install a PBS (silencer).
5. Lee-Enfield No. 4
If no one remembers lovers of courtly love and crispy buns in the context of World War II, then the guys armed with Lee-Enfield No. 4 are always forgotten. But it was the prim boys in shorts and with soup bowls on their heads that were the first to land in Normandy, and by no means brave cowboys, as Stephen depicted in the immortal film "Saving Private Rain" Spielberg.
What are we talking about? Oh yes, Lee-Enfield #4. Actually, the "fourth series" of the rifle appeared already in the early 1940s. Perhaps the fastest-firing rifle of the world war. Also, the weapon should be praised for its high reliability. Among the disadvantages: the complexity and high cost of production, large mass, a large number of small parts, rapid wear of some important structural elements, in particular the bolt group.
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about PM, SVD and Colt: what small arms were used by the Afghan dushmans.
Source: https://novate.ru/blogs/100422/62665/