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Best overall infantry *weapon* of WWII - Long

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    Best overall infantry *weapon* of WWII - Long

    We've had the threads on this board already; best pistol, best rifle, best MP. Let me start by saying that this is not meant to be a discussion of best caliber or most attractive looks of a gun. I watched a war movie last night and it got me thinking...

    What I seek is an idea of what you guys would grap if the message came out: War! They're coming, load your gun and start fighting. You got 5 mins. What would you choose in that situation? After you make your decision you're stuck with it!

    It depends on what you're going to do, but in a war can you plan ahead? How much fighting actually took place over distances like 300 meters for example? How much "close combat" did the soldiers go through?

    I have a hard time choosing so I'm curious to hear what my fellow collectors would pick? Keep in mind that the boys in WWII got brand new weapons unlike us collectors.

    Many will probably say Garand (yes I like it too). However to you I ask: Aren't you annoyed about the loading clips that are tricky to fill (they are if bullets are flying past your head constantly)? The relatively slow loading process (I can load a K98k much faster). Lacking option of topping up the magazine with single rounds?

    K98k is a good one, but slow bolt action and personally I shoot badly with it since the sights are too delicate for my bad eyes. Garand sights much better.

    Mosin Nagant...I pity the poor russians who had one as their primary weapon (no offense I love Mosins, but still).

    SVT40?

    K43?

    Bolt action rifle not mentioned above (several to choose from). All slow and no good in close combat. Reliable though.

    M1 Carbine? Light, handy, semi auto. But low punch ammunition and relatively short range.

    Machine Pistol? Short range, low punch ammunition, but extremely effective in close range combat. Personally this is what I'm leaning towards. A machine pistol, easy to use and fast. Either MP40 or PPSh.

    So think long and hard. What would you choose?

    #2
    Hello
    An MP 44 would be my choice. Quite powerful ammo, 30 round clip - I think because most of the fights were close-combat this would be the best weapon.

    Regards
    Jacek

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      #3
      M-1 carbine for sure. Most of fighting is done in cities, and it's well suited for an urban fight. Small, lightweight, semi-auto, excellent to clean and operate, and easy to reload with the highest mag capacity of the war (other than sub-machine guns). And if you get into a long range fight, you can always manuever (you better not be getting pinned down at 300+ meters). It's what I have at my bedside for home defense anyway!

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        #4
        As many will say, I would take the Garand. Great distance shooter (go to an NRA competition), lots of semi fire power, sturdy, reliable.

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          #5
          dect
          Of course! I completely forgot the STG44. It's an attractive overall performer, but I have read that they aren't particularly strong. Some were dented during transport or combat and function suffered from that. Not sure how bad this problem was?

          theinglebaby
          I follow your point. This also confirms my question. How often they actually saw combat over long distances? Didn't most combats take place at shorter ranges were MP's M1 Carbines and similar "weaker" weapons could participate?

          Jaime
          I fully agree, wonderful rifle. Actually I spent 3 hours at the range with mine today. But it's not well suited for close range combat and has certain shortcomings due to the loading clip/magazine system. Imagine being low on ammo with a Garand. In a K98k for example you can load in a single round or top up if you like. But I guess US soldiers rarely suffered from such problems? More a German/Russian problem I guess.

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            #6
            It's funny, we see this "What one would you use?" But we're forgetting that in a military situation, the individual isn't so much important, but the squad. So, I pose the ?, which country's rifle squad had the most effective small arms?

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