The Most Influential Guns in Service Today

The gun has come a long way from its modest beginnings and, today, these few serve as the most influential designs.

There are a total of 45 The Most Influential Guns in Service Today in the Military Factory. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order (1-to-Z). Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator.

This listing showcases those small arms that have proliferated the globe through use by regular armies, special police and special forces units. Their placement here is based on the data collected by our database and interpreted by our panel which places these small arms ahead of others on the world stage right now. These are proven, readily available/accessbile weapon systems that should enjoy healthily long services despite some on this list having been introduced as far back as the last century. If you are going to war, these are the products you are most lkely to encounter on any given modern battlefield.

Thumbnail picture of the Accuracy International AW50

Accuracy International AW50
The Accuracy International AW50 is a heavy duty battlefield rifle able to fire various types of ammunition against armored and unarmored targets.

Thumbnail picture of the Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum)

Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum)
Introduced in 1996, the Accuracy International AWM is a proven favorite for special police and military forces the world over.

Thumbnail picture of the Barrett M82

Barrett M82
The classic Barrett M82 anti-material rifle has become a widely-accepted heavy caliber sniping system.

Thumbnail picture of the Benelli M4 Super 90 (M1014 JSCS)

Benelli M4 Super 90 (M1014 JSCS)
The Benelli M4 is known for its rugged durability and reliability, leading to an ease in maintenance requirements.

Thumbnail picture of the Beretta Model 92 (M92)

Beretta Model 92 (M92)
The Italian Beretta Model 92 has seen its fair share of international success since its inception in 1975.

Thumbnail picture of the Browning M2 (HMG)

Browning M2 (HMG)
The classic Browning M2HB represented the heavy-barrel evolution of the original M2 50-Caliber series of heavy machine guns.

Thumbnail picture of the Carl-Gustav M1948

Carl-Gustav M1948
The Carl-Gustav 84mm recoiless rifle design is a popular and widely used multi-purpose weapons platform appearing with various military groups across the globe.

Thumbnail picture of the Carl-Gustav M4 (CGM4)

Carl-Gustav M4 (CGM4)
The Carl-Gustav M4 recoilless rifle weapon is the latest incarnation of the classic Carl-Gustav shoulder-fired line.

Thumbnail picture of the Colt / AAI M203

Colt / AAI M203
The M203 grenade launcher can be fitted to a variety of non-M16/M4 rifles, increasing its global use.

Thumbnail picture of the Colt M16 (Series)

Colt M16 (Series)
The M16 of 1963 began the line of classic assault weapons by Colt - since manufactured globally and encompassing endless offshoots of the base design.

Thumbnail picture of the Colt M1911

Colt M1911
The Colt M1911A1 is regarded by many as the most successful semi-automatic pistol design of her time - seeing consistent action in a plethora of conflicts during the 1900s.

Thumbnail picture of the Colt M4

Colt M4
A close-quarters version of the successful American M16A2 Assault Rifle became the popular M4 Assault Carbine.

Thumbnail picture of the Dragunov SVD (Snayperskaya Vintovka sistemy Dragunova)

Dragunov SVD (Snayperskaya Vintovka sistemy Dragunova)
The Dragunov SVD was the standard Soviet and Warsaw Pact sniper rifle during a bulk of the Cold War years and remains in service today with a plethora of global operators.

Thumbnail picture of the Fabrique Nationale FN MAG

Fabrique Nationale FN MAG
The Belgian FN MAG is one of the more successful post-World War 2 machine guns and is still in steady production today.

Thumbnail picture of the Fabrique Nationale FN Minimi

Fabrique Nationale FN Minimi
Since introduced in the early 1980s, the Belgian-made FN Minimi has proven a global success for a variety of military services.

Thumbnail picture of the Fabrique Nationale FN SCAR (Mk 16 / Mk 17)

Fabrique Nationale FN SCAR (Mk 16 / Mk 17)
The FN SCAR entered limited service in 2009 and serves with special forces units belonging to the United States, Britain, Germany, Malaysia, France and others.

Thumbnail picture of the Fabrique Nationale M240

Fabrique Nationale M240
The American M240 - based on the Belgian FN MAG - has proven a viable replacement for the long-running Vietnam-era M60 General Purpose Machine Gun.

Thumbnail picture of the Fabrique Nationale M249 SAW / LMG

Fabrique Nationale M249 SAW / LMG
The M-249 is a light machine gun based off of the Belgium Fabrique Nationale FN Minimi system.

Thumbnail picture of the General Dynamics / Raytheon FIM-92 Stinger

General Dynamics / Raytheon FIM-92 Stinger
The Stinger has proven itself a potent man-portable, air defense system suitable against a variety of airborne targets.

Thumbnail picture of the General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun

General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun
The GAU-17 Minigun is the USAF and USN version of the Vietnam War-era M134 Minigun product.

Thumbnail picture of the General Electric M134 Minigun

General Electric M134 Minigun
The ferocious General Electric M134 Minigun has been used to good effect as a vehicle weapon firing from either land, sea, or air platforms.

Thumbnail picture of the Glock 17

Glock 17
The popular Austrian Glock 17 has gone on to be adopted for military, police and security service the world over.

Thumbnail picture of the Glock 19

Glock 19
The Glock 19 was the compact version of the Glock 17 model series and one of the more popular sidearms put out by the company.

Thumbnail picture of the Heckler & Koch HK 416

Heckler & Koch HK 416
The Heckler & Koch HK416 assault rifle utilizes an improved form of the gas system as found on the HK G36.

Thumbnail picture of the Heckler & Koch HK 417

Heckler & Koch HK 417
The HK 417 is chambered for the 7.62mm NATO standard cartridge and is categorized as a Battle Rifle.

Thumbnail picture of the Heckler & Koch HK G3

Heckler & Koch HK G3
The German-originated Heckler and Koch HK G3 assault rifle was, and continues to be, a robust and reliable weapon system.

Thumbnail picture of the Heckler & Koch HK G36

Heckler & Koch HK G36
The Heckler & Koch HK G36 assault rifle is the standard frontline service gun of the Germany Army.

Thumbnail picture of the Heckler & Koch HK MP5

Heckler & Koch HK MP5
The German Heckler & Koch HK MP5 Submachine Gun has proven exceedingly popular for its compact and reliable approach to close-quarters combat.

Thumbnail picture of the Heckler & Koch HK MP5K (Kurz)

Heckler & Koch HK MP5K (Kurz)
The HK MP5K is known as the Room Broom because of its compact size and automatic nature.

Thumbnail picture of the Heckler & Koch HK MP5SD

Heckler & Koch HK MP5SD
The Heckler and Koch HK MP5SD is the suppressed version of the classic HK MP5 submachine gun series.

Thumbnail picture of the Heckler & Koch UMP

Heckler & Koch UMP
The Heckler & Koch UMP series of submachine guns was designed to replace the successful HK MP5 series.

Thumbnail picture of the Hughes / Raytheon BGM-71 TOW / TOW-2

Hughes / Raytheon BGM-71 TOW / TOW-2
The BGM-71 TOW series of anti-tank missile systems is a widely-used anti-tank system around the world.

Thumbnail picture of the Kalashnikov AK-47

Kalashnikov AK-47
Since 1949, the timeless Kalashnikov AK-47 Assault Rifle has found many operators worldwide - from organized national armies to bands of guerrilla fighters.

Thumbnail picture of the Kalashnikov PKM (Pulemyot Kalashnikova Modernizirovany)

Kalashnikov PKM (Pulemyot Kalashnikova Modernizirovany)
Some 1,000,000 PK machine gun systems and associated variants are estimated to have been produced.

Thumbnail picture of the M72 LAW (Light Anti-armor Weapon)

M72 LAW (Light Anti-armor Weapon)
The M72 LAW started production in the early 1960s and carried on with improved versions into the 1990s.

Thumbnail picture of the Mossberg Model 590

Mossberg Model 590
The Mossberg Model 590 is a militarized/law enforcement version of the popular Mossberg Model 500 hunting shotgun.

Thumbnail picture of the NORINCO Type 56 (AK47)

NORINCO Type 56 (AK47)
The Type 56 is nothing more than a Chinese copy of the Soviet AK-47 assault rifle.

Thumbnail picture of the Raytheon / Lockheed Martin FGM-148 Javelin

Raytheon / Lockheed Martin FGM-148 Javelin
The Raytheon-Lockheed Martin FGM-148 Javelin replaced the Cold War-era M47 Dragon portable anti-tank missile launcher.

Thumbnail picture of the Remington M40

Remington M40
The Remington M40 is a heavy barrel, bolt-action 7.62x51mm sniper rifle in service with the United States Marine Corps.

Thumbnail picture of the Remington Model 870

Remington Model 870
The well-appreciated Remington M870 pump-action shotgun has seen consistent military service since 1950.

Thumbnail picture of the RPG-7

RPG-7
The simple-to-use-yet-lethal Soviet-era RPG-7 rocket launcher proved popular from the outset - remaining in use with dozens of countries even today.

Thumbnail picture of the Saco Mk 19 AGL

Saco Mk 19 AGL
The Saco Mk 19 40mm automatic grenade launcher was designed to deliver suppression firepower against enemy personnel and light-armored vehicles at range.

Thumbnail picture of the SIG-Sauer P226

SIG-Sauer P226
The SIG-Sauer P226 failed to net the lucrative U.S. Army pistol contract but nevertheless made for itself a global presence elsewhere.

Thumbnail picture of the SIG-Sauer P228 (M11)

SIG-Sauer P228 (M11)
The SIG-Sauer P228 resides in the inventories of many armies and is known in the US inventory as the M11.

Thumbnail picture of the SIG-Sauer P229

SIG-Sauer P229
The SIG-Sauer P229 series semi-automatic pistol has proven a favorite among police, security and special forces units all over the world.