This is a list of small arms used during the 20th century.
Sidearms
Submachine guns
- Owen gun (1942âÂÂ1960s) â Australian submachine gun used in World War II and subsequent conflicts until the 60s
- F1 submachine gun (1962âÂÂ1991) â Australian submachine gun intended to replace the Owen gun
- Steyr AUG 9 mm (1977)
- FN P90 (1990âÂÂpresent) â Belgian personal defense weapon, a submachine gun but with a scaled down intermediate rifle cartridge
- MP 18 (1918âÂÂ1945) â German submachine gun, world's first widely used and successful
- MP 28 (1928âÂÂearly 1940s) â An improvement of the MP 18
- Steyr-Solothurn MP 34 (1930âÂÂ1970s) â Often called "The Rolls-Royce of submachine guns", the Steyr-Solothurn MP 34 is based on the MP 28 made from the best quality materials available at the time
- MP 35 (1935âÂÂ1945) â An improved submachine gun based on the MP 28
- MP40 (1940âÂÂ1945 in Germany) â The MP 40 is a simplified MP 38, intended to replace older, more expensive submachine guns. This particular submachine gun is widely used by Germany in World War II
- Walther MP (1963âÂÂpresent) â Intended to rearm military and police forces positioned in West Germany, also used by the German Intelligence Service and some American troops stationed in the region
- HK MP5 (1966âÂÂpresent) â the most widely used submachine gun of the later half of the 20th century
- UZI (1954âÂÂpresent) â Israeli submachine gun, one of the first designs to implement a system to accommodate the magazine in the pistol grip
- PM-63 Rak (1965âÂÂpresent)
- Sten (1941âÂÂ1960s in UK) â British submachine gun used extensively throughout World War II
- Sterling submachine gun (1944âÂÂpresent) â Designed as a replacement for the Sten in 1945 but only started its process in the 50s
- PPD-40 (1935âÂÂ45) â The submachine gun used by the Russians before the implementation of the PPSh-41
- PPSh-41 (1941âÂÂ1960s in USSR) â Russian submachine gun distinctive for its high rate of fire
- PPS (1942âÂÂ1960s in USSR) â Family of submachine guns used alongside the PPSh family
- Thompson submachine gun (1938âÂÂ1971 in USA) â Family of submachine guns designed in 1910 and onwards, The Thompson is a famous submachine gun commonly associated with American gangsters
- M3 submachine gun (1943âÂÂpresent) â A cheaper and lighter alternative to the Thompson submachine gun
- MAC 10 (1970âÂÂpresent) â Family of submachine guns, famous among media for their association with gangs
- American 180 (Designed in the 1960s, never implemented) â Chambered in 22 LR. It was described as being a "swarm of angry bees" shooting 1200 rounds per minute, it relied on shattering enemy armor through consistent and repetitive fire
Automatic rifles
Battle rifles
- M1 Garand (1936âÂÂ1958) â The standard rifle of the United States during the Second World War
- M1941 Johnson rifle (1941âÂÂ1961 Worldwide) â A rare rifle issued to marine raiders early during the war
- M1903 Springfield rifle (1903âÂÂ1975) â The standard-issue rifle of the U.S. in World War I it became a sniper weapon in the next world war
- M1917 Enfield rifle (1917âÂÂpresent worldwide) â A supplement for the M1903 during World War I
- MAS 36 (1936âÂÂpresent worldwide) â Standard rifle of the French in World War II
- Ross rifle (1905âÂÂ1945)
- Gewehr 98 (1898âÂÂ1935) â Standard rifle of Germany in World War I
- Karabiner 98k (1935âÂÂpresent) â Standard rifle of Germany in World War II, the smaller version of the Gewehrkarabiner98 (Gewehr 98)
- LeeâÂÂEnfield SMLE (MLE: 1895âÂÂ1926/SMLE: 1904âÂÂpresent) â The standard rifle of the British Empire during the first half of the 20th century
- Carcano M91 (1891âÂÂpresent Worldwide)
- Arisaka type 38 (1906âÂÂ1945)
- Arisaka type 99 (1939âÂÂ1945)
- MosinâÂÂNagant (1891âÂÂpresent) â The standard Issue Russian/Soviet rifle for almost the entire first half of the 20th century
- K31 (1933âÂÂ1958) â Standard Swiss rifle from 1933 to 1958
- SAFN 49 (1948âÂÂ1982)
- ZH-29 (Uncertain time frame between its adoption and last use in military, presumably between early 1930s to mid 1950s)
- Hakim Rifle (1950sâÂÂearly 1960s) â A slightly modified Ag m/42 rifle used by the Egyptian military
- Rasheed Carbine (1950sâÂÂearly 1960s) â Egyptian carbine derived from the Hakim Rifle
- RSC M1917 (1917âÂÂ1926) â Officially named Fusil Automatique Modèle 1917 by the French army
- MAS 49 (1951âÂÂ1979)
- FG 42 (1943âÂÂ1970s) â An automatic rifle built for German paratroopers
- Gewehr 43 (1943âÂÂ1945) â Fairly successful semi-automatic German gun compared to the others, was designed from captured SVT-40
- SVT-40 (1940âÂÂpresent) â Widely issued Soviet semi-automatic rifle
- SVT-38 â (Subsection of article SVT-40)
- FN FAL (1953âÂÂpresent) â Designed in Belgium, widely adopted by NATO countries during the cold war
- Heckler & Koch G3 (1959âÂÂpresent Worldwide) â Used by the German military before the adoption of the G36
- M14 rifle (1959âÂÂpresent) â An upgrade from the M1, its use was limited since 1964
- SKS (1945âÂÂpresent)
Sniper rifles
Machine guns
Explosive devices