Military

26 Guns Made For Today's US Army

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The US Army prides itself on being the best army in the World. As such they need to stay on top of their game with regards to all equipment issued to their soldiers. The modern-day soldier has access to a wide range of weapons. This plays an important role in the soldiers operational capabilities on the battlefield

24/7 Wall St. referenced data from a range of sources, including military handbooks, government press releases, and firearms publications, including the Army’s Weapon Systems Handbook to identify every standard-issue gun in the U.S. Army. These guns were ranked on when they entered the service and included supplemental information regarding the type of firearm, range, caliber, and manufacturer from the Military Factory.

The weapons on this list are used in a variety of operational capacities, ranging from pinning down enemy combatants to destroying vehicles and other assets. The list includes shotguns, side arms, machine guns, designated marksman rifles, sniper rifles, and more. (Also see, these are the 50 most popular guns of all time.)

Why We’re Covering The Gun Industry

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The global arms manufacturing sector is truly massive — in 2022, the most recent year with available data, the top 100 manufacturers alone recorded almost $600 billion in weapons sales. The industry’s giants like Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Raytheon, now called RTX Corp. (NYSE: RTX), and Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) each account for billions in sales each year, in no small part because of their long history of lucrative weapons contracts for the U.S. military, with its $800 billion+ annual budget. Some of the gun manufacturers on this list are major non-American companies like Sig Sauer and Heckler & Koch, but each is required by law to manufacture its U.S. military-bound weapons at factories in the United States.

Here is a look at 26 guns in the Arsenal of the U.S. Army.

26. Colt M1911

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The Colt M1911 is a Semi-automatic service pistol manufactured by Colt Manufacturing that was introduced in 1911. It is a .45 ACP caliber gun with an effective range of 82 ft.

25. M2 Browning

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

The M2 Browning is a General purpose machine gun manufactured by Saco Defense Industries that was introduced in 1921. It is a .50 BMG (12.7x99mm NATO) caliber gun with an effective range of 6,550 ft.

24. Mossberg Model 500

Public Domain / Wikipedia

The Mossberg Model 500 is a Pump-action shotgun manufactured by O.S. Mossberg & Sons that was introduced in 1961. It is a 12-gauge caliber gun with an effective range of 130 ft.

23. Heckler & Koch HK MP5

Dybdal / Wikimedia Commons

The Heckler & Koch HK MP5 is a Submachine gun manufactured by Heckler & Koch that was introduced in 1966. It is a 9×19 parabellum caliber gun with an effective range of 660 ft.

22. Saco Mk 19

U.S. Department of Defense / Flickr / Public Domain

The Saco Mk 19 is an Automatic grenade launcher manufactured by Saco Defense Industries that was introduced in 1967. It is a 40x53mm caliber gun with an effective range of 4,500 ft.

21. Mossberg Model 590

Public Domain / Wikipedia

The Mossberg Model 590 is a Pump-action shotgun manufactured by O.S. Mossberg & Sons that was introduced in 1975. It is a 12-gauge caliber gun with an effective range of 130 ft.

20. Fabrique Nationale M240

Public Domain / Wikipedia

The Fabrique Nationale M240 is a General purpose machine gun manufactured by FN Manufacturing that was introduced in 1977. It is a 7.62x51mm NATO caliber gun with an effective range of 5,905 ft.

19. FIM-92 Stinger

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

The FIM-92 Stinger is an Air defense missile system manufactured by General Dynamics / Raytheon that was introduced in 1981. It is a 70mm caliber gun with an effective range of 15,750 ft.

18. Fabrique Nationale M249 SAW / LMG

Public Domain / Wikipedia

The Fabrique Nationale M249 SAW / LMG is a Light machine gun manufactured by FN Manufacturing that was introduced in 1984. It is a 5.56x45mm NATO, 7.62x51mm NATO caliber gun with an effective range of 2,600 ft.

17.
Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

The Remington M24 SWS is a Bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Remington Arms that was introduced in 1987. It is a 7.62x51mm NATO caliber gun with an effective range of 2,624 ft.

16. SIG-Sauer P228

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

The SIG-Sauer P228 is a Semi-automatic service pistol manufactured by SIG-Sauer that was introduced in 1988. It is a 9×19 parabellum caliber gun with an effective range of 165 ft.

15. Colt M16A4

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The Colt M16A4 is an Automatic rifle manufactured by Colt Manufacturing that was introduced in 1990. It is a 5.56x45mm NATO caliber gun with an effective range of 1,968 ft.

14. Beretta M9

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The Beretta M9 is a Semi-automatic service pistol manufactured by Beretta that was introduced in 1990. It is a 9×19 parabellum caliber gun with an effective range of 164 ft.

13. M4 Carbine

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The M4 Carbine is an Assault carbine manufactured by Colt Manufacturing / Remington Arms that was introduced in 1994. It is a 5.56x45mm NATO caliber gun with an effective range of 1,640 ft.

12. FGM-148 Javelin

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

The FGM-148 Javelin is an Anti-tank guided missile launcher manufactured by Raytheon / Lockheed Martin that was introduced in 1996. It is a 127mm caliber gun with an effective range of 8,202 ft.

11. Heckler & Koch HK MP7

Wikipedia

The Heckler & Koch HK MP7 is a Submachine gun manufactured by Heckler & Koch that was introduced in 2001. It is a HK 4.6x30mm caliber gun with an effective range of 656 ft.

10. Mk 14

PEO Soldier / Wikimedia Commons

The Mk 14 is a Designated marksman rifle manufactured by Smith Enterprises that was introduced in 2004. It is a 7.62x51mm NATO caliber gun with an effective range of 1,500 ft.

9. Heckler & Koch HK 416

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

The Heckler & Koch HK 416 is an Assault rifle manufactured by Heckler & Koch that was introduced in 2005. It is a 5.56x45mm NATO caliber gun with an effective range of 985 ft.

8. Heckler & Koch HK 417

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

The Heckler & Koch HK 417 is a Designated marksman rifle manufactured by Heckler & Koch that was introduced in 2006. It is a 7.62x51mm NATO caliber gun with an effective range of 2,625 ft.

7. M110 SASS

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

The M110 SASS is a Designated marksman rifle manufactured by Knight’s Armament that was introduced in 2007. It is a 7.62x51mm NATO caliber gun with an effective range of 2,624 ft.

6. Barrett M107

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The Barrett M107 is an Anti-materiel / anti-personnel sniper rifle manufactured by Barrett Firearms that was introduced in 2008. It is a .50 BMG (12.7x99mm NATO) caliber gun with an effective range of 1,850 ft.

5. Heckler & Koch M320 GLM

Public Domain / Wikipedia

The Heckler & Koch M320 GLM is a Single-shot under-barrel grenade launcher manufactured by Heckler & Koch that was introduced in 2010. It is a 40x46mm SR caliber gun with an effective range of 492 ft.

4. Remington M2010 ESR

Wikipedia

The Remington M2010 ESR is a Bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Remington Arms that was introduced in 2011. It is a .300 Winchester Magnum caliber gun with an effective range of 3,935 ft.

3. Heckler & Koch HK M27

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

The Heckler & Koch HK M27 is a Designated marksman rifle manufactured by Heckler & Koch that was introduced in 2011. It is a 5.56x45mm NATO caliber gun with an effective range of 1,800 ft.

2. Heckler & Koch HK 45

The Heckler & Koch HK 45 is a Semi-automatic service pistol manufactured by Heckler & Koch that was introduced in 2013. It is a .45 ACP caliber gun with an effective range of 165 ft.

1. SIG-Sauer P320

TexasWarhawk / CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons

The SIG-Sauer P320 is a Semi-automatic service pistol manufactured by SIG-Sauer that was introduced in 2014. It is a 9×19 parabellum caliber gun with an effective range of 165 ft.

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