You’ll Never Believe the Range of This World War II Rifle

Over a decade ago, someone donated two guns and several World War II relics to the Coastal Defense Museum in Świnoujście, Poland — but the museum only recently got the surprise of its life. Upon the donation, museum employees determined that one of the donated guns was a toy. The gun was rusty and simplistic. So museum staff logged it and put it away. It wasn’t until 2024 when another staff member stumbled across the gun in the museum’s warehouse and realized how special it was: the only existing Volkssturmgewehr rifle in Poland. The Volkssturmgewehr is one of several rifle designs created by Nazi Germany. While this is an exciting discovery for the Coastal Defense Museum, the Volkssturmgewehr is not necessarily one of the more popular rifles used by Axis or Allied forces during World War II as a whole.

Axis and Allied powers had stockpiled large quantities of sniper rifles prior to the war. Their arsenals contained rifles that ranged from early 20th-century models to late 19th relics, as well as others that were newly developed for wartime use. While most of the sniper rifles featured are bolt-action, some of the newer models are gas-operated with semi-automatic capabilities. Future generations of guns would incorporate this technology. To determine the oldest and newest sniper rifles used in World War II, 24/7 Wall St. analyzed a catalog of sniper rifles from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, aircraft, arms, and more. The rifles are listed according to when they entered service. Supplemental data on country of origin, manufacturer, range, firing action, cartridge, and feed of the ammunition each rifle used also came from the Military Factory. (This female sniper was so lethal, they called her Lady Death.)

Why This Matters

World War II was a six-year conflict that changed the course of history and set up many of the geopolitical relationships that impact us today. Arming the Axis and Allied powers greatly affected each nation’s economy. Many companies that produced firearms on this list still exist and contribute to economic activity through the creation of jobs and sales taxes. Additionally, a sizable amount of money has been invested into furthering the firearm technology of many rifles featured.

Check out the evolution of World War II sniper rifles from the 19th century to late war models:

22. Mosin-Nagant Model 1891

• Year introduced: 1891
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle/carbine
• Used by during WWII: Soviet Union, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia
• Manufacturer: Tula, Izhevsk, Sestroryetsk
• Firing action: Manual bolt-action
• Maximum effective range: 1,640 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 7.62x54mmR, 7.62x53mmR, 7.92x57mm Mauser, 5-round internal magazine

21. Krag-Jorgensen

• Year introduced: 1894
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle
• Used by during WWII: Norway, United States, Germany, Denmark
• Manufacturer: Kongsberg Vapenfabrikk / Steyr Mannlicher
• Firing action: Manually-actuated bolt; repeat fire
• Maximum effective range: 3,000 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 6.5x55mm M94 Norwegian Krag, 5-round internal magazine

20. Lee-Enfield

• Year introduced: 1895
• Type: Bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating service rifle
• Used by during WWII: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada
• Manufacturer: Royal Small Arms Factory
• Firing action: Manually-operated bolt-action system
• Maximum effective range: 1,640 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: .303 British (7.7x56mmR), 10-round detachable box

19. Mannlicher Model 1895

• Year introduced: 1895
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle
• Used by during WWII: Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Czechoslovakia
• Manufacturer: Steyr / Femaru Fegyver es Gepgyar (FEG)
• Firing action: Manually-actuated straight-pull bolt; repeating
• Maximum effective range: 1,320 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 8x50mmR Mannlicher, 5-round internal magazine

18. Mauser Model 1898 (Gew 98)

• Year introduced: 1898
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle
• Used by during WWII: Germany, Czechoslovakia, Belgium
• Manufacturer: Mauser
• Firing action: Manually-operated bolt-action system
• Maximum effective range: 1,640 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 7.92x57mm Mauser, 5-round internal box magazine

17. Mondragon Rifle

• Year introduced: 1900
• Type: Semi-automatic service rifle
• Used by during WWII: Germany, Mexico, Japan
• Manufacturer: Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft
• Firing action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt, manual bolt-action
• Maximum effective range: 1,804 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 7x57mm Mauser, 8-, 10-, or 20-round box; 30- or 100-round drum magazine

16. Springfield Model 1903 (M1903)

• Year introduced: 1903
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle/sniper rifle
• Used by during WWII: United States, United Kingdom, Taiwan
• Manufacturer: Springfield Armories
• Firing action: Manually-actuated bolt-action
• Maximum effective range: 2,000 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 30-03 (7.62x65mm), 30-06 (7.62x63mm) Springfield, 5-round internal box magazine

15. Arisaka Type 38

• Year introduced: 1905
• Type: Bolt-action infantry service rifle
• Used by during WWII: Japan, United Kingdom, Thailand, Soviet Union, China
• Manufacturer: State Arsenals / Arisaka
• Firing action: Bolt-action
• Maximum effective range: 1,475 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 6.5x50mm, 5-round internal box magazine

14. Ross Rifle

• Year introduced: 1905
• Type: Straight-pull bolt-action service rifle
• Used by during WWII: Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union
• Manufacturer: State Factories
• Firing action: Manual pull, bolt-action system
• Maximum effective range: 1,800 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: .303 British (7.7x56mmR), 5-round magazine

13. Enfield Pattern 1914

• Year introduced: 1914
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle / sniper rifle
• Used by during WWII: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Soviet Union
• Manufacturer: Enfield Lock
• Firing action: Manually-actuated bolt-action system
• Maximum effective range: 2,400 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: .303 British (7.7x56mmR), 5-round stripper clips

12. M1917 Enfield (American Enfield)

• Year introduced: 1917
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle
• Used by during WWII: United States, United Kingdom, China, France
• Manufacturer: Winchester / Remington
• Firing action: Manually-actuated bolt-action system
• Maximum effective range: 1,640 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 7.62x63mm, 6-round magazine

11. FEG 35M (Mannlicher M1935)

• Year introduced: 1935
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle
• Used by during WWII: Hungary, Germany
• Manufacturer: Femaru Fegyver es Gepgyar (FEG)
• Firing action: Manually actuated bolt action
• Maximum effective range: 2,400 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 7.92x57mm Mauser, 5-round internal box magazine

10. Mauser Karabiner Kar 98k

• Year introduced: 1935
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle
• Used by during WWII: Germany, Finland, Denmark
• Manufacturer: Mauser
• Firing action: Bolt-action
• Maximum effective range: 1,969 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 7.92x57mm Mauser, 5-round internal box magazine

9. Type 24 (Chiang Kai-Shek Rifle)

• Year introduced: 1935
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle
• Used by during WWII: China, Taiwan
• Manufacturer: State Arsenals
• Firing action: Manually-actuated bolt-action; repeat fire
• Maximum effective range: 1,640 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 8x57mm IS (7.92x57mm Mauser), 5-round internal magazine

8. MAS 36

• Year introduced: 1936
• Type: Bolt-action service rifle
• Used by during WWII: France, Monaco
• Manufacturer: Manufacture d’Armes de Saint-Etienne
• Firing action: Manually-operated bolt-action system
• Maximum effective range: 1,125 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 7.5x54mm, 5-round internal box magazine

7. Winchester Model 70

• Year introduced: 1936
• Type: Bolt-action sniper rifle
• Used by during WWII: United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada
• Manufacturer: Winchester
• Firing action: Manually-actuated bolt-action system
• Maximum effective range: 1,000 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: .30-06 Springfield, 3-, 4-, or 5-round capacity

6. Arisaka Type 97

• Year introduced: 1937
• Type: Bolt-action sniper rifle
• Used by during WWII: Japan
• Manufacturer: State Arsenals / Arisaka
• Firing action: Manually-actuated bolt-action system; repeat-fire
• Maximum effective range: 2,500 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 6.5x50mm, 5-round internal box magazine

5. Arisaka Type 99

• Year introduced: 1939
• Type: Bolt-action sniper rifle
• Used by during WWII: Japan, China
• Manufacturer: State Arsenals / Arisaka
• Firing action: Manually-actuated bolt-action system
• Maximum effective range: 2,500 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 7.7x58mm, 5-round internal box magazine

4. Tokarev SVT-40

• Year introduced: 1940
• Type: Self-loading, semi-automatic rifle
• Used by during WWII: Soviet Union, Finland, China
• Manufacturer: State Factories
• Firing action: Gas-operated, semi-automatic
• Maximum effective range: 1,640 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 7.62x54mmR, 10-round detachable box magazine

3. Remington Model 1903

• Year introduced: 1941
• Type: Bolt-action sniper rifle
• Used by during WWII: United States
• Manufacturer: Remington
• Firing action: Manually-actuated bolt-action system
• Maximum effective range: 900 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: .30-06 Springfield, 5-round supply via stripper clip

2. Walther Gewer 43 (G 43 / Gew 43)

• Year introduced: 1943
• Type: Self-loading, semi-automatic rifle
• Used by during WWII: Czechoslovakia, Germany
• Manufacturer: Carl Walther Waffenfabrik
• Firing action: Gas-operated, semi-automatic
• Maximum effective range: 1,640 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 7.92x57mm Mauser, 10-round detachable box magazine

1. M3 Carbine

• Year introduced: 1944
• Type: Sniper carbine rifle
• Used by during WWII: United States
• Manufacturer: Inland Division of General Motors
• Firing action: Selective-fire, gas-operated, short-stroke piston
• Maximum effective range: 900 ft.
• Cartridge, caliber, and Feed: 30 M1 Carbine, 15- or 30-round detachable box magazine