Most Influential Gun

**Wraith601** · 10 Jul 05,, 08:16

What do you think is the most influential gun design in history? I'd say either the AK-47 or the Brown Bess musket. Your thoughts?

**Fury** · 10 Jul 05,, 09:06

Ak-47 for sure but M1 Garand also had a huge influence.

**~~giggs88~~** · 10 Jul 05,, 14:23

Aks for sure.

**Beaugeste93** · 10 Jul 05,, 17:13

AKs are certainly prolific, but I don't see any great influence on warfare there.
The brown bess was the first standardized english long arm and effectively won the british empire and helped defeat Napoleon.

In terms of real effect on warfare, the Dreyse and the 1898 Mauser also come to mind. Even though I hate to admit it, the French Lebel was the first to use smokeless powder-definitly an innovation and influence on warfare.

**leib10** · 10 Jul 05,, 18:01

Sturmgewehr 44.

**sniperdude411** · 10 Jul 05,, 20:36

Remember, the STg. 44 did not majorly influence the design of te AK.
I'd say the Brown Bess, the Colt patterson, the Maxim Machine gun, and the Borchardt C-93.

**leib10** · 11 Jul 05,, 04:54

I'm not saying it did, but the concept and general lines of the assault rifle influenced the AK and pretty much every other assault rifle after it.

The MG34/42 was also pretty influential as far as the GPMG concept is concerned.

**troung** · 11 Jul 05,, 06:06

The first damn handcannon...

**leib10** · 11 Jul 05,, 06:09

True.

**magic-spaceship** · 11 Jul 05,, 06:32

Samuel Colts revolvers

**Bill** · 11 Jul 05,, 07:07

The Kentucky Long Rifle.

Every single soldier today carries a rifled pistol or long gun.

Being the first rifled arm to be used in war, the Pennsylvania/Kentucky longrifle is the father of every small arm carried by every soldier everywhere in the world today.

In it's day, it was the most feared small arm on the battlefield. And rightly so.

US marksmen using KLRs were the laser guided bombs of the 18th century.

**sniperdude411** · 11 Jul 05,, 16:36

"The first damn handcannon..."

I'd say this thread is done.

**shotgun** · 31 Jul 05,, 00:27

look the colt is the most influentail gun hes is my like my 100 great gradpa my name is tanner tate colt

**cottage cheese** · 02 Aug 05,, 15:29

Originally Posted by Wraith601

What do you think is the most influential gun design in history? I'd say either the AK-47 or the Brown Bess musket. Your thoughts?

Though I'm an advocate for far better arms, the AK would definitely be it. It's everywhere- it doesn't have to be a precision tool, but it gets the job done with minimum investment of money, time and effort.

**WildLomcevak** · 02 Aug 05,, 20:22

This is a broad topic...do you mean the gun design that influenced other gun designs, or the gun design that most influenced the course of history? In terms of history, I think the first gun that used a cartridge as opposed to a muzzleloader (I don't remember what that was, unfortunately) surely had a major impact, although that could be argued as an ammo design rather than a gun design. The first repeating rifle influenced history- particularly warfare- in a huge way. Consider how it must have felt, as a soldier, to be able to fire multiple rounds without reloading..it would have been akin to magic.
Speaking of gun design influences, the 1911 is a strong contender there- prior to the 1911, semi auto handguns were mostly junk- since the creation of this venerable pistol, many, many manufacturers have used some or all of it's action design in their own firearms.
Full auto changed history, no doubt- I imagine the first workable full auto was the Gatling gun...and with it came the concept of suppression fire. It certainly put a stop to any lingering doubts that the British method of standing line abreast and advancing...was defunct.
This is a good topic, in that it makes you ponder...but it's hard to answer with any finality. Heck, the first percussion cap firearm made flintlocks obsolete, which, in it's time, must have seemed as wondrous as a Fokker Triplane pilot contemplating an F-15. I own a couple of flintlocks, and I can't imagine trying to go to war armed with the finicky bastards! The percussion cap muzzleloader was much easier and faster to load, much more reliable, easier to handle, less troubled by dampness, and the soldier didn't have to carry two kinds of powder...and keep that powder dry. The notion of a rifle firing because of a spark, that has been caused by striking a small piece of flint...it seems amazing that the things fired as often as they did!
Another major influence was the revolving cylinder- both pistols and rifles. This falls under the category of repeating firearm, I suppose, but it must have seemed like an amazing advancement to the single shot crowd.