Less famous historical firearms from WWII-Present? - Page 2

James K · June 10, 2013, 09:33 PM

I wouldn't call the Radom "less well known" as there were hundreds of thousands made and they were widely used by the German military and security forces. Likewise the G.43, which was widely issued; the G.41 (M) and G.41 (W) would probably fit the less well known category.

The FP-45 (it was called a "flare pistol" as a cover name), or "Liberator", was an idea that went nowhere, as only a very few were ever even sent to a combat area and even fewer (probably none) were ever used on an enemy. It was a great idea in fiction, though, and while "well known" in one sense, was unknown at the time, so it would qualify.

The Gyrojet and Dardick are odd, but don't fit the OP's category of military hardware.

Jim

GunXpatriot · June 10, 2013, 10:37 PM

My vote goes to the FP-45 Liberator Pistol. Honestly, I don't think many people knew about them before American Rifleman and Hickok45 brought them to everyone's attention.

tahunua001 · June 11, 2013, 09:32 AM

the liberators were literally a one shot use type of gun, they were designed to kill a soldier so you can take his weapon.

csmsss · June 11, 2013, 11:11 AM

Quote:

the liberators were literally a one shot use type of gun, they were designed to kill a soldier so you can take his weapon.

Not that I've done exhaustive research, mind you, but I've never read an account of this actually happening. Heck, I've never read an account of one of these things being used - they don't exactly inspire confidence.

csmsss · June 11, 2013, 11:33 AM

Quote:

The Gyrojet and Dardick are odd, but don't fit the OP's category of military hardware.

The Gyrojet was tested by the Army and actually saw service in Vietnam. The Dardick was, admittedly, never intended for and never used by the military; however, the Army is actively testing "tround" technology and it's quite possible we'll see this technology used some day in an automatic weapon.

Doc TH · June 14, 2013, 12:17 AM

The SKS fits your criteria, except that it is not particularly rare. Used in Korea, RVN, & a few smaller conflicts.

GunXpatriot · June 14, 2013, 04:51 AM

Quote:

The SKS fits your criteria, except that it is not particularly rare. Used in Korea, RVN, & a few smaller conflicts.

Honestly, the SKS may be a perfect choice for this thread. I mean, we as gun owners/enthusiasts are generally familiar with the SKS, but it's nowhere near as "iconic" as AK variants and the AR-15(M4/M16).

As far as practicality... I mean even today, an SKS is a very capable firearm all around. Maybe not so much for combat, given much larger magazines, even at the time they were manufactured, but firing a good round, being accurate enough for combat, or hunting, they are still great.

Although looking back, even when they were adopted by Russia very late in WWII, it was already outdated... Strange, that they'd even consider the thing, but as an alternative to the Mosin-Nagant, PPSh-41 and all the other less known weapons, I'm sure it had it's place. Somewhere.

The only thing I never got about SKS's was like "Does it want to be a Designated Marksman Rifle? Or does it want to be a Battle Rifle? Or maybe something like the role the M1 Carbine had?" I just don't know.

June 11, 2013, 09:32 AM	#28
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	the liberators were literally a one shot use type of gun, they were designed to kill a soldier so you can take his weapon. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

June 10, 2013, 09:33 PM	#26
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	I wouldn't call the Radom "less well known" as there were hundreds of thousands made and they were widely used by the German military and security forces. Likewise the G.43, which was widely issued; the G.41 (M) and G.41 (W) would probably fit the less well known category. The FP-45 (it was called a "flare pistol" as a cover name), or "Liberator", was an idea that went nowhere, as only a very few were ever even sent to a combat area and even fewer (probably none) were ever used on an enemy. It was a great idea in fiction, though, and while "well known" in one sense, was unknown at the time, so it would qualify. The Gyrojet and Dardick are odd, but don't fit the OP's category of military hardware. Jim

June 10, 2013, 10:37 PM	#27
GunXpatriot Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2011 Location: New York Posts: 393	My vote goes to the FP-45 Liberator Pistol. Honestly, I don't think many people knew about them before American Rifleman and Hickok45 brought them to everyone's attention.

June 14, 2013, 12:17 AM	#31
Doc TH Senior Member Join Date: December 15, 2005 Posts: 633	The SKS fits your criteria, except that it is not particularly rare. Used in Korea, RVN, & a few smaller conflicts.