Despite initially looking to replace the entire system after the Boer War, the British Short, Magazine, Lee Enfield really came into its own during the Great War, cementing itself as one of the most iconic weapons of the conflict.

The standard issue sidearm of the Austrian half of the Hapsburg Empire’s forces in the Great War was a solid if eclectic handgun that would prove cable in locals such as the Balkans, Eastern Front and Italian Alps.

Faced with a rapidly expanding military and a need to conserve primary small arms for the front lines, the US would turn to a simple but effective bolt action trainer in .22 Long Rifle.

Problems with Japan’s first smokeless powder rifle prompted a redesign of the mechanism, leading to one of the strongest and simplest rifles ever produced, which would serve the Empire for almost half a century.

The first smokeless powder handgun adopted by France was an interesting revolver designed with cavalry in mind, but would serve on long after the demise of the horse soldier.

The Gewehr 98 had served the Imperial Army well in the Great War, but was showing its age by the 1930s. This would lead to a program of modernization, and its product would become the standard service weapon of the Wehrmacht in the Second World War.

When the original Three-Line Rifle M1891 Mosin Nagant was adopted, a slightly shorter model followed soon after to fill a unique role in the army of Tsar Nicholas II

When the Kingdom of Italy marched to war in 1915 they carried the black powder Bodeo revolver in their holsters. Over the course of the conflict development of a reliable autoloader would prove problematic until later in the war.

The British Sten Gun was an extremely simple stamped steel submachinegun developed as an inexpensive replacement for the existing Lanchesters in service in the early phases of the Second World War. The Mark II variant would go on to be the most produced and iconic variant of the weapon, and a replica example is shown here.

Despite victory in the Spanish-American War of 1898, it was clear that the Krag rifles in American service were inferior to the Mausers used by their enemies. This prompt would lead to the development of a new universal short rifle that would serve in two world wars and beyond.

In the aftermath of the Second World War Germany found itself divided. As it raised its own army to fight alongside NATO, the new West Germany looked to update the old wartime sidearm of the Wehrmacht.

A Swiss black powder bolt action repeater that represented the start of a new era, as the metallic cartridge, rotating bolt action and tube magazine came together.

An interesting hybrid rifle, the Type I is a fusion of the Italian Carcano action to the fittings of a Japanese Arisaka, and is an interesting example of cooperation between the European Axis and the Japanese Empire.

The standard issue sidearm of Hungary in the Second World War was a simple, robust automatic chambering the 9x17mm cartridge. The last design by the legendary Rudolf Frommer, it would see service with the Hungarian as well as German armies during the conflict.

Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, the British Royal Irish Constabulary adopted a new carbine for its constables, built from older MkI Lee Enfield and Lee Metford Carbines with some modifications. These would serve through the Easter Rising of 1916, as well as the subsequent Irish War of Independence that would see the end of British rule in most of Ireland, and the dissolution of the RIC itself in 1922.

The first smokeless powder rifle would put represent the most significant advance in small arms technology since the advent of gunpowder itself, but the rifle itself would be rapidly rendered obsolete, despite serving on for more than half a century.

With the onset of the Second World War the British found themselves short of handguns, and just as they had in the Great War they looked across the Atlantic for a solution. They found the popular Smith & Wesson Military and Police Model, and promptly placed an order for a large number in their .38/200 cartridge.

The cavalry carbine model of Italy’s Carcano is perhaps the most iconic of the series, having seen use by specialists such as the Arditi in the First World War as well as the Folgore paratroopers in the Second among many others.

The Soviet M38 was intended for issue to specialists and non-combat troops, but its handy nature made it a popular choice in the brutal urban combat that came to characterize the popular image of the Second World War’s Eastern Front.

Arguably the most iconic handgun in history, the M1911 .45 would serve the US Armed Forces for over a century, and is an established American icon.