When the United States finally entered the Great War in 1917 it found itself facing a significant shortage of modern rifles, and turned to a foreign design already in mass production domestically.

Germany’s first smokeless powder design was not without its problems, but still found itself a prolific presence on the battlefields of the Great War.

In the aftermath of the bloody Civil War the newly reunified United States found itself needing to adopt a modern breechloading cartridge arm, and began to explore a solution using the surplus of rifled muskets left over from the conflict.

A major step in the evolution of Paul Mauser’s iconic series of military rifles, the M1893 would be the final arm of Imperial Spain as well the inspiration behind an American icon.

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.

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

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 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.

The standard issue rifle of the Imperial German Army during the Great War, the Gewehr 98 is the quintessential “German Mauser”; the progenitor of the most successful bolt action rifle of all time.

Canada’s first indigenously produced infantry rifle was a straight pull design made with match grade accuracy in mind. When brought to the conditions of the Great War’s Western Front its deficiencies in other areas became alarmingly apparent.

The most modern rifle in Ottoman inventory during the Great War was an example of the excellent Mauser 98, with some special features. These rifles would serve as a pattern during the interwar Turkish upgrade program, in addition to receiving minor modifications themselves.

The straight-pull Mannlicher M.95 was the standard issue service rifle of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the Great War, with millions produced and serving on the Eastern Front and in northern Italy, as well as other Fronts. It would continue in service to the the Empire’s successor states through the Second World War.

The Kingdom of Italy would wisely chose a rifle within their industrial means with the M1891 Carcano, a rifle that would, despite it’s shortcomings, serve on through both the First and Second World Wars.