All of the Model 98’s inherent strengths combined to see it through stellar service in two world wars and later make it the prime candidate for several generations of home gunsmiths and custom gunmakers. Even today, many experts claim there is no better bolt-action rifle than a true Mauser 98. —Brian C. Sheetz

No. 4—U.S. M16
The M16 was the product of an effort to bring features and capabilities of the infantry rifle in line with the realities of modern combat. Chambered in 5.56x45 mm, the M16 is a small-caliber, selective-fire rifle fed from a detachable box magazine. Its rotating bolt and cylindrical bolt carrier were derived from the M1941 Johnson rifle, while its system of gas operation was inspired by the Swedish M42 Ljungmann rifle. The M16’s aluminum receiver, composite plastic stock and handguards, and direct impingement gas system made the gun very light.—just 6 ½ pounds.

In 1964, the U. S. Army adopted the M16 for overseas service. Shortly afterward, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps fielded large numbers of XM16E1 rifles in Vietnam. Standardized as the M16A1 in 1967, it remained the primary infantry rifle of the U.S. military until the early 1980s, when it was gradually withdrawn in favor of the M16A2. By the middle of the 1970s, other NATO armies were also looking at 5.56 mm service rifles and light machine guns. Starting in 1977, NATO conducted a number of performance tests on a variety of small-caliber projectiles and cartridges. In 1982, the U.S. Marine Corps adopted the heavier 62-grain NATO along with the longer-range M16A2 rifle. The M16 is ubiquitous, it is the most commonly manufactured 5.56x45 mm rifle in the world. Altogether, at least 15 NATO countries use the M16 or its variants. —Glenn M. Gilbert

No. 5—British Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle-Musket
The Pattern of 1853 rifle-musket stands clearly above all others during its period of use. During its heyday, 1854-1865, it was considered by most of the Western world to be the superior rifle of its day. It was .577-cal. firing a 530-grain bullet and weighed just slightly under 9 pounds. As a rifle-musket, it combined the speed of loading of a smoothbore musket with the accuracy of a rifle.

In British hands it saw its greatest use during the Crimean War (1854-1856), but it is better known to Americans as the “Confederate Springfield.” More than 300,000 were imported by the Confederate States of America during Civil War (1861-1865), and an additional 400,000 were imported by the Union during the same period. It became a favorite of both sides. Its rugged reliability and accuracy helped it account for more than its share of the 650,000 casualties suffered during the war. It was the last and best of the percussion muzzleloaders to become a standard service arm for a major military force. The era of the breechloading, self-contained cartridge dawned and rendered it obsolete some scant 11 years after its adoption.

Many might argue that the Springfield Model of 1855 or 1861 was as good—if not better than the Pattern 1853, But the Enfield makes this list because it introduced the American Method of Manufacturing to Europe. During the Crimean War, the Robbins & Lawrence Company of Windsor, Vt., accepted a contract to supply Pattern 1853 rifles to the British. The machinery produced the Pattern 1853 with completely identical parts. When it arrived in the England in 1856, Enfield Lock became the first factory in Europe to produce anything on the interchangeable parts method of manufacturing, fueling the industrial revolution. —Philip Schreier

No. 6—Lee-Enfield
Based on a bolt and magazine system designed by American inventor James Paris Lee, the Lee-Enfield family of rifles began in 1888 with the .303 “Magazine Lee-Metford Rifle Mk I.” Seven year later, sharper five-groove Enfield rifling was substituted for Metford rifling, thus the “Lee-Enfield.” In 1903, a 25.2-inch barreled “Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield” was adopted for both cavalry and infantry. In its variations or marks, the Mk III and Mk III* being the most common, and total SMLE (renamed the No. 1 rifle in 1926) production is estimated at more than 5 million rifles.

The Lee-Enfield has dual-opposed locking lugs toward the rear center of the bolt body and a separate, detachable bolt head. The action cocks on closing, has a short length of bolt travel and a 60-degree bolt throw. It is one of the smoothest bolt-action rifles ever made, and proved utterly reliable in even the most horrible combat conditions. Fed by five-round stripper clips, the SMLE had a detachable, double-column, 10-round-capacity box magazine. During World War I, highly trained British riflemen fired their Lee-Enfields so rapidly the Germans believed they were facing machine guns.

A new rifle with manufacturing improvements and an aperture rear sight was developed in 1931 but not adopted as the “Rifle No. 4, Mk I” until 1939. Changes were made to the receiver, bolt, stock, sights, barrel, nose cap and bayonet. The No. 4s were produced in Great Britain, the United States and Canada. In sum, more than 4 million No. 4s were made. Lee-Enfields in 7.62x51 mm served well into the 1980s, and more than 9 million guns were produced in total. —Mark A. Keefe, IV

No. 7—StG44
MP43, MP44, and StG44 were different names for what was essentially the same rifle, albeit with minor changes. The gun’s numerous names were the result of the German army’s need to keep the guns a secret from Hitler who was opposed it development. While the StG44 had less range and power than the more powerful infantry rifles of the day, exposure to masses of Soviet troops armed with PPsh 41 submachine guns forced German commanders to reconsider the adequacy of the standard Kar 98k rifle and begin development of a fully automatic service carbine.

Pre-war studies had shown that most combat engagements occurred at less than 300 meters with the majority within 200 meters, but most of the full-power rifle cartridges were developed prior to the Great War when military theorists expected masses of infantrymen to engage each other in long-range volley fire. Consequently these rounds had more power than most soldiers could use and far more recoil than necessary. German military researchers proposed the adoption of an intermediate cartridge that would provide the controllable firepower of a submachine gun at close quarters with the accuracy and power of a Karabiner 98k bolt-action rifle at intermediate ranges.

In 1943, 10,000 of the selective-fire rifles chambered for the new 7.92 mm Kurtz round were quickly shipped to the Eastern Front, where their tactical potential was immediately evident. More than once that winter, German troops fought their way out of encirclement with the aid of the new rifle. The guns were surprisingly accurate, even on full-automatic. The StG44 was made for rapid production, and 500,000 were made in the last year of the war. It was the first arm of its class, and the concept had a major impact on modern infantry small arms development. —Glenn M. Gilbert

No. 8—FN Fusil Automatique Leger (FAL)
The Belgian battle rifle designed by Fabrique Nationale’s Dieudonne Saive and Ernst Vervier, the Fusil Automatique Leger (Light Automatic Rifle), came to dominate the non-communist world in the opening decades of the Cold War. It employed 20- or 30-round detachable box magazines and was initially designed around the .280 cartridge adopted by the British for the bullpup EM-2 rifle. With NATO’s adoption of the American-designed T65 cartridge, it was then redesigned for the then-brand new 7.62x51 mm NATO cartridge. The FAL had excellent ergonomics for a full-size “battle rifle” and a rear-locking tilting bolt and carrier system. The gas-operated FAL employed a robust piston, had an adjustable gas regulator and was capable of selective fire.

Adopted by 66 counties ranging from Abu Dhabi to Venezuela and produced by Fabrique Nationale in Belgium and under license in seven other countries, the FAL came to be called the “free world’s right arm.” Firearm historian, author and publisher R. Blake Stevens, said it was “The right gun at the right time, and it had to work well. And it did.” More so than other rifles on this list, the FN FAL was a creature of its time. “It was a good gun to start with and available to ministries of defense when they needed a new rifle,” said Stevens, “so it built up a head of steam.” More than 1.5 million FN FAL rifles, carbines and light machine guns were produced between 1953 and 1980 in both “metric” and “inch” patterns. Thankfully, it never served in a world war but acquitted itself well on both sides in the Falklands and in innumerable smaller conflicts. —Mark A. Keefe, IV