Rifles and Machine Guns in the New Brunswick Military History Museum (NBMHM)

Rifles and Machine Guns in the Collection of the New Brunswick Military History Museum, 5 Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown

(Author Photos except where otherwise credited)

.45 cal Thompson SMG, 9-mm Sterling SMG, .303-in Lewis Gun MG.

The majority of the military small arms found on this web page can be viewed in the New Brunswick Military History Museum (NBMHM) located with the 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick.  A few of the Automatic Weapons in the collection are shown above, being prepared for display in the NBMHM.  For details on the museum's activities and collection please view their website: http://nbmilitaryhistorymuseum.ca/en/new-brunswick-military-history-museum-home.html.

This page of selected small arms on display in the New Brunswick Military History Museum has been compiled by the author, a volunteer and one of  the Friends of the NBMHM.  Corrections, amendments and updates to the data on this page would be most welcome.  Additional photos of the tanks, artillery and major weapon systems and displays in New Brunswick may be viewed in the Armoured Fighting Vehicles preserved in Canada section and in the Artillery preserved in Canada sections on this website.  Other military weapons and historical artifacts on display in New Brunswick may be viewed on these webpages under the heading of New Brunswick Military Museums and Monuments.

Photos are by the Author unless otherwise credited.

‍New Brunswick Military History Museum, 5 Canadian Division Support Base ( 5 CDSB) Gagetown, Building A-5, Oromocto, New Brunswick, E2V 4J5.  506-422-1304.  [email protected].  Captain David Hughes, Executive Director, and Troy Middleton, Technical Advisor.   

NBMHM Website: http://nbmilitaryhistorymuseum.ca/en/new-brunswick-military-history-museum-home.html.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3241489)

Canadian .303-inch Vickers Machine Gunners, Vimy Ridge, 1917.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3238876)

A Vickers .303 machine-gun manned by PPCLI soldiers training in England, 3 Dec 1942.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199887)

Officers of The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (M.G.) with a Vickers Heavy Machine Gun, Lingfield, England, 8 April 1942.

Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun, a water-cooled .303-inch British machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army.  The machine gun typically required a six to eight-man team to operate: one fired, one fed the ammunition, the rest helped to carry the weapon, its ammunition and spare parts.  It was in service from before the First World War until the 1960s, with air-cooled versions of it on many Allied First World War fighter aircraft.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4292626)

RCAF Bristol Bolingbroke rear Gunner with his .303-inch machine-gun.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3583131)

Bristol Bolingbroke, RCAF, with Mk. III turret, 28 Jan 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3521946)

Canadian Lewis gunners shooting at German aircraft, July 1917.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3566425)

Soldiers of the 1st Battalion The Black Watch (RHR) of Canada, with a Lewis gun on board HMCS Ottawa, near Botwood, Newfoundland, 22 June 1940.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, PA-122515)

Capt Billy Bishop with Lewis Gun, Nieuport Aircraft, 1917.  Many British Empire air aces flew Nieuport fighters, including Canada's Billy Bishop, who received a Victoria Cross while flying it, and Albert Ball, V.C. who often hunted alone in his Nieuport.

‍

Lewis guns .303-inch (or Lewis automatic machine gun or Lewis automatic rifle).  The Lewis Gun is a First World War-era light machine gun of American design that was perfected and widely used by the British Empire.  It was first used in combat in the First World War, and continued in service with a number of armed forces through to the end of the Korean War.  It has a wide tubular cooling shroud around the barrel, often omitted in when used on aircraft, and a top-mounted drum-pan magazine.  It was commonly used as an aircraft machine gun, almost always with the cooling shroud removed, during both world wars.  The Lewis gun with the carrying handle is on loan to the NBMHM from the NBM in Saint John.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3227107)

Private Danny Dafoe with a Thompson SMG by his side and Lance-Corporal L.H. MacWilliam, both of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, in a slit trench, Spinete, Italy, ca. 22-23 October 1943.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3592340)

Canadian soldier with Thompson SMG and German PW captured during the Dieppe raid, 19 Aug 1942.  

Thompson submachine-gun, two versions in the museum.  The Thompson is an American .45 calibre submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1918.  The Thompson had excellent ergonomics, compactness, fired a large .45 ACP cartridge, had reliability and high volume of automatic fire. While it weighed just under 5 kilograms it could handle 50 or 100 round drum magazines. Over one million were produced during the Second World War.

Paul M. Ripley, a private collector has shown members of the museum his collection of four Thompson SMGs. One of these Thompson SMGs is stamped with the Royal Arrowhead. These Thompsons were destined for the UK, but apparently a few were sent to Canada for use by the Veteran's Guard, guarding Prisoners of War (PW) in Canada.  The same collector also had a Thompson chambered to fire 9-mm rounds so captured German ammunition could be used.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No.

RCAC soldiers armed with Thompson SMGs, training in the UK, ca 1943.  (Although both have their fingers on the trigger - not good, neither of them has a magzine on their Thompson)

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3191599)

Agnes Wong of Whitecourt, Alberta, assembles a Sten gun produced for China at the Long Branch, Ontario, Small Arms Ltd. plant, April 1944. Sten guns were a family of British-made machine guns that saw widespread use in the Second World War. The Sten is a blowback-operated submachine gun that became incredibly popular thanks to its simple, cheaply-made design. At first, it was used by insurgency groups throughout Europe. By the end of the war, however, it became the second-most produced submachine gun used by Allied troops around the world.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3196070)

Sten gun being examined at the Long Branch manufacturing plant, Ontario, c1942.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3226042)

Sten gun magazines being reloaded, Munderloh, Germany, 29 Apr 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3226174)

A Canadian soldier armed with a Sten gun, riding on a captured German half-track, Caen, France, 10 Jul 1944.

STEN (or Sten) guns.  The STEN is a family of British 9 mm submachine-guns used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout the Second World War and the Korean War.  They were notable for having a simple design and very low production cost making them effective insurgency weapons for resistance groups.  STEN is an acronym, from the names of the weapon's chief designers, Major Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold Turpin, and EN for Enfield.  Over 4 million Stens in various versions were made in the 1940s.  Mk. III variants were produced in Canada.  The STEN gun in Canadian service was replaced by the C1 SMG.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607604)

Soldier firing a Sten gun.

C1 9-mm Sterling Submachine-gun.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235912)

LdSH patrol, UN, Cyprus, 9-mm Sterling SMG, ca 1960s.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3195829)

Finished Bren gun sitting on a table top at the John Inglis Co. Bren gun plant, 10 May 1941. The Bren featured a 30-round magazine. It saw a variety of uses during the Second World War, including use as an anti-aircraft gun, and remains a potent symbol thanks to its unique top-side magazine. While the British produced the Sten, it was designed by Václav Holek and named after Brno, a Czech facility, and the location of the British Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, United Kingdom.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3193596)

Female workers Kay Grove and Pat Kling of Toronto, Ontario, check tags of Bren guns bound for China at the John Inglis Co. plant, April 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3194848)

Veronica (Ronnie) Foster, employee of the John Inglis Co. and known as "The Bren Gun Girl", poses with a finished Bren gun in front of a poster of Winston Churchill at the John Inglis Co. Bren gun plant, 10 May 1941.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3197327)

Workman John Hawkins of Toronto checks the tags of Bren guns destined for China at the John Inglis Co. plant, April 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4232983)

Soldier cradling a Bren Gun, c1943.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3000602)

Canadian soldier firing a Bren Gun.

 (Vancouver City Archives Photo, AM1184-S3-: CVA 1184-127)

Bren Gun training, British Columbia, 30 Mar 1942.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3230704)

Canadian soldiers serving a Bren Gun, 3rd LAA Regt, RCA, Antwerp, Belgium, 30 Sep 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4485890)

Twin .303-inch Bren guns serving in the anti-aircraft role at sea in the Mediterranean, 1943.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3529250)

Private J.E. LeBlanc, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, cleaning his Bren gun in a foxhole in the Hochwald, Germany, 5 March 1945,

Bren Gun .303-inch light machine-gun.  Usually called simply the Bren, it is one of a series of light machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991.  The Bren was a modified version of Czechoslovak-designed light machine guns, the ZB vz. 26 and its descendants, which British Army officials had tested during a firearms service competition in the 1930s.  The later Bren featured a distinctive top-mounted curved box magazine, conical flash hider and quick change barrel.  The name Bren was derived from Brno, Moravia, the Czechoslovak city where the Zb vz. 26 was originally designed (in Zbrojovka Brno Factory), and Enfield, site of the British Royal Small Arms Factory.  The Mk. II was produced in Canada by John Inglis and Company.  A contract was signed with the British and Canadian governments in March 1938 to supply 5,000 Bren machine guns to Great Britain and 7,000 Bren machine guns to Canada.  Both countries shared the capital costs of bringing in this new production facility.  Production started in 1940, and by 1943 Inglis was producing 60% of the world output of Bren machine guns.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3378957)

First Special Service Force (FSSF) soldiers with Browning 30. cal GPMG, Anzio beachhead, Italy, 27 Apr 1944.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3358102)

Browning .30 cal GPMG, Calgary Highlanders, Universal Carrier armed with a Browning .30 cal GPMG, Calgary Highlanders, Doetinchem, Netherlands, 1 Apr 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235754)

C5 GPMG being fired from an M113 C & R Lynx, Germany, 1964.

C5 GPMG, based on the M1919 Browning .30 calibre air-cooled medium machine gun.  Many M1919s were rechambered for the new 7.62×51mm NATO round and served into the 1990s.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235713)

Browning .50 cal MG Section, c1950s.

Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun, (aka M2 Machine Gun), a heavy machine gun designed towards the end of the First World War by John Browning.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3257117)

Lifebuoy Flamethrower, Balgerhoek, Belgium, 4 Oct 1944. The NBMHM would like to acquire one of these for its collection.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524539)

A Lifebuoy flamethrower, Xanten, Germany, 10 Mar 1945.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235958)

Royal Canadian Dragoons Reconnaissance Squadron Trooper on UN Duty with 7.62-mm FN C1 Rifle, observing the Turkish North side from Mount St Hilarion, Cyprus.

Canadian 7.62-mm FN C1 Rifles. Fabrique Nationale (FN) Herstal. It was the first semi-automatic rifle adopted by the Canadian Army and saw service from 1955 to 1985. Canada was also the first NATOcountry to use the rifle, which was later used by many militaries around the world. Replacing the Lee-0Enfield, the C1 was itself later replaced by the C7 and C8. Canada conducted experiments with the Belgian FN FAL. Canadian designers notably converted the metric design to imperial measurements. The Belgian design was also modified to Canadian specifications. Rather than only acquiring a few test models, Canada quickly ordered 2,000 rifles to conduct significant troop trials. In 1954, the rifle was adopted as the FN C1. The British and Australians also selected the FN FAL, based partly on successful Canadian experiments with the rifle. The FN C1 only had a semi-automatic fire mode. The FN C1 weighs 4.22 kg empty and is around 1.14 m long, with a barrel length of 53.4 cm. Chambered for 7.62x51 cartridges, the rifle uses a 20-round magazine. Unlike other FAL models, the magazine could be filled from the top using 5-round clips. A uniquely Canadian modification was the “Arctic trigger,” which allowed the standard trigger guard to be removed so the rifle could be fired while wearing heavy Arctic mittens. The C1 can be fitted with a bayonet and a grenade launcher. A blank-firing attachment (BFA) can be fitted to the end of the barrel to permit the firing blank ammunition on training exercises. The BFA serves two purposes: it prevents any unexpended blank material from escaping from the barrel (and possibly injuring someone) and forces gases back down the barrel to automatically recycle the next round to be fired. Canadian Arsenals Limited in Toronto produced 80,000 to 90,000 rifles under licence from FN. Of these, 72,470 were contracted to the Department of National Defence. The RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police also used the C1 with slight modifications. The FN C1 remained the standard rifle of the Canadian Armed Forces from its first production in 1955 until its replacement in 1985. By far the rifle’s biggest user was the Canadian Army. (The Canadian Encyclopedia)

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4314352)

Cleaning an FN C1 rifle.

Canadian 7.62-mm FN C2 Rifles. The C2 is a fully automatic light machine gun version of the C1. It replaced the Bren light machine gun as the standard infantry section support weapon. The C2 has a heavier barrel than the C1, a folding bipod and a 30-round magazine. The C1D was a fully automatic version of the C1 produced for naval boarding parties. The navy found the C2 too cumbersome for use aboard ships as they performed searches of suspect vessels.

The C1 and C2 were replaced in 1985. The C1 was replaced by two rifles, both of which fire 5.56 mm ammunition on either single or automatic. The C7 rifle is the personal weapon used by most service personnel. The C8 carbine automatic rifle is a shortened version of the C7, used when a more compact weapon is required by some personnel. This includes vehicle drivers, artillery crews, airborne troops and special operations personnel. The C2 was replaced by the C9 light machine gun, which also fires 5.56 mm ammunition, normally in a disintegrating belt of 200 rounds. It can also fire a 30-round magazine in emergencies.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235844)

FN C2 with advanced scope. The C1 could be turned into a sniper rifle by the addition of a Sniper Scope C1, based on a scope made by German manufacturer Leitz. The company built a plant in Midland, Ontariol, to manufacture the scopes. In 1959, Canada bought 305 scopes as part of the same order for the bulk of the rifles. The scope could be quickly attached to any rifle without the use of special tools.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3559780)

Russian 9-mm PPsH submachine-gun presented to HMCS Athabaskan, 11 May 1953.

Russian 9mm PPsH submachine-gun. The PPSh-41 (Пистоле́т-пулемёт Шпа́гина-41), ('Shpagin's machine-pistol-41') is a selective-fire, open-bolt, blowback submachine gun that fires the 7.62×25mm Tokarev round. It was designed by Georgy Shpagin of the Soviet Union to be a cheaper and simplified alternative to the PPD-40.The PPSh-41 saw extensive combat during World War II and the Korean War. It became one of the major infantry weapons of the Red Army during the Second World War, with about six million PPSh-41s manufactured during the period.The firearm is made largely of stamped steel, and can be loaded with either a box or drum magazine.

The PPSh-41 fires the standard Soviet pistol and submachine gun cartridge, the 7.62×25mm Tokarev. Weighing approximately 12 pounds (5.45 kg) with a loaded 71-round drum and 9.5 pounds (4.32 kg) with a loaded 35-round box magazine. The PPSh is capable of a rate of about 1250 rounds per minute, a very high rate of fire in comparison to most other military submachine guns of the Second World War. It is a durable, low-maintenance weapon made of low-cost, easily obtained components, primarily stamped sheet metal and wood. The final production PPShs have top ejection and an L type rear sight that can be adjusted for ranges of 100 and 200 meters. A crude compensator is built into the barrel jacket, intended to reduce muzzle climb during automatic fire. The compensator was moderately successful in this respect, but it greatly increased the muzzle flash and report of the weapon. The PPSh also has a hinged receiver to facilitate field-stripping and cleaning the weapon.A chrome-lined bore enables the PPSh to withstand both corrosive ammunition and long intervals between cleaning. No forward grip or forearm was provided, and the operator generally has to grasp the weapon behind the drum magazine with the supporting hand, or else hold the lower edge of the drum magazine. Though 35-round curved box magazines were available from 1942, the average Soviet infantryman in the Second World War carried the PPSh with the original 71-round drum magazine.Although the PPSh drum magazine holds 71 rounds, misfeeding is likely to occur with more than about 65. In addition to feed issues, the drum magazine is slower and more complicated to load with ammunition than the later 35-round box magazine that increasingly supplemented the drum after 1942. While holding fewer rounds, the box magazine does have the advantage of providing a superior hold for the supporting hand. Although the PPSh is equipped with a sliding bolt safety, the weapon's open-bolt design still presents a risk of accidental discharge if the gun is dropped on a hard surface. (Wikipedia)

Russian SVD Dragunov sniper rifle(СВД снайперская винтовка Драгунова), is a semi-automatic designated marksman rifle/sniper rifle chambered in the 7.62×54mmR cartridge, developed in the Soviet Union. The SVD was designed to serve in a squad support role to provide precise long-range engagement capabilities to ordinary troops following the Warsaw Pact adoption of the 7.62×39mm intermediate cartridge and assault rifles as standard infantry weapon systems. At the time, NATO used battle rifles chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO fully powered cartridge as standard infantry weapon systems and had not yet adopted an intermediate cartridge and assault rifle of their own, allowing them to outrange their Warsaw Pact counterparts.The SVD was developed through 1958–1963 and selected as the winner of a contest that included three competing groups of designers, led by Sergei Simonov (prototype rejected in April 1960), Aleksandr Konstantinov, and Yevgeny Dragunov. Extensive field testing of the rifles conducted in a wide range of environmental conditions (Konstantinov's competing 2B-W-10 prototype was simpler and cheaper but tested less accurate, durable and reliable) resulted in Dragunov's proposal chambered for the 7.62×54mmR fully powered cartridge being accepted into service in July 1963.[5] An initial pre-production batch consisting of 200 rifles was assembled for evaluation purposes, and from 1964 serial production was carried out by Izhmash, later called Kalashnikov Concern.The Chukavin SVCh is intended to replace the SVD in Russian service. Since then, the SVD has become the standard squad support weapon of several countries, including those of the former Warsaw Pact. China produced a copy of the SVD through reverse-engineered samples captured during the Sino-Vietnamese War as the Type 79 and 85.[6] Iran also produced a clone, the Nakhjir 3, which was a direct copy of the Chinese Type 79.In Russian service, the SVD is to be replaced with the Chukavin SVCh sniper/designated marksman rifle. In February 2023 it was reported that the Chukavin SVCh began to be mass-produced by Kalashnikov Concern. When chambered for the 7.62×54mmR the Chukavin SVCh uses SVD compatible box magazines.In Ukrainian service, the SVD was largely replaced in the sniping role with Western sniper rifles chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum or 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges and anti-materiel rifles such as the Barrett M107A1. The domestically produced UAR-10 sniper rifle is also replacing the SVD in Ukrainian military and law enforcement units. According to McNab, the SVD remains in service with Ukrainian forces in the designated marksman rifle role. (Wikipedia)

(Yakov Davidzon (TASS Photo Chronicle)

Russian carrying a  7.62-mm Degtyaryov light machine-gun in the Kharkov region, Ukraine, USSR. Partisan machine gunner, Komsomol member P.K.Musienko, 1943.

Two 7.62-mm Degtyaryov light machine-guns (LMG), (minus their ammunition drums).

The Degtyaryov machine gun (Пулемёт Дегтярёва Пехотный), (Degtyaryov's infantry machine gun) or DP-27/DP-28 is a light machine gun firing the 7.62×54mmR cartridge that was primarily used by the Soviet Union, with service trials starting in 1927, followed by general deployment in 1928.Besides being the standard Soviet infantry light machine gun (LMG) during the Second World War, with various modifications it was used in aircraft as a flexible defensive weapon, and it was equipped on almost all Soviet tanks in the war as either a flexible bow machine gun or a co-axial machine gun controlled by the gunner. It was improved in 1943 producing the DPM, but it was replaced in 1946 with the RP-46 which improved on the basic DP design by converting it to use belt feed. The DP machine gun was supplemented in the 1950s by the more modern RPD machine gun and entirely replaced in Soviet service by the general purpose PK machine gun in the 1960s. (Wikipedia)

Russian 7.92-mm RPK LMG.

The RPK (Ручной пулемёт Калашникова/РПК), Kalashnikov's hand-held machine gun"), sometimes inaccurately termed the RPK-47, is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine gun that was developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s, in parallel with the AKM assault rifle. It was created to standardize the small arms inventory of the Soviet Army, where it replaced the 7.62×39mm RPD machine gun. The RPK continues to be used by the military of the post-Soviet states and several African and Asian nations. The RPK is also manufactured in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia. The RPK functions identically to the AK-47. It also uses the same 7.62×39mm ammunition. It has a similar design layout to the Kalashnikov series of rifles, with modifications to increase the RPK's effective range and accuracy, enhance its sustained fire capability, and strengthen the receiver. The RPK features a thicker and longer barrel than the AKM. This allows for it to be fired for longer without permanent loss in accuracy due to the barrel heating up. The chrome-lined barrel is permanently fixed to the receiver and cannot be replaced in the field. It is fitted with a new front sight base, and the gas block lacks both a bayonet lug and an under-barrel cleaning rod guide. The barrel also features a folding bipod mounted near the muzzle, and a front sight base with a lug that limits the bipod's rotation around the axis of the barrel. The barrel has a threaded muzzle, enabling the use of muzzle devices such as flash hiders, compensators, and blank-firing adapters. When a muzzle device is not being used, the threads on the muzzle can be covered by a thread protector. The barrel is pinned to the receiver in a modified trunnion, reinforced by ribbing, and is slightly wider than the trunnion used on the standard AKM type rifles. Symmetrical bulges on both sides of the front trunnion ensure a proper fit inside the receiver.The U-shaped receiver is stamped from a smooth 1.5 mm (0.06 in) sheet of steel compared to the 1.0 mm (0.04 in) sheet metal receiver used on the standard AKM rifles. It uses a modified AKM recoil spring assembly that consists of a rear spring guide rod from the AK and a new forward flat guide rod and coil spring. It features a thick laminated wood foregrip and a fixed laminated wood "club-foot" buttstock similar to the stock used on the RPD, which is designed to allow the user to fire from the prone position more comfortably.[6] It uses a standard AKM pistol grip and can also use standard AKM detachable box magazines, but it is most commonly used with a 40-round box magazine or a 75-round drum magazine. Interchangeability of parts between the RPK and AKM are moderate. (Wikipedia)

Small arms from other nations

China, 7.62-mm Norinco 87S (RPK) LMG, with a bipod and 40-round box magazine.

China, 7.62-mm Norinco Type 56, SKSD Rifle with folding bayonet. The SKS (Самозарядный карабин системы Симонова) (self-loading carbine of the Simonov system') is a semi-automatic rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov in the 1940s.The SKS was first produced in the Soviet Union but was later widely exported and manufactured by various nations. Its distinguishing characteristics include a permanently attached folding bayonet and a hinged, fixed magazine. As the SKS lacked select-fire capability and its magazine was limited to ten rounds, it was rendered obsolete in the Soviet Armed Forces by the introduction of the AK-47 in the 1950s. Nevertheless, SKS carbines continued to see service with the Soviet Border Troops and second-line and reserve army units for decades.The SKS was manufactured at Tula Arsenal from 1949 to 1958, and at the Izhevsk Arsenal from 1953 to 1954. Altogether, the Soviet Union produced 2.7 million SKS carbines. Throughout the Cold War, millions of additional SKS carbines and their derivatives were also manufactured under license in the People's Republic of China, as well as a number of countries allied with the Eastern Bloc. The SKS was exported in vast quantities and found favour with insurgent forces around the world as a light, handy weapon which was adequate for guerrilla warfare despite its conventional limitations.Beginning in 1988, millions have also been sold on the civilian market in North America, where they remain popular as hunting and sporting rifles.After negotiations between Mao Zedong and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet Union agreed to transfer the technology for the SKS, as well as the AK-47 and the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Parallel production lines for the SKS and the AK-47 were set up in China the following year. Chinese production of the SKS continued for decades after it ceased in the Soviet Union, and over nine million had been manufactured as the Type 56 carbine in that country by the 1980s. Eighty Chinese factories eventually tooled up to produce the Type 56 carbine, although the primary production line was established at the Jianshe Machine Tool Factory, officially designated Factory 296. The Chinese carbines were mostly identical to the Soviet weapon, although their receivers were produced with carbon steel rather than the Soviet specified chrome-nickel alloy steel. Over the course of production, the Type 56 carbine was also manufactured with a greater percentage of stamped as opposed to machined parts. (Wikipedia)

China, 7.62-mm Type 54, copy of Soviet PPS 43 SMG.

The PPS (ППС – "Пистолет-пулемёт Судаева), (Sudayev's submachine-gun) is a family of Soviet submachine guns chambered in 7.62×25mm Tokarev, developed by Alexei Sudayev as a low-cost personal defense weapon for reconnaissance units, vehicle crews and support service personnel.The PPS and its variants were used extensively by the Red Army during the Second World War and were later adopted by the armed forces of several countries of the former Warsaw Pact as well as its many African and Asian allies.

The PPS is an automatic blowback-operated weapon that fires from an open bolt. The bolt is cylindrical in shape and contains a spring-loaded claw extractor, which pulls the empty case out of the chamber to be ejected. The ejector is mounted at the head of the recoil spring guide rod, which runs through a hole in the bolt. The charging handle is integral to the bolt and is located on the right side; it reciprocates during firing. Early versions of the PPS had a fixed but replaceable firing pin, held in place by the extractor spring. Pulling the trigger releases the bolt, which moves forward, stripping a round from the magazine, chambering it and striking the primer in one motion.

The PPS has a trigger mechanism that allows only fully automatic fire and a manual safety that secured them against accidental discharges. When in the "safe" position (engaged by sliding a metal bar forward of the trigger guard), both the bolt and trigger are disabled.The weapon is fed from curved 35-round box magazines. They are not interchangeable with magazines used in the PPSh-41, nor can the gun use drum magazines. The PPS-43 magazine was significantly improved over the magazine from the PPSh-41, which contributed to greater reliability. The largest change being the transition to a "Double-Feed" design, so the double-stacked rounds are not bottle-necked into a single-stack at the feed lips. Like the PPSh-41, it is chambered for the 7.62×25mm Tokarev M1930 pistol cartridge.The submachine gun's rifled barrel (with 4 right-hand grooves) is mounted in a perforated sheet metal heat guard and is equipped with a crude muzzle brake, consisting of a strip of steel bent into a U-shape that deflects exiting muzzle gases to the sides and backwards, thus compensating for recoil.A folding stock is attached to the receiver with a spring-loaded catch button on the top. The stock folds up and over the receiver top cover and the weapon can be fired in this arrangement. The submachine gun also has a pistol grip but was not provided with a forward grip as the magazine well was intended to fulfill this role. The PPS was usually supplied with two magazine pouches, an oil bottle, bore brush and sling.The PPS-43 was highly cost effective and easy to manufacture due to its efficient and simple, largely sheet metal design. Despite its crudeness, it has been described as controllable and reliable. (Wikipedia)

East Germany, 7.62-mm MPi-AK-47 Assault Rifle.

East Germany, 7.62-mm MPi-AK-74N.

East Germany, 7.62-mm MPi-KMS side folding stock Assault Rifle.

France, 8-mm Berthier Lebel M16 Carbine.

France, 7.5-mm MAS-36G1 Rifle (top) and MAS-36 Rifle.

France, 7.5-mm MAS-49 semi-automatic Rifle.

German First World War Small Arms

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3404923)

Canadian soldiers examining a captured German 9-mm MP 18 Bergmann SMG, Amiens, France, Aug 1918.

German 9-mm MP 18 Bergmann SMG preserved in the New Maryland branch of the NBMHM.

The MP 18 manufactured by Theodor Bergmann, Abteilung Waffenbau was the first submachine gun used in combat.  It was introduced into service in 1918 by the Germany Army during the First World War as the primary weapon of the Sturmtruppen, assault groups which specialized in trench combat.  Although MP 18 production ended in the 1920s, its design formed the basis of most submachine guns manufactured between 1920 and 1960.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No.  3250984)

Canadian with a German Mauser rifle examining a captured German Spandau Maxim schweres Maschinen Gewehr 08 (MG 08) heavy machine gun, Nieuport, Belgium.  

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522120)

Canadians examining a captured German 7.92-mm MG 08-15, France, Mar 1918.

Germany, 7.92-mm Spandau Maxim leichtes Maschinen Gewehr 08/15 (MG 08/15) light machine gun.  Two are held in the NBMHM.

German Second World War Small Arms

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3211669)

German rifles surrendered to Canadians being stacked for storage, Ijmuiden, Netherlands, 11 May 1945.

Germany, 7.92-mm Gewehr 98 Mauser Rifles.

Germany, 7.92-mm Gewehr 43 or Karabiner 43 (G43, K43, Gew 43, Kar 43), semi-automatic rifle.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396194)

Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlander soldier armed with a German 9-mm MP 40 submachine-gun storming a building in Caen, France, 10 Jul 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396063)

Canadian and First Special Service Force, with captured German and Italian automatic weapons in the Anzio beachhead, Italy, 20 April 1944.

Germany, 9-mm MP 40 submachine-gun.  The German MP40, or “Maschinenpistole .40” evolved out of the prone-to-misfire MP38. Once a small but notable innovation was made to the submachine gun's hammer, the MP40 came of age. Karabiner 98K rifles were issued to German soldiers until the Battle of Stalingrad, where they quickly became outgunned by Soviet troops in close-quarter urban combat. In response, the German army issued MP 40s to entire platoons. Much like the Luger, it became a prized weapon to be captured by A troops.

Germany, 7.92-mm Sturmgewehr 43/44 (StG44, MP 43, MP 44) Assault Rifle.  This weapon was on loan to the NBMHM from the NBM, in Saint John.  It was returned in June 2014.  

Germany, 7.92-mm Maschinengewehr 34 (MG 34) machine gun.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4232837)

Canadian soldiers inspect a captured German MG34 machine gun.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No.)

Canadian soldiers inspect a captured German MG34 machine gun.

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Germany, 7.92-mm Maschinengewehr 42 (MG 42), and 7.92-mm Maschinengewehr 34 (MG 34) machine gun comparison.

(Author Photo)

Germany, 7.92-mm Maschinengewehr 42 (MG 42), machine gun. An MG-38 is shown in the centre for comparison.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3409521)

Soldiers with the Regina Rifles examining German weapons, Zyfflich, Germany, 9 Feb 1945.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3525813)

Canadian soldier examining a captured German 7.92-mm MG 42, Brettevukke-Orgueilleuse, France, 20 June 1944.

Germany, 7.62-mm MG 81 quadruple AA machine-gun mount.

 (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3394409)

Royal Canadian Navy, naval rating loading an ammunition drum onto a Hispano 20-mm anti-aircraft gun aboard a warship, Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 1941.

Spain, 20-mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Autocannon.

Denmark, 20-mm Madsen Cannon M/38 Heavy machine gun, stamped with the Nazi occupation marks.

Israel, 5.56-mm IMI Galil Assault Rifle.

Israel, .62-mm 7FN FAL Rifle.

Italian Second World War small arms

Italy, Carcano bolt action Rifle.

Italy, Mannlicher M1895 bolt action Rifle.

Italy, 9-mm Beretta MAB 38 submachine-gun.

Japanese Second World War display inside the NBMHM.

Japanese Officer Gunto Swords.

Japanese Second World War Small Arms

Japan, 7.7-mm Arisaka Type 38 Rifles.

Japan, 7.7-mm Arisaka Type 99 short Rifle.

Japan, 7.7-mm Nambu Type 99 light machine gun.  This LMG is currently preserved in the New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, New Brunswick.

Foreign weapons in the NBMHM collection

Poland, 7.62-mm AK-47.

Sweden & Egypt, 6.5-mm Hakim AG-42 Ljungman Rifles.

USA .30 cal M1 Carbines, (Universal M1).

USA, .22 cal Quackenbush MM Junior Safety Rifle.

USA, .30-06 cal M1 Garand Rifle. The M1 Garand Rifle was the standard service rifle for American troops during the Second World War. Designed by John Garand, the M1 rifle used expanding gasses to propel bullets like a steam engine. Once the United States entered the war, demand for the M1 grew exponentially. During peak production, the Springfield Armory was making 164 rifles an hour.

USA, .30-06 M1918 Browing Automatic Rifles.

USA, .45 cal M3A1 SMG.

USA, 5.56-mm Colt Commando M16A1 Assault Rifle.

USA, 5.56-mm M16A2 with M203 grenade launcher.

USA, 7.62-mm M14 Rifle.

Yugoslavia, 7.62-mm Simonov M59.66 (SKS) Rifle.

The NBMHM is missing a number significant items from its collection of Canadian small arms, including the Boys Anti-Tank Rifle, a Portable Infantry Anti-Tank (PIAT) projector and an M41 Johnson light machine-gun among others.

(IWM Photo)

Blacksmith armorers use their forge to work on a Boys anti-tank rifle and other various weapons including a Bren light machine guns (LMG) and Lee Enfield SMLE Mk. III rifle, December 1939.

The Boys anti-tank rifle (officially Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55in, is a British anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War. It was often nicknamed the "elephant gun" by its users due to its size and large 0.55 in (14 mm) bore. There were three main versions of the Boys: an early model (Mk. I) which had a circular muzzle brake and T-shaped monopod, built primarily at BSA in England; a later model (Mk I*) built primarily at the John Inglis and Company in Toronto, Ontario, that had a rectangular muzzle brake and a V-shaped bipod; and a third model made for airborne forces with a 30-inch (762 mm) barrel and no muzzle brake. There were also different cartridges, with a later version offering better penetration.[citation needed]Although adequate against light tanks and tankettes in the early part of the war, the Boys was ineffective against heavier armour and was phased out in favour of the PIAT hollow charge weapon mid-war. (Wikipedia)

(Nousiainen - finna.fi Photo)

Boys anti-tank rifle SA-kuva.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3599769)

Soldier carrying a Boys Anti-Tank Rifle disembarking from HMCS Bayfield during an exercise, 21 September 1942.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3593048)

Soldier of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada, who is armed with a Boys anti-tank rifle, taking part in a training exercise, Bognor Regis, England, 7 April 1942.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3378973)

First Special Service Force (FSSF) soldiers with M41 Johnson LMG, Anzio beachhead, Italy, 27 Apr 1944.

NBMHM Small arms collection, German Panzerschreck AT Rocket Launcher with blast shield, MG 34 machine gun, G98 Mauser bolt action rifle.

NBMHM Small arms collection, 2-inch Mortar, .303 Bren Gun, 9-mm Sten Gun, .45 cal Thompson SMG, .45 cal M3 SMG, .303 Lee  Enfield rifle.

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