Influential Military Firearms Trivia Quiz

Answer: 45 ACP

The Colt 1911 was designed by John Browning to replace the revolvers that the US Military of the day was using. It was adopted in 1911, and served as the main sidearm for the US military until it was replaced by the Beretta 92F in 1985 (although it continued in use by some units).

The design continues to be in production and has hardly changed in more than 100 years. The material and means of production may have changed but the old warhorse continues to be carried by thousands.

Answer: 30-06

The M1 Garand was developed by John Garand for the US military, which adopted it as its standard service rifle in 1936. The first generally-issued semiautomatic service rifle, it is a clip-fed, gas-operated, 30-caliber weapon. The US military used it from World War II until it was replaced by the M14 in 1957, although it still saw use into the Vietnam War.

Answer: 9mm

The Luger, also known at the Pistole Parabellum or the P08 (once it was adopted by the German Military) was designed and patented by Georg Luger, who also invented the 9mm round that it fired. The Luger was the first semiautomatic pistol adopted by a military when it was adopted by the Swiss Army in 1900, although it is perhaps best known for its use by the German Army in both World Wars I and II.

Answer: 7.92 x 33

The Sturmgewehr 44 (StG 44) or the "assault rifle 44" was designed by Hugo Schmeisser and first produced by Germany in 1943. It is considered to be the first "assault rifle", or a select fire rifle that fires a medium cartridge. It fits the gap between a full size battle rifle and a pistol caliber submachine gun.

This weapon greatly influenced the design of the AK 47, although it was produced in too few numbers to have any effect on the outcome of World War II.

Answer: 7.62 x 51

The FN FAL (Fusil Automatique Léger in French or light automatic rifle in English) was a full size battle rifle designed by Dieudonné Saive and Ernest Vervier shortly after World War II. It went into full production in 1953 by FN Herstal in Belgium and would soon be called the "right arm of the free world" due to it being adopted by over 90 countries during the Cold War.

It served many nations in many climates until the trend of smaller caliber, smaller rifles began to take over. It was the standard issue weapon of both Argentina and the UK in the 1982 Falkland Islands War.

Answer: 9mm

The Glock 17 was designed by Gaston Glock in hopes of winning a contract to equip the Austrian Army in 1982. Mr Glock had no firearm manufacturing experience, his specialty was polymers. His was not the first handgun manufactured from polymer but it was the first to be successful. Glock has since expanded into all sizes and calibers of handguns. Glock holds a large percentage of the police market world wide, but it all started with his 9mm Glock 17.

Answer: 7.92×57mm

The Maschinengewehr 34 or MG 34 was a recoil-operated, gas-cooled machine gun adopted by the German military in 1934. It is considered the first General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG). It was light enough to be carried by one man and had a rate of fire up to 900 rounds per minute.

It and its simplified version the MG 42 was used very effectively by the Germans during World War II. It inspired many of today's GPMGs and is still in use by some countries.

Answer: .380 ACP

The FN Model 1910 was designed by John Browning and manufactured by FN Herstal for sale in Europe. It introduced a new location for the recoil spring which is still in use in some pistols today. The recoil spring surrounds the barrel. It was the pistol used by Gavrilo Princip to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria which was a trigger for the First World War.

Answer: 50 BMG

The M2 Browning Machine Gun (aka Ma Deuce) entered service with the US Military and continues to serve. John Browning was asked to design a larger machine gun than his 1919 that was in 30 caliber. He upsized the 30-06 round to a 50 caliber then upsized the 1919 to fire the round.

The 1921 was the first 50 cal machine gun, it was water cooled and heavy. It was redesigned into a air cooled and lighter model and eventually evolved into the M2 that still serves today. It armed most US warplanes during WWII. Today it serves as a support weapon for infantry, as a mounted weapon for vehicles and is mounted on ships for close in defense.

Answer: .577

The Martini-Henry was the first rifle designed from the beginning as a breech loader that fired a metallic cartridge adopted by the British Army. It was adopted in 1871 and served until World War I when it was replaced by the Lee Enfield. It served in many of the Colonial Wars and has even been found on the battlefields of today's conflict in the Middle East.

In late 2010 and early 2011, the US Marines recovered at least 3 Martini-Henrys from Taliban weapon caches in Afghanistan.