The United States Marine Corps Rifle Creed represents the relationship between soldiers and their weapon. One part says, “My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless.” Though it was written in World War II, its significance and meaning is still instilled in training today.
The U.S. Marine Corps uses a variety of firearms in its arsenal when carrying out missions. From rifles to sidearms to sniper rifles, each weapon contributes to the Marines fighting force’s effectiveness.
To identify the standard-issue guns of the U.S. Marine Corps, 24/7 Wall St. referenced a catalog of Marine firearms from Military Factory. We ordered these guns by the time they entered the service and included supplemental information regarding type of firearm, range, caliber, and manufacturer, also from Military Factory.
Most of the weapons that appear on this list are rifles, historically fitting with this branch of the military, considering the saying that “Every Marine is a rifleman” regardless of their military occupational specialty. Another notable fact about this arsenal is that the ammunition is interchangeable between a fair amount of these guns, namely the 5.56x45mm NATO and 7.62x51mm NATO rounds that can service multiple guns. (These are the 26 guns in the U.S. Army arsenal.)
One of the most commonly used rifles in the Marine Corps is the M4 Carbine. A compact variant of the M16A2 rifle, the M4 is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, select-fire weapon. Its reduced size makes it ideal for close-quarter battles. Despite this smaller size, the M4 does not compromise on range and accuracy. The gun is also highly modular allowing for the easy attachment of accessories to suit any combat scenario.
For close-quarter combat situations, the Marines also rely on the Benelli M1014. This semi-automatic shotgun is the first gas-operated shotgun made by Benelli. It fires 12-gauge shells, which have high stopping power at close range, and it has seen consistent combat action throughout the Global War on Terror, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle is one of the most recently adopted guns by the Marine Corps. The M27 is based on the Heckler & Koch HK416 platform and is a fairly accurate and highly modular firearm. Its 5.56x45mm NATO rounds, the same as the M4 and M16, provide a consistency in ammunition across platforms. (Also see, the guns used by the U.S. Green Berets.)
The Marines have acted as the vanguard force in every military conflict since the founding of the United States, according to the USMC Heritage, using handguns, rifles, shotguns, snipers, and more. Here is a look at the guns used by the U.S. Marine Corps.
Click here to see the US marines’ standard issue guns.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
27. M72 LAW
> Type: Anti-tank rocket launcher
> Year: 1963
> Maximum effective range: 1,640 ft.
> Caliber: 66mm
> Manufacturer: Talley Industries
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26. Heckler & Koch HK MP5
> Type: Submachine gun
> Year: 1966
> Maximum effective range: 660 ft.
> Caliber: 9×19 parabellum
> Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
25. Remington M40
> Type: Bolt-action sniper rifle
> Year: 1966
> Maximum effective range: 3,280 ft.
> Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
> Manufacturer: Remington Arms
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
24. Saco Mk 19
> Type: Automatic grenade launcher
> Year: 1967
> Maximum effective range: 4,500 ft.
> Caliber: 40x53mm
> Manufacturer: Saco Defense Industries
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
23. M21 Sniper Weapon System
> Type: Semi-automatic sniper rifle
> Year: 1969
> Maximum effective range: 2,263 ft.
> Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
> Manufacturer: Rock Island Arsenal
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
22. Mossberg Model 590
> Type: Pump-action shotgun
> Year: 1975
> Maximum effective range: 130 ft.
> Caliber: 12-gauge
> Manufacturer: O.S. Mossberg & Sons
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
21. Fabrique Nationale M240
> Type: General purpose machine gun
> Year: 1977
> Maximum effective range: 5,905 ft.
> Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
> Manufacturer: FN Manufacturing
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
20. M202 Flash
> Type: Shoulder-fired incendiary rocket launcher
> Year: 1978
> Maximum effective range: 66 ft.
> Caliber: 66mm
> Manufacturer: State Factories
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
19. FIM-92 Stinger
> Type: Air defense missile system
> Year: 1981
> Maximum effective range: 15,750 ft.
> Caliber: 70mm
> Manufacturer: General Dynamics / Raytheon
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
18. Fabrique Nationale M249 SAW / LMG
> Type: Light machine gun
> Year: 1984
> Maximum effective range: 2,600 ft.
> Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO, 7.62x51mm NATO
> Manufacturer: FN Manufacturing
17. Colt M45 MEU (SOC)
> Type: Special forces semi-automatic service pistol
> Year: 1986
> Maximum effective range: 165 ft.
> Caliber: .45 ACP
> Manufacturer: Colt Manufacturing
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Source: usairforce / Flickr
16. M136 Light Anti-Armor Weapon (AT4)
> Type: Anti-armor rocket launcher
> Year: 1987
> Maximum effective range: 985 ft.
> Caliber: 84mm
> Manufacturer: Alliant TechSystems
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
15. SIG-Sauer P228
> Type: Semi-automatic pistol
> Year: 1988
> Maximum effective range: 165 ft.
> Caliber: 9x19mm parabellum
> Manufacturer: SIG-Sauer
Source: Tivoly / iStock via Getty Images
14. Beretta M9
> Type: Semi-automatic service pistol
> Year: 1990
> Maximum effective range: 164 ft.
> Caliber: 9×19 parabellum
> Manufacturer: Beretta
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Source: zim286 / iStock via Getty Images
13. Colt M16A4
> Type: Automatic rifle
> Year: 1990
> Maximum effective range: 1,968 ft.
> Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
> Manufacturer: Colt Manufacturing
Source: Bulgac / iStock via Getty Images
12. M4 Carbine
> Type: Assault carbine
> Year: 1994
> Maximum effective range: 1,640 ft.
> Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
> Manufacturer: Colt Manufacturing / Remington Arms
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
11. FGM-148 Javelin
> Type: Anti-tank guided missile launcher
> Year: 1996
> Maximum effective range: 8,202 ft.
> Caliber: 127mm
> Manufacturer: Raytheon / Lockheed Martin
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
10. Benelli M4 Super 90 (M1014 JSCS)
> Type: Semi-automatic combat shotgun
> Year: 1999
> Maximum effective range: 164 ft.
> Caliber: 12-gauge
> Manufacturer: Benelli Armi
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
9. Navy Mark 12 Special Purpose Rifle
> Type: Designated marksman rifle
> Year: 2002
> Maximum effective range: 1,800 ft.
> Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
> Manufacturer: Colt Manufacturing / Knights Armament Company
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
8. Fabrique National Mk 48 LWMG
> Type: Light weight machine gun
> Year: 2003
> Maximum effective range: 2,624 ft.
> Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
> Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
7. M32 MGL
> Type: Six-shot grenade launcher
> Year: 2006
> Maximum effective range: 1,315 ft.
> Caliber: 40x46mm grenade
> Manufacturer: Milkor USA
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
6. M110 SASS
> Type: Designated marksman rifle
> Year: 2007
> Maximum effective range: 2,624 ft.
> Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
> Manufacturer: Knight’s Armament
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
5. M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle
> Type: Designated marksman rifle
> Year: 2008
> Maximum effective range: 2,550 ft.
> Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
> Manufacturer: USMC Armorers
4. Fabrique Nationale FN SCAR (Mk 16 / Mk 17)
> Type: Automatic assault rifle
> Year: 2009
> Maximum effective range: 1,640 ft.
> Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO, 7.62x51mm NATO
> Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
3. M320 GLM
> Type: Grenade launcher
> Year: 2010
> Maximum effective range: 492 ft.
> Caliber: 40x46mm SR
> Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
2. HK M27 IAR
> Type: Designated marksman rifle
> Year: 2011
> Maximum effective range: 1,800 ft.
> Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
> Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
1. Accuracy International Mk 13
> Type: Bolt-action sniper rifle
> Year: 2017
> Maximum effective range: 3,940 ft.
> Caliber: .300 Winchester Magnum
> Manufacturer: Accuracy International
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