11 American Military Guns of the 1970s

Special Report

Published: March 28, 2024 10:50 am

Last Updated: April 3, 2024 12:41 pm

The 1970s were a transitional decade for the United States in more ways than one. During this time, U.S. forces pulled out of Vietnam after roughly a decade of fighting in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Following this defeat, politicians and military leaders would turn their attention to the Cold War with the Soviet Union, and a new era of the U.S. military would begin. While this was true for all the higher-ups in a broad sense, the average American soldier would also see a new generation of weapons come to light.

Although Vietnam was initially fought with guns left over from World War II, there would be a new generation developed during this time that would go on to impact how U.S. soldiers were equipped for decades to come. These were the American-made guns of the 1970s. (These are the 18 newest guns currently in use by the U.S. military.)

To identify American military guns introduced in the 1970s, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of small arms from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, arms and aircraft. We ordered these guns alphabetically. We included supplemental information regarding type of small arm, year introduced, manufacturer, firing action, caliber and feed.

One weapons system that would revolutionize the world of small arms is the BGM-71 TOW / TOW-2, which is an anti-tank guided missile system. Introduced in 1970, it would go on to be one of the most pervasive anti-tank weapons systems in the world. Capable of hitting targets up to 12,000 feet away with 127mm or 152mm missiles. The TOW has been outfitted to a number of military vehicles as well as attack helicopters due to its operational effectiveness. It can also be fired by infantry units as well, but these require a tripod.

There are a number of other revolutionary weapons that came from this decade that would go on to influence small arms for years to come. (These are the future military guns of the world.)

Here is a look at the American military guns introduced in the 1970s:

AMT Hardballer

AMT Hardballer (CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED) by en:User:Amthardball

Type: Semi-automatic pistol
Year introduced: 1977
Manufacturer: Arcadia Machine & Tool / Galena Industries
Firing action: Semi-automatic, short-recoil, locked breech
Caliber and feed .45 ACP, .40 S&W, .400 Corbon; 7- or 8-round box magazine

BGM-71 TOW / TOW-2

Source: Public Domain / US Army

Type: Anti-tank guided missile system
Year introduced: 1970
Manufacturer: Hughes Aircraft / Raytheon
Firing action: Tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided
Caliber and feed 127mm, 152mm; Single-shot, reusable

Bushmaster Arm Pistol

Source: Amendola90 / Wikimedia Commons

Type: Bullpup personal defense weapon
Year introduced: 1977
Manufacturer: Bushmaster Firearms
Firing action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt, long-stroke gas piston
Caliber and feed 5.56x45mm NATO; 20-round detachable box magazine

Colt IMP (Individual Multipurpose Weapon)

Source: Bulgac / iStock via Getty Images

Type: Aircrew survival weapon
Year introduced: 1972
Manufacturer: Colt Defense
Firing action: Automatic fire
Caliber and feed .221-17 IMP; 10- or 30-round detachable box magazine