Red, white, and polished blue steel. The 4th of July is a celebration of freedom, and America’s freedom was forged through courage and gunpowder. We’re looking back at the top 25 American guns of all time, and the competition is fierce. Most of the featured firearms are offered in Rock Island Auction Company’s upcoming August Premier Auction, along with a few examples from past events.

Iconic American arms from every era will be featured in Rock Island Auction Company’s August Premier.

The Kentucky Rifle

One of the first truly iconic arms of America was pioneered by German and Swiss gunsmiths who immigrated to the Colonies in the 18th century. Popularly known as the Kentucky Rifle or Pennsylvania Rifle, the American Long Rifle allowed accurate shooting up to 200 yards or more, a decisive advantage to backwoodsmen while hunting in the western wilderness or sniping Red Coats during the Revolutionary War and War of 1812.

A John Armstrong Maryland Golden Age flintlock American Long Rifle, an extraordinary example of one of America’s best guns of all time. Available this August.

Colt Model 1851 Navy

A personal favorite of Samuel Colt, the Model 1851 Navy was one of the most prevalent sidearms on both sides of the American Civil War, even serving as the basis for numerous Confederate produced brass-frame revolver styles like the Griswold & Gunnison Revolver and the Leech & Rigdon revolvers. The sturdy sixgun’s impressive production numbers, widespread use on the American frontier, and status as the favored revolver for Western legends like Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, and countless early gunslingers elevate the 1851 Navy to one of best American guns of all time.

An exemplary cased, early factory engraved Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver with extremely scarce gold plated grip straps. The Navy set the standard for countless black powder revolvers, earning a clear spot on any list of iconic arms of America. Available this August.

The Sharps Rifle and Carbine

The various models of Sharps rifles and carbines earned a reputation as iconic arms of America in the Civil War, the Old West, and in popular culture thanks to films like ‘Quigley Down Under’ and ‘True Grit.’  Produced from the Antebellum Era through the late-19th century and noted for their exceptional accuracy and reliability, the Sharps filled a key role during the Civil War when the Union purchased approximately 80,000 Sharps carbines and almost 10,000 rifles. Specially ordered Sharps rifles were famously fielded by the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooter Regiments (the Berdan’s Sharpshooters) to great effect.

A historic Sharps Model Model 1853 “John Brown Sharps/Beecher’s Bible” slant breech percussion carbine documented as shipped to abolitionist General Samuel C. Pomeroy in Kansas during the Bleeding Kansas period. For its role in revolutionizing sniping tactics, the Sharps rifle platform wins a nod as one of America’s best guns of all time. Available this August.

The Springfield Model 1861 Rifle-Musket

The Springfield Model 1861 rifle-musket became one of the most prolific Northern rifles issued during the Civil War, taking the field in quantity from 1862 onward, from Shiloh to Appomattox. With over 1 million being produced during the conflict by Springfield Armory and two dozen other firearm producers, the dependable .58 caliber rifle improved precision over infantry traditional musket. This percussion powerhouse finds a worthy spot on our list of America’s best guns of all time thanks to its role in winning the Civil War, protecting workers on the Transcontinental Railroad, and serving as the material platform for a line of Springfield breechloading rifles that would culminate with the 1873 Trapdoor.

An outstanding Civil War U.S. Springfield Model 1863 Type II/1864 percussion rifle-musket, the final iteration of one of the most iconic arms of America. Available this August.

Remington Rolling Block

Developed from the Remington “Split Breech” carbine, a Civil War gun designed to fire the same cartridges as the Spencer repeater, the Remington Rolling Block family became not just one of the most iconic arms of America but a popular longarm around the world. As the most widely used single shot military breechloader of the 19th century, the Remington Rolling Block’s service record is expansive. The gun was produced in a variety of calibers, both rimfire and centerfire, and its action was sturdy enough to easily accommodate the increased pressure of new smokeless powders hitting the market in the late 1890s.

An impressive example of one of the best frontier guns of all time, this Remington No. 1 Rolling Block long-range target rifle sold for $8,050 in RIAC’s May 2021 Premier Auction.

The Colt Single Action Army

The Colt Single Action Army revolver is a no-brainer inclusion for any best guns of all time list. Possibly the most famous firearm ever made, “Judge Colt and His Jury of Six” was first adopted by the U.S. Army in July 1873 and went on to serve as the choice sidearm for countless lawmen, cowboys, homesteaders, and desperados who came to define the American frontier. For 150 years, the Colt SAA has prominently appeared in dime novels, radio shows, film, and television, and today continues to represent the enduring spirit of the American West.

An Ainsworth inspected Lot Five U.S. Cavalry Colt Single Action Army revolver with a Kopec Gold Seal letter, a stunning early example of one of the most iconic arms of America. Available this August.

The Winchester 1873

A well-armed frontiersman carried a Colt on his hip and a Winchester over his shoulder. As the successor to the Henry rifle and the 1866 Yellowboy, the Model 1873 put the name Winchester on the map and went on to conquer the open range. Dubbed “the Gun that Won the West”, the Winchester ’73 became a symbol of freedom and self-determination on the American frontier. From movie sets to modern-day cowboy action shooting competitions, these iconic arms of America have stood the test of time.

An exceptional example of one of the best guns of all time, a special order deluxe Winchester Model 1873 rifle. Available this August.

Winchester Model 94

The Winchester Model 1894 hit the scene too late to see the height of the American Wild West, but the rifle certainly kept Winchester’s frontier legacy alive. The Winchester 94’s balance and slim profile made it a favorite walking gun for hunters, ranchers, and law enforcement who appreciated the power and reliability of Winchester’s .30-30 WCF smokeless cartridge. The classic lever gun’s accuracy, simplicity, and rugged resilience earned it a place in millions of gun racks across America. In terms of tried-and-tested hunting arms, the Winchester Model 94 is hands down one of the best guns of all time.

A pre-64 Winchester Model 94 carbine with its original box, an outstanding example of one of the most iconic arms of America. Available this August.

Smith & Wesson Military and Police and Model 10

What qualities should a model have to be considered one of the best guns of all time? Production numbers? Versatility? Fame? The Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police series checks all those boxes and more, remaining in continuous production for over a century and becoming the overwhelming favorite sidearm of countless police forces and militaries around the world. Later renamed the Model 10, this iconic revolver became the most produced wheel gun platform of the 20th century and a mainstay of nearly every police department around the country well into the 1980s. Now that’s an American success story.

As iconic arms of America go, it doesn’t get much better than a classic Smith & Wesson. This factory engraved .38 Military & Police Model of 1905 Fourth Change revolver sold for $4,025 in December of 2020.

Marlin Model 39A

The first lever action chambered in .22 LR, this classic Marlin went through a number of name changes over the last 132 years. Releasing as the Marlin Model 1891, the gun was redubbed “Bicycle Rifle” in 1897, then again renamed to Model 39 in 1922 before finally embracing its most famous iteration in 1939 in the Marlin 1939A.  As the longest continuously produced rifle in the world and the lever action Annie Oakley made famous, the Marlin Model 39A and its predecessors are undeniably iconic arms of America.

A scarce Marlin 90th anniversary Model Golden 39A rifle sold for $4,313 in December of 2021. As .22 rifles go, one of the best guns of all time.

Winchester Model 1897 Shotgun

One of the best guns of all time in terms of military shotguns, the Winchester Model 1897 shotgun was popularized as a sporting arm before finding a role during the Philippine-American War. In WW1, the Model 1897 was officially adopted as the U.S. “Model of 1917 Trench Shotgun” and modified with a bayonet lug, a heat shield, and a shorter barrel for maneuverability in the trenches of Western Europe. The shotgun and its slam fire heroics proved effective enough to earn a diplomatic protest from the Germans, who claimed that America’s use of trench guns caused “unnecessary suffering.”

The Winchester Model 1897 slide action trench shotgun earned a larger-than-life reputation in WW1 and has become one of the most iconic arms of America. Available this August.

1903 Springfield Rifle

Not all iconic arms of America were born in the Land of Stars and Stripes. Based on the German Mauser bolt action, America took the design and made it their own with the Springfield Model 1903 rifle. Initially chambered in .30-03, the rifle suffered from poor trajectory and excessive barrel wear. However, by chambering a lighter, spitzer bullet and a cooler burning propellant, a legend was born in the .30-06 cartridge, and battlefield and deer stand would soon feel the wrath of the mighty Springfield Model 1903.

One of the best guns of all time by sheer production numbers, the U.S. Springfield Model 1903 rifle is still widely fielded by shooters and hunters today. This rare example is equipped with the innovative 1918 Mark I Pedersen Device.

The Colt 1911

As the longest-serving military sidearm in American history, the legendary Colt 1911 pistol is going to find itself in any best guns of all time discussion. The brainchild of John Moses Browning, this .45-caliber magazine-fed semi-automatic pistol set a new design standard that helped the United States become back to back World War champs and continues to be carried by numerous American officers to this day. The M1911 design has been widely emulated, with few major changes made to the pistol’s internals over the decades, a testament to the gun’s exemplary performance record.

A scarce 1937 production Colt U.S. Navy contract Model 1911/1911A1 transitional semi-pistol. The 1911 pistol is easily one of the most recognizable and iconic arms of America. Available this August.

Browning Auto-5

John Browning was said to consider the Auto-5 his greatest achievement, a bold statement from the prolific gun inventor and more than enough to earn the famous “Humpback” a solid ranking among the most iconic arms of America. Browning’s 1903 recoil-operated design was a versatile workhorse for all types of fowling and target shooting. This sturdy scattergun continues to be fielded by the modern sportsman today and holds the title of second-best autoloading shotty of all time.

As the first successful semi-automatic shotgun, the Auto-5 should be considered one of the best guns of all time. The fantastic example below is a double signed, engraved and gold inlaid Belgium Browning Gold Classic Auto-5 with its original box. Available this August.

The Thompson Submachine Gun

In terms of cultural impact and a notable service record in WW2, Hollywood’s favorite gangster weapon merits consideration as one of the best guns of all time. Designed by John Thompson, the fully automatic Tommy Gun was completed too late to fill its intended role as a WW1 trench sweeper. The inventor subsequently marketed the weapon to everyone from law enforcement to ranchers, but the deadly submachinegun found an unexpected niche with organized crime. On the eve of WW2, the Thompson submachine gun was adopted by the U.S. military and employed by the British as well, with over 1.5 million of the new military-issued M1928A1 and M1A1 produced. This earned the weapon international recognition through German and Japanese propaganda posters that portrayed the U.S. and her allies as Tommy-toting gangsters.

From mafia to military to Hollywood, the Thompson became one of the most iconic arms of America. This fantastic example is a police documented Colt Thompson Model 1921 that includes a case and extra magazines. Available this August.

The M2 Machine Gun

A good portion of John Browning’s inventions have become iconic arms of American history, including the famous M2 Heavy Machine Gun. Affectionately dubbed “Ma Deuce” and “The Mother of All Machine Guns” by the troops who continue to rely on its .50 caliber firepower, this air-cooled, belt-fed behemoth has stood the test of time like few other firearms. As a U.S. military mainstay since the 1930s, the M2 has touched the battlefield in every major American conflict from WW2 onward.

One of the best guns of all time, this M2 machine gun lived up to its iconic reputation and sold for a stunning $94,000 in RIAC’s May Premier.

Ithaca 37

Hailed by many hunters as one of the best guns of all time, the Ithaca 37 shotgun is a legendary platform inspired by the ideas of John Moses Browning and John Douglas Pedersen. This pump action icon quickly found a market after its 1937 release and never looked back, becoming the longest continuously-produced shotgun in American history and earning a reputation as a versatile autoloader that was well suited for field, police, and military duty alike.

One of the most iconic arms of America in terms of longevity and adaptability, this USSF marked Ithaca Model 37 Special Forces trench-style shotgun highlights the platforms role as a military weapon. Available this August.

The M1 Garand

In the list of iconic arms of America during WW2, the M1 Garand might be number one. Fielded by millions of American GIs, General George Patton once hailed the rifle as, “the greatest battle implement ever devised.” The .30-caliber M1 Garand served as the standard U.S. infantry rifle from 1936 to 1959 and it continued to see use as late as the Vietnam War. From Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers to the Call of Duty video game series, few weapons can symbolize America’s valor in WW2 better than John Garand’s iconic rifle.

An exceptional WW2 U.S. Winchester “WIN-13” M1 Garand. For its role as WW2s most successful semi-automatic infantry rifle, the M1 Garand can be hailed one of the best guns of all time. Available this August.

The M1 Carbine

Another red-blooded American gun that complimented the M1 Garand’s high-volume fire, the M1 Carbine offered an effective firearm sized somewhere between a rifle and a pistol that was ideal for units like paratroopers, drivers, weapon crews, intelligence officers, and communications personnel who required a lighter burden. One of the best guns of all time thanks to its spectacular service history, the M1 carbine helped lead the United States to victory in Europe and the Pacific theater then went on to become widely owned and fielded after the war thanks to an abundance of WW2 surplus.

Winchester Model 70

If you’re widely known as the superlative bolt action rifle, chances are you’re going to make America’s best guns of all time list. Enter the Winchester Model 70. Widely dubbed “the rifleman’s rifle,” the Model 70 has gone through numerous changes and iterations over its nearly nine decades of production and is chambered to take everything from white-tailed deer to African dangerous game. The gun served the United States Marines as their precision rifle during the Vietnam War, famously fielded by Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, who used the mighty Model 70 during most of his 93 confirmed kills. Today, the Winchester Model 70 continues to find favor with shooters and collectors, the latter preferring the desirable “Pre-64” production model.

One of the most iconic arms of America, the Winchester Model 70 is instantly recognizable to nearly every sporting gun enthusiast. This rare documented U.S. property marked Winchester Model 70 “Van Orden Sniper” rifle includes an 8x Unertl U.S.M.C. sniper scope and case and a CMP Certificate of Authenticity. Available this August.

Smith & Wesson Model 29

Elmer Keith and Clint Eastwood helped elevate the .44 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 29 into one of the iconic arms of America. Elmer Keith had long been advocating for a more powerful version of the .44 Special cartridge. In 1955, Remington Arms introduced the .44 Remington Magnum cartridge, while Smith & Wesson delivered a revolver to chamber the beast. The S&W Model 29 found niche success with handgun hunters, law enforcement, and revolver lovers before launching into the stratosphere thanks to 1971’s ‘Dirty Harry.’ While this powerhouse pistol has been since surpassed by monsters like the .500 S&W Magnum, for a time Dirty Harry’s revolver truly was the most powerful handgun in the world.  

A Smith & Wesson Performance Center Model 29-5 revolver from the Hank Williams Jr. Collection sold for $10,350 at RIAC in September 2021. For it’s power, aesthetic, and cultural appeal, the Model 29 family earns a nod as one of America’s best guns of all time.

Remington Model 870

With over 12 million in circulation and counting, the Remington Model 870 should be considered a candidate for any top 25 best guns of all time list. A shotgun known for its rugged reliability, the Model 870 has lent itself perfectly to every need over the last seven decades. Game wardens, duck hunters, police officers, and Vietnam Navy Seals have all shouldered the Model 870, and the gun is featured in nearly every modern film and TV show involving law enforcement, zombies, or action of any sort. One would be pressed not to find an example of this robust shotty in every town across the United States, and it continues to sell as the recently introduced Remington 870 Fieldmaster.

This example of a Remington Wingmaster 870 realized an astounding $38,188 in RIAC’s December 2021 Premier Auction, an impressive example of one of the most iconic arms of America.

The M60 Machine Gun

First issued in 1959, the M60 machine gun was an attempt to combine the firepower of the M1919 Browning with the relative mobility of the BAR. What resulted was one of the most iconic arms of America, a 23-pound belt-fed beast that could eat a ton of  7.62mm ammo and chew through anything down range. The M60 often found itself in the mud and muck during combat, and its relatively slow cyclic rate made this heavy hitter sound akin to a grunting boar. The Pig humped, sailed, and soared through Vietnam, Operation Just Cause, and the Persian Gulf War and continues to see service in specialized roles today.

Inspired by the German FG42 and MG42, the M60 became one of America’s best guns of all time. Available this August.

Marlin Model 60

For years, Marlin billed the Model 60 as “the most popular 22 in the world.” Whether that’s enough to also call this prolific semi-auto one of the best guns of all time is up for debate, but it certainly ranks as an American essential. Introduced in 1960, Marlin’s semi-auto .22 LR tack driver remained in production for six decades and was carried by generations of Americans who fell in love with its resiliency and ease of use. For target shooting, plinking, and small game hunting, the Marlin Model 60 is a true American classic.

Caleb Savant from Brownells shows off the Marlin Model 60, one of the most iconic arms of America.

The M16

Adapted from the famous ArmaLite AR-15 platform, the M16 offered an all-in-one battle rifle that could excel at both distance combat and close-quarter fighting. Though the refinement of the M16 was not without its hurdles, the rifle’s updates and successors soon stepped up to the challenges of modern warfare and became the longest-serving infantry long arm in U.S. military history, a contemporary defender of Lady Liberty, and one of the indisputably iconic arms of America.

Who doesn’t need a Colt M16A1 selective fire rifle in the 9 million serial range? Available this August.

Iconic Arms of America

While our top 25 list includes some undeniable American icons, there are countless gun models that could be considered legends in their field. For their historic influence, market success, or cultural impact, a few honorable mentions include the Colt Walker, the Hawken rifle, the Derringer, the Gatling Gun, the Winchester Model 1895, the Colt Detective Special, and the Winchester Model 21 shotgun, and examples of all these gun collecting cornerstones can be found at Rock Island Auction Company.

Perhaps the most influential non-firearm weapon in American history, the Bowie Knife carries a fascinating story in its own right. This rare Tillotson Sheffield patriotic “Gold Hunters Knife” Bowie knife is available this available this August.

This post is brought to you by our friends at Rock Island Auction Company.

Sometimes a gun nickname is a term of endearment. Other times they stem from fear or detraction. Slang gun names can be derived from a weapon’s appearance, its sound when firing, a defining attribute, its impact on the battlefield, or sometimes as a clever play on the firearm’s official designation. However they originated, the most memorable gun nicknames include an element of truth and help cement a weapon’s legacy.

In an effort to narrow our list, we’ll try to avoid overly broad-brush terms like smoke wagon and boomstick, as well as artillery slang like Stovepipe, Thumper, and Screaming Mimi, and instead keep our focus on firearms. Here are our selections for the most famous gun nicknames, presented in alphabetical order.

The BAR

Slang gun names and military culture go hand-in-hand, and the BAR acronym was as catchy as it was obvious. Developed near the end of WW1, the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle was quickly adopted by the US Military and became a signature weapon for American infantry in WW2 and beyond. The gun’s nickname sprang from the weapon’s initials, “B-A-R”, a term that was easy to remember and soon became the rifle’s most common unofficial designation.

The Belgian Rattlesnake

The brainchild of U.S. Army Lt. Col. Isaac Newton Lewis, the light machine gun design that bore his name was initially rejected by the United States. Lewis set off across the Atlantic to produce his gun in Europe instead, where it was first adopted by Belgium and Britain.

With the outbreak of WW1, the invading Germans faced fierce resistance from the Belgian Army and their limited but strategically deployed Lewis guns. The distinctive “tacka-tacka-tacka“ rattling of the weapon and the hit-and-run tactics employed by the Belgian forces earned the gun the fitting appellation of “Belgian Rattlesnake” from the Kaiser’s troops.

The Broomhandle

The Mauser C96 self-loading pistol’s “Broomhandle” moniker quickly caught on in the early 20th century, a reference to the handgun’s unique round wooden grip. The gun’s nickname soon became a catch-all term for the entire series of C96 pistol models manufactured by Mauser and its subsequent foreign copycats. Mauser eventually embraced the popular nickname and even used it in official promotion campaigns in the Western market.

The Brown Bess

One of the most famous gun nicknames in firearms history, the Brown Bess was used to denote the typical British infantry muskets that served from 1722 through the early 1830s. In 1785, English author Francis Grose published an index of informal words titled ‘Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue’ and his entry for the Bess reads, “‘Brown Bess. A soldier’s firelock. To hug Brown Bess; to carry a firelock, or serve as a private soldier.”

The Brown Bess nickname appears to be derived from the slang “Bess,” which was an 18th-century reference to women of ill repute. The term “brown” simply meant drab, ordinary, and plain beyond just the subject’s color, as seen in the colloquial for the “Brown Bill” polearm, a farming tool often fielded by lowly infantry conscripts. This denotation was applied to the Brown Bess musket in the same way.

The Burp Gun

Dubbed the “Burp Gun” for the sound it made during extended fire, the PPSh-41 submachinegun was widely fielded by the Red Army in WW2. The burp gun fired 900 rounds a minute, nearly double the rate of the German MP40 it faced down in the streets of Stalingrad. The PPSh-41 was comparatively easy to produce, and a copy of the gun called the Type 50 was later adopted by Chinese and North Korean troops.

“Once we heard that sound—‘Burp! Burp!’—it was a frightening sound,” recalled British veteran Gerry Farmer, who served with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers in the Korean War. “It meant the Chinese were there. I think the sound of the burp gun and what it represented was more frightening than the rounds that came out of the weapon.”

The Devil’s Paintbrush

You don’t earn a gun nickname like “The Devil’s Paintbrush” without making a terrible impression. While Gatling guns had demonstrated the utility of high-volume fire on the battlefield, the Maxim design, the world’s first true recoil-based machine gun, perfected the strategy to a brutal degree.

With its cheaper cost of production and absence of a manual crank, the Maxim gun supplanted its Gatling gun forerunner and saw widespread adoption in Europe. The defensive advantage offered by the Maxim gun’s overwhelming firepower contributed to the trench warfare stalemates and high death tolls of WW1, and it’s easy to see why the “Devil’s Paintbrush” epithet caught on with the soldiers who faced this deadly efficient weapon.

The Figure 8

Patented in 1856, this Savage & North black powder revolver is as distinct as it is rare. Its informal gun name stems from the figure 8 shape made by the cocking lever and trigger guard. Using the operator’s middle finger, the ring-style cocking lever is pulled after each successive shot to advance the six-shot cylinder, automatically cocking the hammer.

The Grapevine Carbine

The Civil War saw the development of numerous breach loading carbines, including the unique-looking Gwyn & Campbell. This .52 caliber gun was nicknamed for its long hammer and serpentine-shaped trigger guard, qualities especially evident in the scarcer Type I Cosmopolitan Arms Co model. The “grapevine” nickname was less commonly applied to the Gwyn & Campbell Type II carbine, which saw service with numerous Union Cavalry units.

The Grease Gun

Another memorable weapon nickname bestowed by everyday troops, the M3 “Grease Gun” earned its title due to a close physical resemblance to hand-powered grease dispensers, a common auto mechanic’s tool of the period. In an effort to produce a cheaper and lighter alternative to the Thompson, inventor George Hyde developed a firearm that was stamped, riveted, and welded, taking on a crude, tube gun shape. The Grease Gun is an example of a gun nickname becoming more commonly known than its official designation.

The Gun that Won the West

Here’s a colloquial gun name almost everyone knows thanks to films like ‘Winchester ‘73’ and other popular Western movies, shows, and novels. The title “Gun that Won the West” didn’t officially emerge until early 20th-century advertising campaigns, a brainchild of Edwin Pugsley, a Winchester engineer who helped produce famous firearms like the Winchester Model 21 shotgun.

The sentiment behind the now-famous saying was grounded in the frontier era, as the Winchester 1873 rifle was a lightweight, reliable gun that was affordable to most settlers at a time when the Old West was filled with a danger for every treasure and opportunity.

Hitler’s Buzzsaw

Another gun nickname based on a blistering rate of fire, the MG42 machine gun was an imposing weapon to say the least. Called the most feared German gun on the WW2 battlefield, Hitler’s Buzzsaw was an upgrade from the already devastating MG-34. The MG42 machine gun’s high cyclic rate (about 1,200 rounds per minute) gave it a distinct and intimidating sound, very alien to Allied troops trained around slower-firing weapons. At that speed, individual gunshots are replaced with a steady, disturbing roar, earning the MG42 a terrifying reputation.

The Humpback

Known as “The Humpback” due to its trademark squared receiver, the Browning Automatic 5 is a versatile workhorse scattergun for all types of fowling and target shooting. John Browning’s 1903 recoil-operated design was the first successful semi-automatic shotgun and continues to be fielded by the modern sportsman today. Though often referred to as the Auto-5 or A-5, with period advertisements stressing how the firearm provided “Five shots under your fingers,” the Humpback nickname is what stuck the most.

The Kentucky Rifle

This classic gun nickname for the American Long Rifle was coined from a song about the 1815 Battle of New Orleans titled ‘Hunters of Kentucky.’ Pioneered by German and Swiss gunsmiths who immigrated to the Colonies, the American Long Rifle combined numerous features from the Germanic Jäger rifle and English hunting designs that allowed backwoodsmen to shoot accurately up to 200 yards when hunting in the western wilds of Colonial America. Famed frontiersmen like Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, and Michael Stoner relied on the rifle during their long hunts and during the eventual settlement of the Kentucky wilderness, where the rifle gained both its nickname and its legend.

The Lemon Squeezer

Widely dubbed “The Lemon Squeezer,” the Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless, or Smith & Wesson New Departure revolver, earned its nickname from the grip safety on its backstrap which required a firm squeeze to operate, much like everyone’s favorite citrus juicing tool. This feature was touted by Smith & Wesson when the double action top-break revolver was introduced in 1888, advertised as making the gun “nearly impossible” for a child to fire.

Ma Deuce

The M2 Heavy Machine Gun, a U.S. military mainstay since the 1930s, gained one of the most memorable service weapon nicknames around. “Ma Deuce” clearly plays on the M and 2 in the M2 designation, much like how the HU1 Helicopter was dubbed the “Huey.” It’s not hard to imagine the formal “Model” or “Mod” in Model 2 being shortened to “Ma,” a possible reference to the weapon’s other favored nickname, “The Mother of All Machine Guns.” Deuce has long been a slang for “two” in English, from the nickname of a second child to the gaming terms used for the two side of a dice and the number two card in each suit in a 52-card deck. Combined together, and you have an affectionate handle for a gun that became a second mother to the troops who relied on Browning’s .50 caliber behemoth to protect themselves and their company.

The Monkey Tail Carbine

Ordnance officers might get to choose official service weapon names, but the everyday infantrymen are always going to come up with a clever title that sticks. The single-shot capping breechloading rifles and carbines manufactured by Westley Richards were dubbed the “Monkey Tail” by the Boers in South Africa, a gun nickname that came from the lift up lever that was hinged to the rear of the barrel used to open and close the breech, thought to resemble a simian’s tail. A similar carbine design was offered in America by A.H. Waters of Millbury, Massachusetts, as pictured below.

Old Slabside

The designation “Model of 1911 U.S. Army Caliber 45” is quite a mouthful, and it didn’t take long for soldiers to offer a laundry list of unofficial gun names for Browning’s new service pistol. “Old Bigmouth,” The Army Automatic,” “The Yankee Fist,” “Colt .45” or simply “Forty-Five” are some common favorites, but perhaps the most prominent is “Old Slabside.” The name alludes to the gun’s slab-type grip panels, one of the many distinguishing features the M1911 had over its military-issued predecessors like the Colt M1892 revolver.

The Right Arm of the Free World

Developed by Dieudonne Saive after WW2, the Fusil Automatique Leger (known by the famous FAL acronym) has been fielded by more than 90 countries around the globe. Formerly serving as NATO’s official battle rifle, the FN FAL was the Western counter to the Kalashnikov rifle favored by communist forces the NATO allies faced off against in countless conflicts throughout the Cold War. The “Right Arm of the Free World” became a symbol of resistance against the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.

The Peacemaker

The six shooter. “The Great Equalizer.” “Judge Colt and his Jury of Six.” A plethora of clever nicknames were inevitable for the iconic Colt Single Action Army revolver. Many early gun names for cartridge Colts originated with Benjamin Kittredge & Co of Cincinnati. One of Colt’s biggest distributors, Benjamin Kittredge, came up with monikers such as “Frontier Six Shooter” for Colt SAA variants chambered in .44-40, the nicknames “Lightning”,“Thunderer,” and “Rainmaker” for the Model 1877 revolvers, and “Omnipotent” for the Model 1878 in .45 Colt.

In 1874, Kittredge started marketing the Colt Single Action Army to the civilian market as “The Peacemaker.” The nickname was far more appealing than official designations for the gun like “New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol,” “45-caliber centerfire Colt Single Action Army,” “M1873,” or “The Model P.” The Peacemaker nickname played to the sentiment that an armed society was a polite society and the mere presence of the Colt revolver would dissuade any troublemakers from picking a fight they might not survive.

The Pig

As far as gun nicknames go, “The Pig” covers a lot of ground. We’re talking 23 pounds of belt-fed heavy metal that can eat a ton of ammo and chew through anything down range. The M60 often found itself in the mud and muck during combat, and its slow cyclic rate made this beast of a machine gun sound akin to a grunting boar. The Pig humped, sailed, and soared through Vietnam, Operation Just Cause, and the Persian Gulf War and continues to see service in specialized roles today.

The Potato Digger

First came its rather bland official first title, “M1895 Colt-Browning Machine gun.” John Browning’s Model 1895 quickly earned a more memorable slang gun name due to the gas port near the muzzle of the barrel that powered a spring-loaded lever arm to cycle the action, much like a lever-action rifle. This exposed operating arm, which projects down and away from the gun with significant force during the firing cycle, was known to dig holes in the ground if the gun’s tripod was resting on soft soil and sank low enough into the earth, and thus the Potato Digger connotation was born.

The Staple Gun

The Heckler & Koch P7 series is another name that doesn’t really roll off the tongue. Enter the “Staple Gun” moniker, or “Combat Staple Gun,” a nickname that originates from the squeeze-cocking lever on the P7 pistol grip that somewhat resembles older staple gun triggers.

The P7’s striker and sear only engage when the cocking lever on the front strap is depressed. Pull the lever and the striker is drawn back. Release the lever and the striker loses tension and returns to the resting position. This gives safety comparable to a double action only bobbed hammer semi-auto, where the pistol will not fire without positive user action, while still allowing a clean and relatively light single action style trigger pull as would be seen on a normal striker-fired pistol.

The Tommy Gun

“The Chicago Typewriter.” “The Street Sweeper.” “The rat-tat-tat.” The Thompson submachine gun gained dozens of colorful labels as it earned its reputation in the Melting Pot of South Side Chicago, toted by gangsters, bandits, and lawmen alike. Tommy Gun, the weapon’s most famous name, is a blue-collar shorthand for Thompson. Tommy was also a well-known term for British soldiers, and this connection might have proliferated the gun’s nickname after the British airborne adopted the Thompson Model M1A1 variant in the early years of WW2.

The Trapdoor

After the Civil War, the War Department wanted a standard-issue breechloading rifle that would chamber a self-primed, metallic cartridge. Erskine S. Allin of Springfield Armory proposed taking thousands of existing Civil War muzzleloaders and converting them by adding a hinged breechblock to the top of the receiver. This design resembled both the look and motion of a trap door panel when the user opened the rifle to load a new cartridge, giving the gun its now legendary name.

The Trench Sweeper

Another easy-to-understand gun nickname, in this case derived from the Winchester Model 1897 shotgun’s function in combat. The Model 1897’s shorter barrel made the weapon more maneuverable in the narrow trenches of WW1. Its lack of trigger disconnector allowed this combat shotgun to be slam fired as well, the act of holding the trigger while working the slide, repeatedly firing, ejecting a spent shell, and chambering a new shell.

A trained soldier could empty a trench gun of its six shells with devastating effect in less than two seconds. These traits made the Winchester Model 1897 ideal for the ferocious close-in fighting common to the Great War, earning the gun its Trench Sweeper nickname.

The Wonder Nine

The Wonder Nine is an informal gun name that applies to a broad series of semiautomatic 9 mm pistols that hit the market in the 70s and 80s. These guns share a number of features like DA/SA actions and double stack mags that could carry 12 or more rounds, with models like the S&W 59, the Beretta 92, and the CZ-75 being some of the earliest popular examples.

For advocates of these firearms, the Wonder Nine nickname referenced the ammunition, high capacity, and combination of features that made these pistols intuitive and easy to carry, though detractors used the nickname as a pejorative, including magazine writers who lamented the switch to these newfangled firearms over the revolvers that dominated the market and more traditional pistol designs like the .45 ACP 1911.

The Yellowboy

Some slang gun names are as simple as they sound. Like its Henry rifle predecessor, the Winchester Model 1866 had a frame composed of gunmetal, a strong type of bronze alloy made with copper, tin, zinc, and sometimes a small amount of lead. Also known as “red brass,” gunmetal was rust-resistant and easy to machine, and its unique muted yellow tint gave Winchester’s first lever action rifle its distinct look and Yellowboy nickname.

Gun Nicknames

Did we include your favorite gun nickname? Subscribe to the weekly Rock Island Auction newsletter to receive new gun blogs and gun videos each week on the firearms mentioned above, as well as some of those that didn’t make our list such as the M16 “Mattel Toy”, the Colt “Snake Gun” family, the Ghost Gun, and the Volcanic pistol, an official designation just as memorable as some of the colorful nicknames mentioned above.

Military arms are one of the most popular genres in gun collecting. That success has led to record prices year after year for storied favorites like the M1 Garand and the 1911 pistol, but how does the lesser revered Mosin Nagant stack up?

From the Mosin Nagant’s invention in 1891 to its continued irregular use in warfare today, the Russian-born rifle and its variants are some of the most prolific longarms in history. The Mosin Nagant rifle’s immense production numbers bred surplus for decades, but gone are the days when local gun stores offered an entire Mosin crate for figurative pocket change. Though the rifle is still widely found for sale in the current collecting environment, Mosin Nagant price trends reflect a shift in supply status and the market’s continued desire to own these historic bolt actions.

For shooters today, the Mosin Nagant is viewed as a sturdy rifle with a powerful round and an explosive muzzle flash, a fun weapon to let fly at the range to say the least. With their low-cost entry point compared to other vintage military rifles, the Mosin Nagant continues to be a favorite at Rock Island Auction Company. Below, we’ve assembled more than seven years’ worth of auction data to help collectors and gun consigners better gauge the current market value of the Mosin Nagant.

Mosin Nagant Price by Year

When considering the average Mosin Nagant price by year at Rock Island Auction Company, we’ve gathered data from every Sporting & Collector Auction and Premier Auction dating back to 2015.

In an effort to maintain consistency and accuracy, the graphs presented below have excluded rare Mosin Nagant prototypes, presentation pieces, and other extremely scarce and atypical examples. The buyer’s premium is included in the sales price (15% during the periods analyzed), as this properly reflects what a collector paid to own their Mosin Nagant rifles.

We’ve also excluded any lots that feature guns other than a Mosin Nagant since those prices cannot be easily attributed to a single rifle type within their respective lot. Since Mosin Nagant rifles tend to be bundled into lots of two or more guns, the price each Mosin-only lot achieved has been divided by the total number of rifles in that lot to give a more accurate representation of the average Mosin Nagant price by year at Rock Island Auction Company. In short, the graph below is a compilation of hundreds of examples and over seven years of sales data intended to present a detailed snapshot of how the Mosin Nagant market has changed over time.

In only a six-year span, the average Mosin Nagant price at Rock Island Auction Company more than tripled, a dramatic surge in value that equals or surpasses some of the hottest collectible guns on the market right now by growth percentage. In 2015, a Mosin Nagant averaged $211.83 in price, inching up another $32.33 in 2016 before rocketing up more than $200 in 2017 and holding that average for the next three years before continuing its impressive ascent to its current $692.69 mark, a number that would have seemed unimaginable ten years ago.

Gun prices are going up across the board, but saying that the Mosin Nagant is experiencing a rapid upswing is a gross understatement. Like many military arms, the Mosin Nagant has received some Hollywood coverage in films such as ‘Enemy at the Gates’ and ‘Black Widow,’ has been featured in almost every iteration of Call of Duty and countless other video game series, and has been well represented by popular Guntubers like Garand Thumb and Brandon Herrera. It’s little wonder this Russian-invented workhorse rifle continues to garner interest from gun collectors across the globe.

Beyond the Mosin Crate

Historically, Russian military doctrine has always been to stick to what works and what can be produced en masse. This was certainly the case with the Mighty Mosin, originally called the Model M1891 or “Three Line Rifles” and updated four decades later with the well-known M91/30 design. With over 37 million Mosin Nagant rifles and M44 carbines manufactured in Russia alone, it’s no wonder vast quantities of surplus found their way to America, where a Mosin crate became a common sight at gun stores.

In recent years, various import restrictions have been imposed on some Russian companies that have traditionally imported large quantities of Mosin Nagants, specifically a round of economic sanctions in March of 2014 which was expanded three years later. The Russo-Ukrainian War resulted in a much stricter embargo on all Russian arms and ammunition, but our first graph demonstrated that the rising Mosin Nagant price had been an ongoing trend for years prior. The reality is that shooters and gun collectors today are willing to pay more for a Mosin Nagant.

While the days of buying a cheap Mosin crate have passed, the rugged bolt action rifle can still be purchased in quantity at Rock Island Auction Company. Our second dataset compares the average price for a bundled lot of three Mosin Nagant rifles over the last eight years.

The average Mosin Nagant price for lots with three rifles grouped together followed a somewhat similar trend to our last dataset, including the jump in price in 2017 and 2018, then a slight market correction in 2019 that rebounded and soared to new heights in 2020, 2021, and the first half of 2022. Going from a $748.50 average in 2015 to an average of $2,329.25 less than eight years later, an increase of more than 300%, is yet more evidence that the market for the Mosin Nagant is thriving at Rock Island Auction Company.

Mosin Nagant Price: Rare and Desirable

Next, let’s take a look at some rare Mosin Nagant rifles that are offered as standalone lots. These “best of the best” Mosins are often highly collectible variations or original condition rifles that include sniper scopes and other valued accessories. General value can be further estimated by make, model, and Mosin Nagant serial number lookup. Though this dataset includes far fewer examples, it still offers a snapshot of not only the approximate value of the most sought-after Mosin Nagants available, but an examination of the expanding price ceiling in this rising genre and how top-tier examples of the Russian-born rifle can perform as a quality collector gun.

Starting at $776.50 in 2015, the average standalone Mosin Nagant price at Rock Island Auction Company experienced a gradual increase over the next two years before jumping to an impressive $1,807.14 price in 2018. The average Mosin Nagant price shattered the $2,000 barrier in 2019 and has remained above $3,000 over the last two years, nearly four times the price five years ago. Once again, this upswing lines up with Mosin Nagant blue book values and demonstrates how original, high condition, fully accessorized Mosin Nagant rifles can compete with some of their traditionally more expensive cousins in the military arms collecting genre.

Mosin Nagant Price: Two Rifle Groupings

Finally, let’s compare the sales data for Mosin Nagant rifles that have been bundled in pairs at Rock Island Auction Company. Single Mosin lots tend to represent the high point of the genre, while the first graph we featured presented an average of all Mosin Nagant-only lots sold at Rock Island Auction Company, including lots with five, six, seven or more Mosin rifles. Examining the Mosin Nagant lots bundled in pairs can provide a more accurate look at what a gun collector would consider above-average examples of the Mosin Nagant genre that isn’t skewed by some of the rarities found in the single lot offerings or the more common examples found in the higher quantity lots.

The average Mosin Nagant price for lots with two rifles grouped together more than tripled over the course of five years. After a surge in Mosin Nagant prices in 2017 and 2018, the 2019 Mosin Nagant price correction observed in the first two datasets resurfaces here, and so does the dramatic upswing that follows in 2020, 2021, and the first half of 2022, which has already seen a nearly 16% increase from the already remarkable $1,955.56 average Mosin Nagant price for two rifle lots in 2021. As stated, Mosin lots that are bundled as a pair tend to be above-average examples compared to lots that include five, six, and seven or more Mosin Nagant rifles, and the values we see at Rock Island Auction Company reflect the desire to own quality examples of these bolt action classics.

Mosin Nagant Prices 2022

The average Mosin Nagant price in 2021 broke new boundaries, and all data indicates that the trend shows no sign of slowing through the remainder of 2022. This upswing particularly holds true for highly desirable examples that can be determined through scarce makes, models, and Mosin Nagant serial number lookup. Even when taking into account record inflation, Russian embargos, and limited surplus imports, Mosin Nagant values are experiencing a truly historic ascent.

Estimating just how high the average Mosin Nagant price will climb in 2023 and the years to follow is difficult to predict. Though the days of cheap Mosin crates are long behind us, the rugged rifle’s forward momentum, continued demand, and the perception of scarcity presents gun sellers with a chance to make a handsome profit and buyers with a firearm that has real investment potential.

Gun Values at Rock Island Auction Company

Most vintage military rifles are viewed as a great store of value in the firearms community, and when it comes to estimating true gun value and predicting forthcoming sales trends, Rock Island Auction’s free gun catalogs are one of the finest tools around. Price trends on other Russian military rifles like the SKS or the SVT-40 rifle can be monitored using past auction data, like the example presented below.

This article is shared with the permission of its author, Rock Island Auction. It’s an exciting time in the world of fine arms collecting, so subscribe to the weekly Rock Island Auction newsletter to receive new gun blogs on the latest prices and trends. RIA looks at the values of popular guns like the Colt Python, the Browning Hi Power, and other military gun collection must-haves.