World’s Most Powerful Guns

Here are some of the most powerful guns ever invented by mankind.

MGL/M-32 Grenade Launcher – Versatile Grenade Launcher

Image Source

Most grenade launchers are single shot but the MGL is different. MGL means Multiple Grenade Launcher. It is a lightweight 40 mm semi-automatic, 6-shot grenade launcher. It was developed and produce by Milkor Ltd of South Africa. It is used by more than 30 countries worldwide. Total production since 1983 has been more than 50,000 units.

Features and characteristics:

• It is designed to be simple, rugged, and reliable.
• It uses the well-proven revolver principle to achieve a high rate of accurate fire.
• A variety of rounds such as HE, HEAT, anti-riot baton, irritant, and pyrotechnic can be loaded and fired as fast as the trigger can be pulled.
• The cylinder can be loaded or unloaded rapidly to maintain a high rate of fire.
• It is suitable for anti-riot and other security operations.

Zeliska Revolver – World’s Largest and Most Powerful Handgun

Image Source

The .600 Nitro Express Zeliska Revolver, the ultimate gun, is the largest handgun in the world. This Austrian single-action revolver is manufactured by Pfeifer firearms. This heavyweight handgun weighs 6.001 kilograms with a length of 55 centimeters. The Zeliska is also the most powerful handgun in the world, producing muzzle energy of over 6 kilojoules. The weight of the gun helps control the recoil, making controlled shooting possible. The capacity of a Zeliska is five .600 Nitro Express or .458 Win Mag rounds. It is a very expensive gun to fire.

Features and Characteristics:

• It fires a .600 Nitro Express slug at 462 m/s or 1663 km/h).
• A Zeliska Revolver is worth more than $16,000.
• A .600 Nitro Express round is $40
• It has a gold-plated hammer and cylinder pivot
• The company’s address is also indicated with a gold-filled inscription
• This is the most powerful handgun in the world.
• Every single part is made by hand and is matched individually for each Zeliska revolver.

Model 500 S&W Magnum Revolver - Most Powerful Production Revolver in the World

Image Source

The Smith & Wesson Model 500 is a five-shot, double-action revolver firing the .500 S&W Magnum cartridges. This big caliber handgun is suitable for sports and hunting. It is built on the X-Frame, S&W's largest frame. It is claims by its manufacture as the “world’s most powerful production revolver today". The Zeliska Revolver is more powerful but it’s not a “production revolver”. The Model 500 can fire a bullet weighing 350 g at 602 m/s generating muzzle energy of over 3,030 foot-pounds force (4.1 kJ).

Notable features

• This revolver is 15 inches long with an empty weight of 4.5 pounds.
• The cylinder alone is almost 2 in. in diameter and approaches 2.25 in. in length.
• The five charge holes each has 1/2 in. in diameter, and the .50-cal. cartridges they hold are almost 2 in. long.
• Its total weight when loaded is 5 pounds.
• This handgun is the largest double-action revolver available, and there is no production revolver in the world--single or double action--capable of matching, or even approaching, the level of power it produces.

Magnum Research BFR - Biggest, Finest Revolver

Image Source

The Magnum Research BFR is a single action revolver that is only available in stainless steel and is manufactured in a variety of heavy calibers, such as .500 S&W Magnum, including some traditional rifle cartridges, such as the .30-30 and .45-70/.450 Marlin. BFR stands for “Biggest, Finest Revolver”.

The two basic models of BFR include the one with a long cylinder for big rifle cartridges, and the one with a more traditional revolver cylinder length called "short" by Magnum Research.

Grizzly Win Mag – Capable of Firing the Most Powerful Ammos

Image Source

The Grizzly Win Mag pistol is a powerful handgun invented by Perry Arnett. It is derived from Colt M1911 and many parts are interchangeable. It has a conversion kits available to fire powerful pistol ammunitions like 10 mm Auto, .357 Magnum, .44 magnum and .50 AE. It is primarily marketed for hunting and silhouette shooting.

M2 Machine Gun – Heavy Machine Gun

Image Source

The M2 Machine Gun is a heavy machine gun invented during World War I. This machine gun was nicknamed Ma Deuce or simply called "fifty-cal." in reference to its caliber. It is effective against infantry, unarmored or lightly-armored vehicles and boats, light fortifications, and low-flying aircraft and has been used widely as an aircraft armament and vehicle weapon up to now. It is also called Browning and .50 Caliber Machine Gun. The latest variant’s rate of fire is 1,200 rounds per minute

Lahti L-39 – Powerful Anti-tank Rifle

Image Source

The Lahti L-39 from Finland is a 20 mm anti-tank rifle. It was used during the Second World War and had excellent accuracy, penetration and range. One disadvantage of this weapon is its size making its transportation difficult. It was nicknamed "Norsupyssy" which means “Elephant Gun”.

AA12 Shotgun – Powerful Automatic Shotgun

The Auto Assault-12 (AA-12) is a powerful shotgun developed in 1972 by Maxwell Atchisson. This shotgun is selective fire, operating as a semi-automatic or in fully automatic mode at 300 rounds per minute. It is fed from either an 8-shell box magazine or a 20 or 32-shell drum magazine. The AA12 is the only shotgun that has ever been developed entirely from scratch for military use. It is originally designed and known as the Atchisson Assault Shotgun.

Barret M82 – Powerful Sniper Rifle

Image Source

The M82 is a powerful recoil-operated, semi-automatic rifle from the US being used by many units and armies worldwide. It is also called the "Light Fifty" for its .50 caliber BMG chambering. It has 2 variants - the original M82A1 and the bullpup M82A2.

Image Source

M107 from M82 to M107

The Barrett M107 is a .50 caliber, shoulder fired, semi-automatic sniper rifle. It fires a very powerful rifle bullet, the Browning Machine Gun ( BMG ) .50 Caliber. This cartridge has been the "bread and butter" bullet of the US Military since before the Second World War and it’s a cartridge that's here to stay.

H&K UMP .45 Submachine Gun – Most Powerful Submachine Gun

Image Source

The H&K UMP or Universal Machine Pistol is a powerful submachine gun from Germany and had been adopted by numerous agencies worldwide. The UMP is chambered for larger cartridges than other submachine guns to provide more stopping power against unarmored targets. Today’s most powerful sub-machine gun is the H&K UMP .45 cal sub-machine gun.

Thompson Submachine Gun – Previous Most Powerful Submachine Gun

Image Source

The Thompson Submachine Gun was invented in 1919 by John Thompson and became famous during the Prohibition Era. This legendary weapon was also commonly known by a variety of names such as Tommy Gun, Trench Broom, Trench Sweeper, Chicago Piano, Chicago Typewriter and Chopper. It is highly favored by soldiers and criminals for its compactness, high volume of automatic fire and .45 ACP cartridge. It is also a civilian favorite collection for its historical significance. Prior to the invention of the H&K UMP Submachine Gun, it was the most powerful .45 cal sub-machine gun.

GAU-8/A Avenger – Single Largest Forward-firing Cannon

Image Source

The GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm powerful aircraft cannon. It is hydraulically-driven seven-barrel Gatling-type rotary cannon developed by General Electric designed specifically for the anti-tank role. This powerful weapon is mounted on the A-10 Thunderbolt II of the US Air Force. It is regarded as one of the largest, heaviest and most powerful aircraft cannon with an over-all weight of 1,828 kg and measures 5.9 meters in length. When the entire cannon with its drum-style ammunition magazine is considered, is the single largest forward-firing cannon ever fitted into an aircraft.  The magazine can hold 1,174 rounds, although 1,150 is the more normal load-out. Muzzle velocity when firing Armor-Piercing Incendiary rounds is 990 m/s.

Paris Gun – Largest Piece of Artillery Used in World War I

Image Source

This huge gun is a German long-range siege gun called Paris Gun. It was so-named because it was used by the Germans to bombard the city of Paris during World War I. This supergun was the largest piece of artillery used during the war by barrel length. This massive gun weighed 256 tons and was 28 meters long. This super heavy field cannon has a caliber of 210 mm and an effective range of 130 km.

See also

• World’s Most Powerful and Most Destructive Weapons Ever Built
• Top Ten Best Tanks in the World