Guns are popular, especially in America where they’re practically part of the culture. However, what makes a gun good? Reliability, accuracy, and ergonomics are the most important factors in deciding whether a gun is “good” on an objective scale, but subjectively any gun that you like and is appropriate for your task is “good.”
However, some people like certain guns more than is potentially socially acceptable. In that sense, we might consider these guns “cult” favorites. Most are popular because they have excellent gun designs. Some have historical significance that boosts their popularity and value with collectors. With guns being a hot-button issue for the upcoming presidential race, let’s assess twenty guns that collectors can’t get enough of.
It’s relatively easy to see which guns are popular by looking at auctions and seeing both how much each gun usually sells for and how many bids there are. We looked at published lists of popular guns to get inspiration. Then, we corroborated those lists with auction prices and information. (Curious about guns that are much harder to find? After this article, read about 10 of the Rarest Guns Sought by Collectors.)
AR-15
Modern custom AR-15 (M4A1) carbine on a wooden surface. Studio shot
The AR-15 is unique and on this list not because it’s an exceptionally popular gun—though it is popular—but because it has an actual cult around it. The Church of the Iron Rod does demonstrations and religious rituals where the clergy carry AR-15 guns. A few days after the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol, Pastor Sean Moon of the Iron Rod Ministries posted a rant to Instagram wearing his trademark crown of bullets and speaking from behind a golden AR-15. So, while there are “cult favorite” guns that have a “cult following” (metaphor) there is also the AR-15 which has a “cult following” (literal). Thus, it was impossible not to put this one on the list as it is the only gun that satisfies the list requirements in the most real and literal sense.
Glock
Glock doesn’t have an actual cult, but Glock fanboys are getting pretty close. If you go to gun-related events, you will eventually see one or two guys decked out in Glock merch. There is some good reason behind it. Glock’s guns are extremely reliable and feel great to shoot. However, we don’t need to wear Glock hats and sing the praises of Glock as if everyone doesn’t know about the company and its guns already. This one isn’t a specific gun, but the whole Glock company has a bit of a cult following around it and if you operate in gun-related circles, you will encounter these people. I’m not even saying that they’re wrong to like Glock guns so much, but I am saying that your Glock hat makes you look like a weenie.
M1 Garand
Getting into actual guns, we have the M1 Garand which has a cult-like fanbase that proudly asserts that the gun is just as good or better than modern rifles. The M1 Garand was designed in 1928 and used either a 0.30–06 Springfield or 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. It can fire at a rate of around 40–50 rounds per minute and has an effective firing range of about 500 yards (457 meters). The gun was a U.S. military standard service rifle from 1936 until 1957 and saw use on the battlefield during that time. Is the M1 Garand a good rifle? Yes, absolutely. The gun is reliable and durable. It was a standard issue for a reason. Is it as good or better than modern rifles? Well, that’s a more subjective opinion, but the jury is still out on that one.
FN Fusil Automatique Léger
The FAL is a battle rifle that was designed in Belgium in 1953. It was used as a standard-issue service rifle by more than 90 countries and the U.S. is a notable exception to that list. The gun can take 7.62×51mm NATO or 0.280 British cartridges. FAL enthusiasts tend to love this gun more than other people love their guns, knowing all the intricacies of its mechanics. The amount of information that the average FAL-lover knows about the gun far eclipses the knowledge that most gun owners have of their weapons. If you have one that you need to get serviced, a FAL enthusiast will be able to get it firing like it’s brand-new. It has a rate of fire of 650–700 rounds per minute and a maximum firing range of around 800 meters.
P7 Pistol
After the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre, the German government decided that it needed to develop a new gun to replace the trusty 0.32 ACP Walther PP for their police force. The result of that specification was the P7 pistol, designed in 1976 and manufactured by Heckler & Koch. This German 9×19mm semi-automatic pistol came in many forms and the model determines what cartridge it takes. The PSP and P7M13 take the 9×19mm Parabellum, the P7K3 takes the 0.22 Long Rifle, 0.32 ACP, and 0.38 ACP, the P7M10 takes the 0.40 S&W, the P7PT8 takes the 9×19mm PT, and the P7M7—which was a prototype-only gun—took the 0.45 ACP.
Colt 1911 Pistol
The Colt 1911 Pistol is regarded by some as one of the finest pistols ever made and by others as a massive mistake and a stain on gun history. It was designed by the legendary firearms designer, John Browning and manufactured by Colt. The original design was in 1911, the Model 1911, and it underwent a redesign in 1924, producing the Model 1911A1. The gun remains in production today. It’s chambered for a 0.45 ACP cartridge and has an effective range of 50 meters or 160 feet. The 1911A1 remains a standard-issue handgun for servicemembers in the U.S. military. The 1911A1 pistol has one of the most iconic designs in gun history and is easily identifiable by enthusiasts. People tend to either really love or really hate the gun, there is no in-between on this baby.
AK-47
Soviet Union small-arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov designed the Автомат Калашникова or Kalashnikov’s Automatic Rifle. The gun’s name is typically shorted to the AK in English and there are actually several variants of the gun, of which the AK-47 is among the most popular and widely used. Design work for the gun began in 1945 and it was first presented for military trials in 1947. Its service began with the Soviet Union in 1948. It’s chambered for a 7.62×39mm cartridge. The gun’s rate of fire varies depending on the model, and its cyclic rate is significantly different from its practical rate of fire. It has a cyclic rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, but in practical usage, a semi-automatic AK-47 can only fire around 40 rounds per minute and a burst/fully-automatic AK-47 can get up to 100 rounds per minute in practical use.
Remington Model 700
The Remington Model 700 series is a series of bolt-action centrefire rifles that are extremely popular with gun enthusiasts. While the Model 700 series was never commissioned as a standard-issue military rifle, the M24 and M40 sniper rifles used by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps are both based on the Model 700’s design. As there are a wide variety of models in the series, the guns can take a wide variety of cartridges including the following:
- 6mm Remington
- 6.5mm Creedmoor
- 6.5×47mm Lapua
- 7mm-08 Remington
- 7mm Remington Magnum
- 7mm Shooting Times Westerner
- 8mm Remington Magnum
- 8.6mm Blackout
- .221 Fireball
- .223 Remington
- .243 Winchester
- .25-06 Remington
- .257 Roberts
- .257 Weatherby Magnum
- .260 Remington
- .270 Winchester
- .280 Remington
- .30-06 Springfield
- .300 Remington Ultra Magnum
- .300 Weatherby Magnum
- .300 Winchester Magnum
- .300 Winchester Short Magnum
- .308 Winchester
- .338 Lapua Magnum
- .416 Remington Magnum
- .458 Winchester Magnum
Smith & Wesson Model 29
It would be impossible to have a list of legendary guns without mentioning Smith & Wesson. The Model 29 was first introduced in 1955 and put into service almost immediately. The gun remains in service today and is still in production. It’s a six-shot, double-action revolver and it comes in seven standard barrel lengths: 3, 4, 5, 6, 6+1⁄2, 8+3⁄8, and 10+5⁄8 inches. Other barrel lengths were available from Smith & Wesson as special orders or from independent gunsmiths as custom builds. This gun can use a .44 Magnum or .44 Special cartridge and is a 0.429-inch (10.9 mm) caliber six-gun. At the time of its introduction into the market, it was the most powerful production handgun on the market but was overtaken by handguns chambered for larger calibers over time.
Mauser Gewehr 98
Mauser developed and manufactured this rifle for service in the German Empire, and it was a standard-issue rifle for the German military from 1898 until 1935. It was designed by the legendary Paul Mauser in 1895 and can be found in two cartridge chamberings: M/88 cartridges, which indicate that the model was produced before 1903, and 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridges which were chambered from 1903 until the end of production. The gun had a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute.
Its effective firing range changed as the technology of gun sights changed. With iron sights, it has a range of 500 meters (550 yards). However, with optics, that range increases to 1,000 meters or 1,100 yards. The Mauser Gewehr 98 replaced the earlier Geweher 1888 which was in service at the time and was later replaced by the Karabiner 98k, which was a carbine rifle that used mostly the same design as the Gewehr 98.
Ruger 10/22
The Ruger 10/22 was designed in 1964 by William B. Ruger and Harry H. Sefried II and is still in production today. The gun comes in several chamberings, including .22 Long Rifle, .22 Magnum, and .17 HMR. It’s a highly popular gun with over 7 million units built. It still sees service today and is currently used by the Israel Defense Force as a standard-issue weapon. The rifle uses a patented 10-round rotary magazine. However, it is possible to buy the gun with more spacious box magazines. The Ruger 10/22 is a highly customizable gun with many modifications and alternative parts available to tailor the gun to your specific use case. The aftermarket modification industry for the Ruger 10/22 is so wide-reaching that it is possible to build a complete Ruger 10/22 gun without using any parts actually manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co.
Mossberg 500
The Mossberg 500 is a legendary pump-action shotgun series. It was designed primarily for hunters but quickly became popular in law enforcement and military service due to its reliability and efficient cost. The series comprises unique and specified models of hammerless repeaters that all have the same basic receiver and action, but differ primarily in bore size, barrel length, choke, magazine capacity, and stock and forearm materials. Mossberg 500 shotguns are the most produced shotguns of all time and they come in three calibers: 12 gauge, 20 gauge, and 0.410 bore. The 500, 505, 510, 535, and 590 are the main guns in the Mossberg 500 series. The Revelation 310 and New Haven 600 were variations of the Mossberg 500 that were produced under a different name. By 2021, Mossberg had produced 11,000,000 Mossberg 500 shotguns.
Winchester Model 70
Variations of the original Winchester Model 70 sporting rifle are still produced today, although the U.S. military no longer uses it as a standard-issue service weapon. The Model 70 is a bolt-action rifle that comes in tons of different chamberings, such as:
- 6.5×55mm
- 6.5mm Creedmoor
- 6.5mm PRC
- 6.8 Western
- 7mm-08 Remington
- 7×57mm Mauser
- 7mm Remington Magnum
- 7mm Shooting Times Westerner
- 7mm Winchester Short Magnum
- 9×57mm Mauser
- .22-250 Remington
- .22 Hornet
- .220 Swift
- .222 Remington
- .223 Remington
- .223 WSSM
- .225 Winchester
- .243 Winchester
- .243 WSSM
- .25-06 Remington
- .250-3000 Savage
- .25 WSSM
- .257 Roberts
- .264 Winchester Magnum
- .270 Weatherby Magnum
- .270 Winchester
- .270 WSM
- .280 Remington
- .30-06 Springfield
- .300 H&H Magnum
- .300 RUM
- .300 Savage
- .300 Weatherby Magnum
- .300 Winchester Magnum
- .300 WSM
- .308 Winchester
- .325 WSM
- .338 Winchester Magnum
- .35 Remington
- .358 Winchester
- .375 H&H Magnum
- .416 Remington Magnum
- .416 Rigby
- .458 Winchester Magnum
- .470 Capstick
The Model 70 saw many battlefields with U.S. servicemembers, including those of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Mosin-Nagant
The Mosin-Nagant is one of the most mass-produced military bolt-action rifles in all of history. Over 37 million Mosin-Nagant rifles were produced since 1891. Despite the rifle’s age, it is still used by some militaries worldwide and continues to see battlefields in armed conflicts. It’s chambered with five different cartridges: the 7.62×54mmR, the Finnish variant of the Mosin-Nagant uses the 7.62×53mmR, the Polish variants and German captures of the Mosin-Nagant use 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridges, Austrian captures of the gun use 8×50mmR Mannlichers, and Bannerman rifles for the U.S. civilian market used 0.30–06 Springfield cartridges. It has an effective firing range of 500 meters (550 yards) when using optical sights.
Walther PPK
The Walther PPK series developed by Carl Walther Waffenfabrik in 1929 is the favored sidearm of the fictional superspy James Bond and is still in service with many militaries worldwide. Some variants of the gun are no longer produced, but many remain in production for both military and civilian use. Due to the number of variants, the caliber and chambering can vary depending on which model you end up purchasing. You may see any of the following cartridges in use with Walther PPK guns:
- .22 Long Rifle
- .25 ACP
- .32 ACP
- .380 ACP
- 9×18mm Ultra
Mauser C96
This gun was designed by Fidel, Friedrich, and Josef Feederle with some help from the late and great Paul Mauser in 1895. The Mauser C96 has an extremely distinctive physical appearance with a box magazine in front of the trigger, a long barrel, and a detachable wooden shoulder stock that gives it the stability of a short-barreled rifle and doubles as a holster or carrying case. Another distinctive feature of the C96 is that its wooden grip is shaped like a broom handle, leading to its nickname in the English-speaking world, the Broomhandle. However, if you travel to China, you should call it the 盒子炮 (box cannon). Mauser produced approximately one million C96 pistols during its production run. Spain and China were also known to produce the gun in large numbers. However, poor production records prevent us from knowing exactly how many were made in these countries.
Colt Single Action Army
If you think of “guns of the Wild West”, you probably think of the Colt Single Action Army, even if you don’t know it by name. The gun was designed for the U.S. government service revolver trials of 1872 and became a standard-issue pistol for the U.S. Army from 1873 until 1892. It has been offered in over 30 different calibers and several barrel lengths throughout its production run. Despite having its production canceled by Colt twice, popular demand and gun enthusiast outcry caused the company to renew its production after ending it twice. The gun was a popular tool in the Wild West, used by ranchers, lawmen, and outlaws alike during the Western Expansion of the United States.
Winchester 1873
While the Colt Single Action Army might be the iconic six-gun of the Wild West, the Winchester 1873 is marketed to consumers as “The Gun That Won the West.” It was originally chambered for .44–40 cartridges. However, variants that could use the 0.38–40 and 0.32–20 also saw production as they allowed wielders to carry more than one type of ammunition for the gun. The Winchester 1873 was offered in three primary variations: a 24-inch barrel rifle, a 20-inch barrel carbine, and a 30-inch “musket” variation that was aimed for military contract use. However, the musket variation didn’t see wide adoption by the military and made up only about 5% of Winchester’s production figures.
Browning Auto-5
This recoil-operated, semi-automatic shotgun was designed by John Browning in 1898. It was the first successful semi-automatic shotgun design and remained in production for almost 100 years, until 1998. The Browning Auto-5 was a standard-issue service shotgun for 70 years, from 1905 until 1975. The most defining feature of the Browning Auto-5 was the magazine cutoff, which gave it a distinctive high rear end and resulted in the nickname “Humpback.” The Remington Model 11 and Savage Model 720 shotguns were nearly identical in design to the Browning Auto-5 but lacked the distinctive magazine cutoff. You could find this gun in 12, 16, and 20-gauge calibers. The gun was used often by the British Special Air Service during the Malayan Emergency as they found it ideal for close-quarters jungle fights.
Red Ryder BB Gun
While this isn’t exactly what most people think of when they think of guns, the Red Ryder BB Gun is where many gun enthusiasts get their start. Many people who are interested in guns are interested from a young age and it would be inappropriate to hand them a deadly weapon. Enter the Red Ryder BB Gun and other BB guns that shoot non-fatal ammunition that can still plink a can on a fence. The Red Ryder model is the most famous BB gun in the world. It features a lever action that’s reminiscent of Wild West-era rifles. The gun was also featured prominently in the prolific Christmas movie, “A Christmas Story.” Don’t shoot your eye out, kid! (Next, read about the Guns That Helped Win the Revolutionary War.)