List of recoilless rifles
This is a list of recoilless rifles (
infantry support weapons that allow the firing of a heavier projectile than would be practical with a recoiling artillery gun. Technically, only devices that use a rifled barrel are recoilless rifles. The smoothbore
variants (those devoid of rifling) are termed recoilless guns. This distinction is often lost, and both are often called recoilless rifles.
Normally used for
anti-tank roles, the first effective system of this kind was developed during World War II to provide infantry with a light, cheap and easily deployable weapon that does not require extensive training in gunnery. The near complete lack of recoil
allows some versions to be shoulder-fired, but the majority are mounted on light tripods and are intended to be easily carried by a soldier.
| Symbol | SS | SA | RE |
| Meaning | Single shot
|
Semi-automatic | Revolver |
| Symbol | RCL | AT | ACN |
| Meaning | Recoilless rifle | Anti-tank
|
Autocannon |
| Name | Manufacturer | Image | Cartridge | Type | Country | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rheinmetall RMK30 | Mauser | 30x250 mm | RE ACN |
 Germany
|
1993 | ||
| M18 Recoilless Rifle | 
|
57 mm | SS RCL |
 United States
|
1942 | ||
| SPG-9 | 
|
73 mm (2.87 in) smoothbore | SS AT |
 Soviet Union
|
1962 | ||
| Miniman | FFV Ordnance | 
|
74 mm | SS AT |
 Sweden
|
1968 | |
| LG 40 | Rheinmetall | 
|
75×130 mm. R 75×200 mm. R |
SS RCL |
 Germany
|
1941 | |
| M20 | 
|
75 mm | SS RCL |
United States
|
1944 | ||
| Breda Folgore | Breda Meccanica Bresciana
|
|
80 mm (3.1 in) HEAT | SS AT |
 Italy
|
1986 | |
| DZJ-08 | Norinco | 80 mm | SS AT |
 China
|
2008 | ||
| B-10 | KBM | 
|
82 mm | SS RCL |
Soviet Union
|
1954 | |
| M59 | Skoda | 
|
82 mm |  Czechoslovakia
|
1959 | [1] | |
ALAC
|
GESPI Aeronáutica | 
|
84 mm Thermobaric |
SS AT |
 Brazil
|
2014 | |
| AT4 | Saab Bofors Dynamics | 84 mm | SS AT |
Sweden
|
1987 | ||
Carl Gustav recoilless rifle
|
Saab Bofors Dynamics | 
|
84 mm | SS AT |
Sweden
|
1946 | |
| 55 S 55 | 
|
89 mm | SS AT |
 Finland
|
1955 | ||
| RCL 3.45 inch Gun | Broadway Trust Company | 3.45 in (88 mm) | SS RCL |
 United Kingdom
|
|||
| M67 | 
|
3.54 in (90 mm) | SS RCL |
United States
|
1960s | ||
Pvpj 1110
|
Saab Bofors Dynamics | 
|
90x760 mm HEAT | SS RCL |
Sweden
|
1953 | |
| 95 S 58-61 | 
|
95 mm | SS RCL |
Finland
|
1958 | ||
| LG 40 | Krupp | 
|
105×155 mm. R | SS RCL |
Germany
|
1942 | |
| LG 42 | Rheinmetall | 
|
105×155 mm. R | SS RCL |
Germany
|
1942 | |
| M40 | Watervliet Arsenal | 
|
105×607 mmR | SS RCL |
United States
|
1950s | |
| Model 1968 recoilless gun | Fabricaciones Militares | 
|
105 mm
|
SS RCL |
 Argentina
|
1968 | |
| B-11 | KBM | 
|
107 mm | SS RCL |
Soviet Union
|
1954 | |
L6 Wombat
|
|
120 mm (4.7 in) HESH | SS RCL |
United Kingdom
|
1950s | ||
| M-60 | 
|
HEAT
|
SS RCL |
 Yugoslavia
|
1960s | ||
| Jagdfaust | SA RCL |
Nazi Germany
|
|||||
| M28/M29 "Davy Crockett" Nuclear Recoilless Rifle | 
|
SS RCL |
United States
|
1956 |
Citations and notes
- ^ "82 mm recoilless gun - M59 Recoilless Gun - about 1959". royalarmouries.org. Royal Armouries. Retrieved 28 October 2023.