Highest commercial sales world wide?

[ajax]

At first I thought about doing a poll but I got to thinking there would be possible candidates that I wouldn't even consider that should be. So here it is. Which firearm do you guys think has sold the most commercially world wide?

 

[pharmer]

AK 47. 100,000,000 made. Nothing else een close. Joe

 

[RON in PA]

While I agree that the AK-47 is the most produced gun in common use and perhaps of all time I wouldn't call it commercial, most have gone to military or quasi-military establishments. It would be nice to know the number of Mauser rifles produced also. Bet Mausers are a close second.

I'll guess Smith and Wesson K-frame revolvers.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Comercial---non-military

Just guessing here:

Glock
1911
Marlin model 60
Winchester 1894
Ruger .22 pistols
Remington 870
Ruger P-series

 

[mp510]

I recall Marlin ads that touted the Marlin Model 60 as the most popular .22 in the world.

 

[Eyesac]

+1 for Glock

Non military has got to be Glock

 

[360guy]

Just guessing and not a very good guess.... But I thouht everyone owned a ruger 10/22?

 

[psyopspec]

Keep in mind that lots of Glock sales go to militaries or the local constabulary.

 

[GeorgiaGlocker]

Yep. I agree. Non military.....Glock.

 

[seeker_two]

What about S&W or Taurus revolvers? I figure those and the makers of .32 & .380 semi-autos (Bersa, CZ, etc.) would be more in line with the commercial demand and still meet most nations' "enlightened" gun control laws....

 

[CWL]

Brown Bess musket.

Until the arrival of the machinegun, Brown Besses have killed more humans thruout history.

3,000,000 Brown Bess manufactured at least.

2,500,000 Glocks so far.

 

[jem375]

cz's might be near the top of the list for handguns also...more cz's used in Europe than Glocks, but the LEO's and civilian users of this country might swing it Glocks way worldwide....

 

[OVERLORD]

Even without military application I would say the 1911. Its almost a 100 years old.

 

[Smith357]

Non-military commercial guns would be.
Winchester 1894 with over 6 million units.
Remington 870
S&W K38

 

[ozarkhillbilly]

I believe Smith357 has it right with the Winchester 94.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

A: COMMERCIAL, not handed out like lollipops by the Russkies

B: Why would you guess handgun? For that matter, why guess centerfire rifle? Both those items are very heavily controlled in many countries. For my money, the answer has got to be either .22 rifle or a shotgun.

I'm quite sure the Marlin 60 has outsold the Win94 (despite a 66yr late-start).

[thumbs through files]


I sold the book a while back, but I had a Guns Digest compilation from the 1970s which included an article on the subject.

IIRC, the most sold commercial firearm was the H&R/NEF single-shot shotgun.

I even found one in Iraq, which had been confiscated from (and then returned) to a Bedouin shepherd, along with an ornamented leather cartridge belt. We had a couple Baikal ones too, but when I saw the NEF, it really surprised me! Never new that some factory in New England was shipping cases of shotguns out to Baghdad.

-MV