Infantry weapons are likely the first things that people think of when they think of WW2 weapons. Maybe your grandpa carried a M1 Garand. Maybe he carried a K98 or Carcano but you don’t like to tell anyone.

Out of all the weapons used in war, small arms are one of the types that many civilians are able to enjoy in their spare time.

So here is our compiled list of normalized prices, In US dollars, as converted by available GDP cost metrics. Please note that slave labor was HEAVILY utilized by nations during WW2. Thus the cost of some nation’s arms is lower than it cost say England or the United States to build.

Handguns

 Luger P08 – $13

M1911 .45 – $15

SMGs

MP40 – $24 (1942 Cost)

Thompson SMG
$209 (In 1939)
$70 (in 1942)
$45 (In 1945)

M3 “Grease Gun”
1942 – $22
1945 – $15

Mk II Sten
1942 – $11

Rifles

Mauser 98k
$28 (Pre-War price)

MP44 sturmgewehr
$26 (1944 cost)

M1 Garand rifle
$83 – 1942
$31 – 1945

M1 Carbine

 $45  – 1942

Machine Guns

M2 “Ma-Duce” .50 BMG
$1560 1945

M1919A4 Machine Gun
$579 – 1945

M1918A2 BAR
$319 – 1945

Bren Gun
~$180 – 1941 price

MG 42
$100 – (1944 cost)

MG34
$131 – 1942 cost

The lafette tripod costs an additional $160.

Explosives & Other

Mk 2 Hand grenade
$1 – 1942

Bazooka
$19 – 1942

8cm Granatwerfer 34 8cm mortar

$324 – 1939

12cm Granatwerfer 42 12cm mortar
$480 – 1939

Next: The Cost of  WW2 Vehicles

Sources :
Skennerton’s British Small Arms Of Word War 2
“German Antitank Weapons” from Intelligence Bulletin, November 1944