The Boys anti-tank rifle was a British anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War. It was often nicknamed the "elephant gun" by its users due to its size and large 0.55 in (14 mm) bore.
Boys anti-tank rifle Mk I
Swedish volunteers in the Winter War carrying Boys anti-tank rifles
British soldiers training with the Boys anti-tank rifle
American World War II propaganda poster featuring a British soldier carrying a Boys anti-tank rifle.
An anti-tank rifle is an anti-materiel rifle designed to penetrate the armor of armored fighting vehicles, most commonly tanks, armored personnel carriers, and infantry fighting vehicles. The term is usually used for weapons that can be carried and used by one person, but is sometimes used for larger weapons. The usefulness of rifles for this purpose ran from the introduction of tanks in World War I until the Korean War. While medium and heavy tank armor became too thick to be penetrated by rigid projectiles from rifles that could be carried by a single soldier, anti-tank rifles continued to be used against other "soft" targets, though recoilless rifles and rocket-propelled grenades such as the bazooka were also introduced for infantry close-layer defense against tanks.
Soviet PTRS anti-tank rifle in a museum
Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr 13.2 x 92 mm anti-tank rifle at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris.
Polish Kb ppanc wz.35 7.92 mm anti-tank rifle used by the Polish Army during the Invasion of Poland (September 1939).