For Serbia, the period of the 19th century was a time of wars of liberation and the struggle for independence on the way to the creation of a modern state. After gaining vassal autonomy in 1830, Serbia got the right to legally purchase weapons for "necessary" troops.  Weapons were procured mainly from Russia and Austria. The first regular rifle produced for the Serbian army was purchased in Liège from the Belgian manufacturer Auguste Francot. The only known, completely preserved example of that weapon M.1856, Mini-Francot-Petrović system, is kept in the Military Museum and belonged to divisional officer Živko Davidović, whose name is stamped in gold on the barrel.

Before the liberation and independence wars of 1876-1878, the modernization of weapons was a condition without which this great goal could not be achieved. The Turkish army already possessed single-shot pistols of the Henri-Martini M.1871 system, as well as repeaters of the Winchester M.1866 system. There was not enough money to purchase new weapons, so the Serbs found the most practical solution to convert the old percussion rifles to a single-shot muzzle loading system. After some wandering  the Peabody conversion system was adopted. The famous Serbian "pibodusha" of the 1870 model became famous in the wars of liberation and independence, but, unfortunately, very few examples have been preserved, and the Military Museum owns only four "kašikars", as these guns were popularly called.

After gaining full independence in 1878, one of the priorities of the Serbian state was the modernization of the army and weapons. The Peabody system rifle had, among other shortcomings, the outdated large caliber 14.9 mm. A solution had to be found for a new, modern, smaller-caliber ostragusa. Thus, after a studious project and a large competition from 1879, the choice fell on a Mauser solution with improved ballistic properties that we owe to the Serbian artillery major Kosti-Koka-Milovanović. The Serbian single shot ostragusha, called kokinka, of the Mauser-Milovanović M.1880 system, cal. 10.15mm, was considered the best infantry rifle in Europe during the next ten years. There are only a few "kokinki" in the Military Museum, among which is a prize specimen that belonged to General Milojko Lešjanin, the Minister of Defense at the time.

In the second half of the 19th century, rapid-fire rifles appeared, forcing Serbia to once again modernize its weapons in order to keep up with the times and potential opponents. The first Serbian rapid-fire Mauser, model 1899, was based on the Spanish model 1893, and the slightly later model 1910, was also based on the latest German system from 1898. A very small number of Serbian small arms with which the Serbian army fought the Balkans and the First World War have been preserved to this day, and that small collection, in fact, represents the most significant part of this collection of formation weapons. Along with the Mauser rifles, the only preserved example of the Serbian Maksim M.1909 machine gun is of particular importance. The machine gun is a product of the German Arms and Ammunition Factory, and the lid of the case is engraved with a dedication: The people of the Niš district to their heroic second infantry regiment of Prince Mihailo. The collection contains all types of small arms with which France equipped the Serbian army before going to the Thessaloniki front in 1916. The collection is full of both allied and enemy weapons from the Balkan wars and the First World War.

In the small collection of pistols and revolvers, we single out three Serbian revolvers of the Nagan M.1891 system, one of which was made as an honorary award of His Majesty the King. There are also several Montenegrin revolvers of the Gasser M.1870 system, and Perjanic revolvers of the same system, model 1870/74.  

As far as cold weapons are concerned, the collection contains a collection of  over 200 sabers of different models and provenance. In this fund, the most numerous are Russian and Austrian sabers, but we also own a proportionally larger number of Serbian infantry sabers of the 1861/70 model, of which we highlight the sabers of Duke Živojin Mišić, General Pavel Jurišić Šturm and General Ivan Pavlović, as well as the sabers of lesser-known Serbian army officers. Among the cavalry sabers of the "old" regulation from 1861, the saber of Ljubomir Lešjanin stands out, which bears the traditional military motto on the blade: Do not take it out without reason, do not return it without honor and the year 1884. We must not forget the saber of the same regulation that belonged to the first manager of the Artillery School, Alexander Franja Zah, which was made in Toledo, an ancient Spanish armory center.

Serbian cavalry officer sabers of the 1895 model are quite few in number, and a special place belongs to the saber that the Weierzberg-Kirschbaum firm in Solingen gave to King Aleksandar Obrenović. The examples of weapons that the manufacturers gave to our rulers were luxuriously made, but essentially, they are just a part of the successful marketing of the manufacturer entrusted with the arming of the Serbian army. The cavalry saber of this model was the first to carry the Serbian national coat of arms on the hilt and, with minor modifications, has remained to this day an officer's status symbol and the connection of today's army with the tradition of the 19th century.

We highlight the fund of decorated Russian sabers, among which there are two awarded to our people. Of inestimable value is the "diamond" saber for the bravery of Prince Milan Obrenović, with which the Russians decorated him during the First Uprising in 1807. This exclusive specimen is certainly one of the most valuable exhibits kept in the Military Museum. The collection also includes the "diamond saber", a gift from the Russian Emperor Nicholas II Romanov to Prince Arsen Karađorđević for his bravery as the commander of the Guards Cavalry Brigade in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904/5. The saber was presented to the Military Museum by his son, Prince Pavle Karađorđević. 
From the category of gift weapons in the possession of the Military Museum is the saber that King Aleksandar Obrenović received from the Persian Shah in 1901/02. and the dedication on the blade that reads: Make this saber blessed, O Noble and Eternal! Give my owner no destruction, O Lord,  while he lives.