The three-month amnesty was the first in 20 years in Australia and most of the weapons collected will be destroyed.

The ME8 maxim machine gun will be gifted to the Australian War Memorial for its collection.

A number of historic firearms were also surrendered, including a 1870 Springfield Trapdoor rifle with US government markings, and a 1916 Luger Pistol.

In the first month alone, 159 items were surrendered. In an ACT amnesty in 2003, just 10 firearms were handed to police.

More than 50,000 illegal firearms have been surrendered nationally, a fifth of the estimated illicit weapons in the country.

In September, an ACT Policing spokesperson said the majority of weapons relinquished had been old .22 rifles, old shotguns, and .303 rifles, the authorities had also received pistols and semi-automatic rifles.

Spear guns, cross bows, and swords were also surrendered in the ACT.

The amnesty allowed people to surrender unwanted or unregistered firearms to the police, with no questions asked.

Australia's tough gun ownership laws were introduced after the massacre of 35 people by a lone gunman at the former prison colony of Port Arthur in Tasmania in 1996.

ACT Police will announce on Wednesday final details of the weapons handed back.