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M1 Garand

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M1 Garand
"The rifle that won the war"
TypeService rifle
Specifications
Mass4.3 kg (9 lb 10 oz)
Length1.1 m (43.6 in)

The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1) was the first semi-automatic rifle to become a standard infantry rifle. It officially replaced the Springfield 1903 rifle as the standard service rifle in 1936, until officially replaced by the M14, which was derived from it, in 1957. It would be heavily used in WWII, Korea, and to a limited extent in Vietnam. It was primarily used by the U.S., but also some other countries. It continues to be used by various drill teams and is a popular civilian firearm.

Notable features

Weight was approximately 9.63 lb (4.4 kg) unloaded, but this varied with wood density from rifle to rifle. Length was 43.6 in (1.1 m). The rifle is fed by an "en-bloc" clip which holds eight rounds of .30-06 ammunition. When the last cartridge is fired, the rifle ejects the clip and locks the bolt to the rear. Clips can also be manually ejected at any time. The "en-bloc" clip is manually ejected by pulling the operating rod all the way to the rear, and then depressing the clip catch button.

Ejection of an empty clip created a distinctive "ping" sound. In World War II, Germans were said to use the ping sound to alert them to an empty American rifle. During the Korean War, American soldiers supposedly used this sound to their advantage, noting that the enemy would pop their heads up when they heard the clip sound. However, these claims are largely unsubstantiated, and in reality clip noise likely had little positive or negative effect in the vast majority of engagements. The "ping" sound also probably couldn't be heard in the noise of gunfire.

Originally chambered for the 0.276 in (7 mm) Pedersen cartridge using a 10-round clip, the Garand Rifle was later standardized to use the then-official U.S. military rifle round: "Ball Cartridge, 0.30 in (7.62 x 63 mm), Model of 1906", commonly known as the .30-06 (read "thirty-aught-six"). Its maximum effective range is listed at 550 m, with capability of inflicting a casualty with armor-piercing ammunition well beyond 800 m.

History & design

File:Wikigarandlabeled.jpg
M1 Garand with important parts labeled

Developed by weapons designer John Garand during the 1920s and 1930s at the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, it eventually became the standard rifle of the U.S. military, being adopted in 1932 and formally entering service in 1936 because of the executive decision by the current Army Chief-of-Staff General Douglas MacArthur. The first production model was successfully proof-fired, function-fired, and fired for accuracy a year later, on July 21, 1937. It served through World War II and the Korean War where it proved to be an excellent rifle, so much so that the Axis Powers used as many as they could capture. The Japanese even developed a prototype copy for their own use near the end of World War II, but it never reached production. Some Garands were still being used in the Vietnam War in 1963, although it had been officially replaced by the M14 rifle in 1957. It took until 1965 for the changeover to the M14 to be completed, with the exception of the sniper versions. U.S. military drill teams still use the M1, including the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill team. The sniper versions, introduced in WWII, were also used in Korea and part of Vietnam.

In terms of design, the M1 rifle was a gas-operated, semi-automatic, magazine-fed rifle. By modern standards, the M1's feeding system does have its peculiarities, particularly in the clip-loaded magazine system it used. The American Army wanted a fixed magazine that would be charged with clips. They felt that a removeable magazine was prone to damage and loss. John Pedersen developed an "en-bloc" clip that allowed ammunition to be inserted into the fixed magazine from above, clip and all. A follower kept constant upward pressure (provided by the operating rod spring) on the cartridges. When the last round was fired, the empty clip was automatically ejected, creating the aforementioned "ping" sound.

Two of John C. Garand's patents, showing the original gas tapping design and the improved version

Original (pre-1939) rifles used a rather unreliable gas system involving a special muzzle extension that was dropped in favor of a simpler drilled gas port. The "pre-1939" gas-trap Garands are very rare today and are prized collector's items. In both systems, the expanding gases are tapped into the gas cylinder (the tube under the barrel). Here, the gas operated a long-stroke piston, which is attached to the operating rod. The operating rod then recoils by the force of the gases, and is returned to its original position by a spring. The operating rod was also attached to a rotating bolt inside the receiver. The bolt was attached to the receiver by two locking lugs, which rotated, unlocked, and initiated the reloading cycle when the rifle was fired.

Perhaps the distinct edge its semi-automatic capabilities gave the Allied forces over their enemy in battle (German soldiers were usually armed with Mauser bolt-action rifles) is why General George S. Patton called it "the greatest implement of battle ever devised." The rifle remains popular among civilian weapons collectors and enthusiasts all over the world.

Variations & accessories

Most variations of the Garand never saw duty, with the exception of the sniper variants. The sniper versions were Garands modified to accept scope mounts, and from this came two systems. These are M1C (formerly the M1E7) and M1D (formerly the M1E8). However, neither were produced in significant quantities during the second World War. The only difference between the two versions is the mounting system for the telescopic sight. In June of 1944 the M1C was adapted as the standard sniper rifle by the U.S. Army to replace the venerable M1903A4. The M1C and M1D first began being widely used during the Korean war. The U.S. Marine Corps adopted the M1C as their official sniper rifle in 1951. The U.S. Navy has also used the Garand, rebarreled for the 7.62 x 51 mm NATO round. The Beretta firm in Italy produced a copy of the Garand called the Model 1952 and subsequently manufactured modified copies, the best known of these being the BM-59 series.

One good example of variants that never saw duty are the M1E5 and T26, popularly known as the "Tanker Garand". The two rifles have a shorter barrel at 18 in. The M1E5 is equipped with a folding stock while the T26 uses the standard solid stock. The "tanker" name was actually added after the war when it was used as a marketing gimmick to sell the rifles. Another example of a variant that never saw duty is the T20E2. This variant is, at its simplest, a Garand modified to accept Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) magazines and has selective fire capability in semi and fully-automatic modes.

Similar to most modern rifles, the M1 had many accessories available. Several different styles of bayonets fit the rifle: the Model 1905, 16 in (406 mm) blade; Model 1905E1, 10 in (254 mm) blade; M1, 10 in (254 mm) blade; and M5, 6 in (152 mm) blade. Also available was a grenade launcher that fit onto the barrel using the M7 Spigot. It was sighted using the M15 sight which fit just forward of the trigger. A buttstock-cleaning kit was also available for use in the field.

Despite similarities in naming, there is no relationship between the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine. Both of these firearms, along with many other articles of military hardware, were named by the designation "Model One".

Quick Reference of Variations

US Army Designation US Navy Designation Description
M1E1 N/A M1 Garand variant; w/ modified cam angle in op-rod
M1E2 N/A M1 Garand variant; w/ prismatic scope and mount
M1E3 N/A M1 Garand variant; w/ roller added to bolt’s cam lug
M1E4 N/A M1 Garand variant; gas cutoff and expansion system w/ piston integral to op-rod
M1E5 N/A M1 Garand variant; 18” barrel and folding stock
M1E6 N/A M1 Garand variant; sniper variant
M1E7/M1C N/A M1E6 Garand variant; sniper variant M81 scope (though the M82 or M84 scope could be substituted) on a Griffin and Howe mount
M1E8/M1D N/A M1E7 Garand variant; sniper variant M82 scope (though the M84 scope could be substituted) on a Springfield Armory mount
M1E9 N/A M1 Garand variant; similar to M1E4, w/ piston separate from op-rod
M1E10 N/A M1 Garand variant; variant with the “Ljungman” direct gas system
M1E11 N/A M1 Garand variant; short-stroke Tappet gas system
M1E12 N/A M1 Garand variant; w/ gas impingement system
M1E13 N/A M1 Garand variant; “White” gas cutoff and expansion system
M1E14 Mk 2 Mod 0 M1 Garand variant; rechambered in .30 T65/7.62 x 51 mm NATO w/ press-in chamber insert
T20 N/A M1 Garand variant; select-fire conversion by John Garand, capable of using BAR magazines
T20E1 N/A T20 variant; uses its own type of magazines
T20E2 N/A T20 variant; E2 magazines will work in BAR, but not the reverse
T20E2HB N/A T20E2 variant; HBAR variant
T22 N/A M1 Garand variant; select-fire conversion by Remington, magazine-fed
T22E1 N/A T22 variant; unknown differences
T22E2 N/A T22 variant; unknown differences
T22E3 N/A T22 variant; unknown differences; uses T27 fire-control
T26 N/A M1 Garand variant; 18-inch barrel and standard stock
T27 N/A Remington field select-fire conversion for M1 Garand; ability to convert issue M1 Garands to select fire rifles; fire-control setup used in T22E3
T35 Mk 2 Mod 2 M1 Garand variant; rebarreled for .30 T65/7.62 x 51 mm NATO
T36 N/A T20E2 variant; T20E2 rechambered for .30 T65/7.62 x 51 mm NATO using T35 barrel and T25 magazine
T37 N/A T36 variant; same as T36 except in gas port location

Operation

IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT CONSULT THIS ARTICLE FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO OPERATE AN M1 GARAND RIFLE. READ YOUR OWNER'S MANUAL!!!

M1 Garand "en-bloc" clip (loaded)

The M1's safety is located at the front of the trigger guard. The safety is "engaged" when it is pressed rearward into the trigger guard, and "disengaged" when it is pushed forward and is protruding outside of the trigger guard.

To load a full clip, hold the rifle at the balance with the left hand and pull the operating rod handle all the way to the rear. Place the butt of the rifle against the thigh or on the ground. With the right hand, place a full clip on top of the follower assembly. Place the thumb on the center of the top round in the clip and press the clip straight down into the receiver until it catches. Swing the right hand up and to the right to clear the bolt in its forward movement. Note that the operating rod is not held to the rear during loading since there is no danger of it going forward as long as pressure is maintained on the top round in the clip. It may be necessary to strike forward on the operating rod handle with the heel of the right hand to fully close and lock the bolt.

To fire the rifle, aim through the rear aperture and focus your eye on the front sight. Place the top of the front sight post in the center of the out-of-focus target. Your eye should automatically center the front sight in the middle of the rear aperture. Pull the trigger smoothly and the weapon should fire. Remember that the .30-06 is a high-powered round, and will a produce considerable amount of recoil.

To unload a round from the chamber, support the rifle butt on the thigh or on the ground; with the right hand grasp the operating rod handle and pull the operating rod slowly to the rear. At the same time, place the left hand, palm down, over the receiver to catch the round as it is ejected. This keeps the round from falling into the dirt or away from your position. To unload a filled or partially filled clip, unload the round that is in the chamber as described above. When the operating rod reaches its rearmost position, hold it there. Place the palm of the left hand over the receiver and depress the clip latch with the left thumb, allowing the clip to be ejected up into the hand, Do not relax the rearward pressure on the operating rod handle until after the clip has been removed.

In battle, the manual of arms called for the rifle to be fired until empty then recharged quickly. Modern users of the M1 Garand criticize the rifle for its inability to handle rounds like more traditional rifles. This stems mostly from a lack of understanding of the system. It is possible to load single cartridges into a partially loaded clip while the clip is still in the magazine. It required both hands and a bit of practice. This is rarely done, however. Special clips are available which hold two or five rounds as well as a single-loading device which stays in the rifle when the bolt locks back. A modification of the clip latch is also available which disables the clip ejection function allowing loading like a traditional top-loading rifle. Despite its intricacies, the clip-fed, semi-automatic, gas-operated system of the M1 Garand was more advantageous than the manually operated bolt-action systems used on the main battle rifles of nearly every other country during the era — and compared to other magazine-fed rifles of the war, the Garand was probably the fastest to reload.

You can watch The History Channel to see real M1 Garands being used.

Civilian use

United States citizens meeting certain qualifications may purchase U.S. Military surplus M1 Garand rifles through the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), a not-for-profit corporation created by Congress in the early part of the 20th century to promote rifle skills in case of future war but latterly to promote firearms safety training and rifle practice.

Military surplus Garands, as well as post-war copies made for the civilian market, are popular among enthusiasts.

Misconceptions

One of the most widespread myths concerning the Garand battle rifle is that the en-bloc clips could not be ejected by any other means except shooting them out — this is simply not true. As stated above, partially or completely loaded clips could be relatively easily ejected from the rifle. The procedure for doing so can be found here.

Another myth concerns the volume of the ejected clip. Although it is loud and somewhat startling to an inexperienced user, this sound could not usually be heard over the discharge of the last shot, as seen in this video, where the empty clip makes an audible "ping" when it hits the ground, not when it is ejected. (The empty clip will obviously make noise if it strikes a hard surface, and the ejecting clip's movement can be noticed by a diligent enemy).

Popularity in these rifles and their myths has manifested itself most prominently in modern video games, like Medal of Honor, the Half-Life/Half-Life 2 modification Day of Defeat, Wolfenstein's Enemy Territory, and Activision's Call of Duty, among others. Many "fans" of the rifle who have not had any real experience with it tend to staunchly adhere to these myths.

References

List of other semi-automatic battle rifles

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to M1 Garand.
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