[virgil283]

General George S Patton called It "The greatest battle implement ever devised".

Caliber: .30-06 (7.62x63 mm) Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt Overall length: 1103 mm Barrel length: 610 mm Weight: 4.32 kg Feeding: non-detachable, clip-fed only magazine, 8 rounds

"The story of the first semi-automatic rifle ever widely-adopted as a standard military arm began after the start of the First World War, when the inventor John C. Garand (Canadian, then living in USA) began to develop a semi-automatic (or self-loading) rifles.

He worked at the government-owned Springfield armory and during the 1920s and early 1930 developed a number of design. Early rifles were built using somewhat rare system of the cartridge primer blowback, but due to some reasons this system was unsuitable for a military rifle, so he switched to the more common gas-operated system. He filed a patent for his semiautomatic, gas operated, clip-fed rifle in 1930, and received an US patent for his design late in 1932."

An M1 Garand en bloc clip with eight .30-06 Springfield rounds

[SatinDoll]

So, how is the Garand different than an M-16?

[JRandomFreeper]

This thread hurt my thumb.

/johnny

[al baby]

GET OFF MY LAWN!!!

[MCF]

MacArthur sure made a very wise decision by insisting that they stick to the 30-06 rather then going to the .276.

[ChildOfThe60s]

If my memory serves me correctly my late Leatherneck father told me that when he entered the Marines in WW2 there were insufficient Garands to go around and he trained with a Springfield.

[Logical me]

One real trick with the M1 is when shoving the clip in get your damn thumb out of the way, quick. No mercy here. Love the gun.

[meyer]

Ahhh yes, the good old days when a “clip” was actually a clip!

Love the Garand. Love its offspring, the M-14 even more!

[dglang]

I trained on the M1 while I was in High School ROTC, and I loved it. I was also taught how to field strip a M! carbine and a BAR as well.

I joined the Army after completing high school and the first rifle they gave me was a M14. I admit that I was disappointed that I didn't get a M1 but the M14 is vastly superior due to the magazine which can hold much more than the M1 clip.

Even today the m14 is much better than the m16 for certain tasks. Marine Corp snipers often use them due to their greater range and accuracy.

[04-Bravo]

My favorite rifle is an M1 Garand collector’s grade (all original parts and finish) purchased from the Civilian Marksmanship Program. It was manufactured at the Springfield Armory in 1954.

It’s hard to put into words, but there is something very satisfying about handling a battle rifle made of steel and wood, and firing an 8-round clip of .30-06 M2 Ball ammo. The sights are easy to use, the recoil is surprisingly light, and even with its original barrel this old U.S.G.I. service rifle is very accurate.

[Jack Hammer]

Not only a work of genius, but a work of art, as well.