Posted on 05/28/2004 2:57:16 PM PDT by 45Auto
The M-1 rifle holds the distinction of being the first practical semi-automatic rifle to be adopted for full-scale military service. Developed by John C. Garand in the late 1920s and early 1930s, it was adopted by the US Army in 1932, though limited scale issue didn't begin until 1936. By the time the production run ended in the 1950s, however, over 5 ½ million weapons had been produced.
The rifle was well made and sturdy, though somewhat heavy for it's time (it was almost a full pound heavier than the German Mauser 98k was). The weapon is gas operated, with a piston underneath and parallel to the barrel. The piston ends with an 'operating rod' with cam grooves that interacts with a stud on the bolt.
When the rod is driven backwards, the groove rotates and withdraws the bolt. A spring then returns the rod, thus pulling the bolt forward and chambering a fresh cartridge, and then rotating the bolt to the locked position. The round is then fired by a robust hammer system, which has been widely copied.
The magazine was fed by what were known as '8-round en bloc chargers.' These were small metal clips with two rows of four rounds that were inserted whole into the magazine. Some consider the 8-round capacity to be a hindrance, but most rifles of the day had magazines holding anywhere from 5 to 10 rounds. However, this loading system was not without it's drawbacks.
One problem was that when the clip was loaded into the weapon and reached the locked position, the bolt (which was locked open) when then be pushed forward quickly. If the operator did not move his thumb or hold the cocking handle, his finger would get crushed between the bolt and the chamber, causing 'M1 thumb.'
Also, the magazine could not be 'topped up' by inserting individual rounds into it. It was all 8 or nothing, which led to many soldiers wasting a few rounds merely to insert a new clip. The third, and potentially the most dangerous problem, was that when the magazine was empty, the metal clip that had previously held the ammunition was ejected with final shell casing. While not a major problem in and of itself, the clip would clang loudly if it landed on a hard surface, alerting any nearby enemies that their foe was now out of ammo.
The Germans were quick to realize this and would often wait for that sound, then rush the poor soldier as he was reloading. Eventually, American troops began carrying a few empty clips. First they would fire a few shots, then toss the empty clip on the ground. When their enemy would rise to charge them, they would shoot them with remaining ammunition in their weapon.
The M-1 is a beautiful weapon, both to fire and to look at. The sights are of the peep variety, and allow for accurate shooting to fairly long ranges (though only a well-trained shooter could realize the 550-meter range). Two dials on the sight allow these sights to be adjusted for both distance and windage, and this allows the weapon to be sighted in rather quickly.
When firing, right-handed shooters must take care in the placement of their forehand. If it is too far back, it will hit the operating rod and could possibly pinch their fingers. Though the weight does put some strain on the forearm, it is easy to adjust to it over time. The weight also helps to reduce some of the recoil force, which would probably be considerable with such a powerful round. As such, the gun does not exert too much force backward into the shoulder, making it far more comfortable to fire than the Mauser 98k.
However, the barrel does pull upwards quite severely when the bullet leaves the muzzle, and practice is required to grow accustomed to this. All in all, the weapon is great to handle, and easily matches, if not exceeds, the accuracy of the Mauser.
The M1 has, in a sense, never left the military. Though US forces were last issued to frontline troops in Korea, the weapon itself serves on as a presentation weapon. In addition, the M-14 rifle is a direct descendant of the M-1. The top-loaded en bloc charger has been replaced with a bottom loaded 20 round removable clip, and the weapon has bee re-chambered for the slightly smaller 7.62x51mm NATO round (also known as the .308 Winchester.
The .30-06 has a case that is 3mm longer, and thus they are not interchangeable). Though the M-14 is a selective fire weapon (semi-auto and full-auto), the action is practically identical to that of its forerunner, the M-1. This action has also been adapted for the Ruger Mini-14/AC-556 weapons. The Mini-14 is commonly used by police forces, while the M-14 is used most frequently by US Special Forces.
"M1" ping
Bang
Say, isn't their a quote from Patton about the M-1?
Great article. Much better caliber than the .223 for combat IMHO, although I understand the weight issues with the ammunition.
I trained with the M14 in the late 60's. What an ingenious piece of equipment. Luv'd that thing.
"The greatest battle implement ever devised."
-- General George S. Patton, Jr.
I trained with the 14 and carried it in Vietnam but we
were given the M-1 at ICT at Camp Geiger.
I loved it from the start. Still want one for my arsenal.
That was pretty interesting reading until the author mentioned the Mini-14.
[ANTI MINI-14 RANT]
The Garand and M14 are top quality rifles. The Mini-14 is made of the least expensive castings Ruger is able to manufacture and has a different gas system. There are obvious similarities but other than the likeness of the Mini-14 trigger group to the Garand's there are a lot more differences.
Ruger is even too cheap to chrome line the bore and chamber.
Ruger wouldn't even sell 20 round mags to us mere mortals prior to the cosmetic feature ban. Don't forget the late Bill Roogler's rantings about getting Glocks banned from importation and his support of Bush41's military rifle import ban. $200 5.56mm AKs were outselling his cast carbine.
After selling Mini-14s in the early 90s and having half of them come back in trade on ARs and AKs I'm hard pressed to say much good about them other than they used to be cheap. I've shot a couple of accurate Minis and there are some crazy guys who actually put good barrels on them and get them to group.
[/RANT]
In a nod to fairness Armscorp, Springfield Armory and several others use cast receivers for their M14 clones and the receivers seem to hold up ok. You don't see many stories about Mini-14s kabooming either.
Get a DCM Garand if you can't shell out the $10,000+ for a real M14 but don't buy one of them cast rooglers.
Not if the weapon is loaded properly, with the edge of the hand restraining the charging handle as the en bloc clip is inserted.
...the clip would clang loudly if it landed on a hard surface, alerting any nearby enemies that their foe was now out of ammo.
The Germans were quick to realize this and would often wait for that sound, then rush the poor soldier as he was reloading.
I have as of yet to hear of one documented case of this happening. I am not saying that it never did, just that I do not think it was at all common, and that this is a myth which has sprung up.
A fine rifle, much better for combat than what our troops are stuck with today.
BTTT
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