"In my opinion, the M1 Rifle is the
greatest battle implement ever
devised."
LGEN George S. Patton, Jr.
The M1 Garand is a full blown
combat rifle with maxiumum range of 3,200 meters
and maximum effective range of 400 meters.....or
the greatest distance at which the weapon can be
expected to fire accurately to inflict casualties
or damage. Fully loaded with 8-round en bloc clip, cleaning
kit in butt stock, sling and with stock of dense
GI issue wood the M1 weighed in at 11-1/4 lbs.
The M1 came into production in 1936 using the
.30-06 rifle cartridge.
The M1 was the designated service
rifle of World War II and the Korean War for the
United States Military. It was designed for
semi-automatic fire using a spring steel clip
containing 8 rounds. This is where the term
"clip" originated. All other rifles
used a detachable or fixed magazine. (There is
some discussion on whether this is accurate, if
you have a comment, please enter it on our
Bulletin Board.) The M1 Garand was designed for
long range accuracy i.e. battle zero was
set for any target less than 200 yards It was the
only rifle that had fully adjustable i.e. windage
and elevation, rear sights.
The M1C, manufactured by
Springfield Armory in late 1944-1945, mounted
either a M81 or M82 scope, a T4 leather cheek
pad, and an M2 flash hider.
The The original rear sight of
the M1 would not hold adjustments very well, so a
locking bar was added
in late 1942 which could be tightened after
sights were set.
The US Rifle M1 was the
first semiautomatic rifle to be the standard
small arm of the US Military, requiring a
trigger pull to fire a round but automatically
chambering the next round. This not only greatly
increased the rate of fire over bolt-action
rifles, but made it far easier to reacquire a
target after each round. It was also the first
semiautomatic rifle to be adopted by a major
military power. It was the product of a genuine
genius, John Cantius Garand. While the M1 Rifle
was never officially referred to as the Garand,
it is known by no other name so widely. First
adopted in 1936, the M1 Rifle served the
US in World War II, Korea, a host of
"police actions" and interventions,
and, in the hands of allies, in the Vietnam War.
Even there the US Army fielded accurized
sniper M1 rifles even though the M1 had by that
time been supplanted by the M14 and later the
M16.
To many the M1 Rifle has a
classic elegance and grace characteristic of a
bygone era, when steel was forged in white heat
and walnut was carefully shaped for both form and
function. "There will never be again such a
rifle, so brimming with the genius of an
individual mind, so well constructed to outlive
us all, so sculpted as to ask the hand to
caress."
Criticisms of the M1 are its
weight, limited ammunition supply, and that
single rounds could not be pushed in (8 round
clip, or nothing), although this is actually
possible. Also, the spent clip was automatically
ejected after the last round was fired, making a
distinctive sound, which could be fatal in close
quarter or sniper operations. Partially loaded or
fully loaded clips could be ejected by pulling
the operating rod handle all the way back and
then pushing the clip latch on the left side of
the receiver. In the heat of close action it was
possible to do this accidentally, as by pressing
the latch with the left hand while firing from
the hip.
As a supplement to the Garand the
M1 Carbine was
developed. It was totally different design
philosophy with a smaller, less powerful
cartridge and an effective range of 300 yds max.
It weighed almost exactly 1/2 that of the M1
Garand. In many ways you could think of the M1
Carbine as a moderately powerful, two-handed,
long-barreled auto pistol with a shoulder
stock.
(Verbatim from FM 23-5 U.S. Rifle Caliber .30,
M1)
Disassembly into the Three Main Groups
:
A. The three main groups are the
trigger housing group, the barrel and receiver
group and the stock group.
B. To disassemble the rifle into
the three main groups, first insure that the
weapon is clear and then allow the bolt to go
forward by depressing the follower with the right
thumb and allowing the bolt to ride forward over
the follower assembly. (note: careful, m1's
are always hungry and eat thumbs).
C. Place the rifle butt against
the left thigh, sights to the left. With the
thumb and forefinger of the right hand, pull
downward and outward on the rear of the trigger
guard. Swing the trigger guard out as far as it
will go and lift out the trigger housing
group.
D. To separate the barrel and
receiver from the stock lay the weapon on a flat
surface with the sights up, muzzle to the left.
With the left hand, grasp the rear of the
receiver and raise the rifle. With the right
hand, give a downward blow, grasping the small of
the stock. This will separate the stock group
from the barrel and receiver group.
The M1 is a robust weapon.
