The M1 Garand (officially designated asU. S. rifle, caliber .30, M1, later simply called Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, also abbreviated as US Rifle, Cal. .30, M1) is a semi-automatic rifle chambered for the .30-06 Springfield rifle cartridge, used by the United States Army from 1936 to 1957. The rifle was named after its designer John Garand. It was the first standard-issue, semi-automatic, military, rifle.[5] Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S. Patton,[6] the Garand officially replaced the bolt-action M1903 Springfield as the standard service rifleof the United States Armed Forces in 1936 (although the switch was not instantaneous) and was subsequently replaced by the selective-fire M14, starting in 1957. During World War II, the M1 gave U.S. forces a distinct advantage in firefights against their Axis enemies, as their standard-issue rifles were more effective than the Axis' slower-firing bolt-action rifles. The M1 continued to be used in large numbers until 1963 and to a lesser degree until 1976. Like its predecessor, the M1 originated from the Springfield Armory. Today, the M1 remains in use for drill purposes.
The M1 is an air-cooled, gas-operated, clip-fed, semi-automatic, shoulder-fired weapon. This means that the air cools the barrel; that the power to cock the rifle and chamber the succeeding round comes from the expanding gas of the round fired previously; that it is loaded by inserting an en-bloc (i.e., it goes into the rifle's action and functions as part of the rifle) metal clip (containing eight rounds) into the receiver; and that the rifle fires one round each time the trigger is pulled.[7] After the eight rounds have been shot, the empty clip automatically ejects with an audible "ping" noise.
The M1 was the standard-issue service rifle of the U.S. forces in World War IIand the Korean War, and also saw service to a limited extent in theVietnam War. Most M1 rifles were issued to U.S. forces, though many thousands were also lent or provided as foreign aid to American allies. The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honor guards. It is also widely sought by the civilian population as a hunting rifle, target rifle, and military collectible.
Although the name "Garand" is frequently pronounced /ɡəˈrænd/, according to experts and people who knew John Garand, the weapon's designer, /ˈɡærənd/ (to rhyme witherrand) is preferred.[8][9] It is available for American civilian ownership through the Civilian Marksmanship Program.
History
Though the U.S. Army became interested in self-loading rifles with theBang and Murphy-Manning of 1911, and there were pre-production models in 1916,[10] the M1's origin properly dates to 1919, when armies around the world were realizing that standard riflecartridges were more powerful than necessary for typical engagementranges, leading to heavier rifles than were really required. The Army trials in the 1920s had a .256-inch minimumcaliber requirement, compared to the.30-06 then standard.[11]
Development
Development
French Canadian-born Garand went to work at the United States Army'sSpringfield Armory and began working on a .30 caliber primer-operated breech. In 1924, twenty-four rifles, identified as "M1922", were built at Springfield. AtFort Benning during 1925, they were tested against models by Berthier, Hatcher-Bang, Thompson, andPedersen, the latter two being delayed blowback types.[10] This led to a further trial of an improved "M1924" Garand against the Thompson, ultimately producing an inconclusive report.[10] As a result, the Ordnance Board ordered a .30-'06 Garand variant. In March 1927, the Cavalry Board reported trials among the Thompson, Garand, and '03 Springfield had not led to a clear winner. This led to a gas-operated .276 model (patented by Garand on 12 April 1930).[10]
In early 1928, both Infantry and CavalryBoards ran trials with the .276 Pedersen T1 rifle, calling it "highly promising"[10](despite its use of waxedammunition,[12] shared by the Thompson).[13] On 13 August 1928, a Semiautomatic Rifle Board carried out joint Army, Navy, and Marine Corpstrials between the .30 Thompson, both cavalry and infantry versions of the T1 Pedersen, "M1924" Garand, and .256 Bang, and on 21 September, the Board reported no clear winner. The .30 Garand, however, was dropped in favor of the .276.[14]
Further tests by the SRB in July 1929, which included rifle designs byBrowning, Colt–Browning, Garand,Holek, Pedersen, Rheinmetall, Thompson, and an incomplete one by White,[nb 1] led to a recommendation that work on the (dropped) .30 gas-operated Garand be resumed, and a T1E1 was ordered 14 November 1929.
Twenty gas-operated .276 T3E2s Garands were made and competed with T1 Pedersen rifles in early 1931. The .276 Garand was the clear winner of these trials. The .30 caliber Garand was also tested, in the form of a single T1E1, but was withdrawn with a cracked bolt on 9 October 1931. A 4 January 1932 meeting recommended adoption of the .276 caliber and production of approximately 125 T3E2s. Meanwhile, Garand redesigned his bolt and his improved T1E2 rifle was retested. The day after the successful conclusion of this test, Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur personally disapproved any caliber change, in part because there were extensive existing stocks of .30 M1 ball ammunition.[11] On 25 February 1932, Adjutant GeneralJohn B. Shuman, speaking for the Secretary of War, ordered work on the rifles and ammunition in .276 caliber cease immediately and completely and all resources be directed toward identification and correction of deficiencies in the Garand .30 caliber.[13]:111
On 3 August 1933, the T1E2 became theSemi-Automatic Rifle, Caliber 30, M1.[10] In May 1934, 75 M1s went to field trials; 50 were to infantry, 25 to cavalry units.[13]:113 Numerous problems were reported, forcing the rifle to be modified, yet again, before it could be recommended for service and cleared for procurement on 7 November 1935, then standardized 9 January 1936.[10]The first production model was successfully proof-fired, function-fired, and fired for accuracy on July 21, 1937.[15]
Production difficulties delayed deliveries to the Army until September 1937. Machine production began at Springfield Armory that month at a rate of ten rifles per day,[16] and reached an output of 100 per day within two years. Despite going into production status, design issues were not at an end. The barrel, gas cylinder, and front sight assembly were redesigned and entered production in early 1940. Existing "gas-trap" rifles were recalled and retrofitted, mirroring problems with the earlier M1903 Springfield rifle that also had to be recalled and reworked approximately three years into production and foreshadowing rework of the M16 rifleat a similar point in its development. Production of the Garand increased in 1940 despite these difficulties,[17]reaching 600 a day by 10 January 1941,[10] and the Army was fully equipped by the end of 1941.[11]
Service use
John Garand points out features of the M1 to Army Generals.
Following the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Winchester was awarded an "educational" production contract for 65,000 rifles,[10] with deliveries beginning in 1943.[10] The British Armylooked at the M1 as a possible replacement for its bolt-action Lee–Enfield No.1 Mk III, but it was rejected when rigorous testing suggested that it was an unreliable weapon in muddy conditions. That was one of many situations where the British declared American hardware unacceptable before American forces used the same equipment with great success.[18][19]
The M1's semiautomatic operation gave United States forces a significant advantage in firepower and shot-to-shot recovery time over individual enemy infantrymen in battle. (German, Italian, and Japanese soldiers were usually armed with bolt-action rifles.) The semi-automatic operation and reduced recoil allowed soldiers to fire 8 rounds without having to move their hands on the rifle and therefore disrupt their firing position and point of aim.[20] General George S. Patton called it "the greatest implement of battle ever devised."[21]The impact of faster-firing infantry small arms in general soon stimulated both Allied and Axis forces to greatly augment issue of semi- and fully automatic firearms then in production, as well as to develop new types of infantry firearms.[22]
Much of the M1 inventory in the post-World War II period underwent arsenal repair or rebuilding. While U.S. forces were still engaged in the Korean War, the Department of Defense determined a need for additional production of the Garand, and two new contracts were awarded. During 1953–56, M1s were produced by International Harvester andHarrington & Richardson.[23] A final, very small lot of M1s was produced by Springfield Armory in early 1957, using finished components already on hand.Beretta also produced Garands using Winchester tooling.
U.S. Army Infantryman in 1942 with M1, Fort Knox, Kentucky.
The M1 proved an excellent rifle throughout its service in World War II and the Korean War. Surplus M1 rifles also armed many nations allied to the United States postwar, including West Germany, Italy, Japan, Denmark, Greece, Turkey and Iran. Following the Korean War, Garands were loaned to South Korea. Some Garands were still being used in the Vietnam War in 1963; despite the M14's official adoption in 1957, it was not until 1965 the changeover from the M1 Garand was completed in the active-duty component of the Army (with the exception of thesniper variants, which were introduced in World War II and saw action in Korea and Vietnam). In other components of the armed forces, such as the Army Reserve, Army National Guard and theNavy, Garands continued to serve into the 1970s or longer. A well known Service with M1 is SELRES Navy retaking Da Nang Vietnam in latter 1969.
Some military drill teams still use the M1, including the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team, the Norwegian Royal Guards Drill Team, the Greek Presidential Guard Evzones, the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Honor Guard, the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, almost all Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and some Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) teams of all branches of the U.S. military. The Greek Army Evzones (presidential) Guard still uses M1s, and it was used as a training rifle in the Greek army even in the late 1990s.
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