#M1Garand

Kingston Armory makes a full size replica of the M1 and M14 chambered in .22LR. For obvious reasons there are some compromises taken. The guns uses a rotary box magazine that Kingston makes, however it is compatible with Ruger 10-22 style magazines.

The Small Arms Survey is a global center with a mandate to “generate evidence-based, impartial, and policy-relevant knowledge on all aspects of small arms and armed violence“.

The phrase, “In my opinion, the M1 Rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised” is possibly one of the more enduring and iconic of all quotes to emerge out of the Second World War in relation to American small arms. The quote itself stems from a letter from General Patton to a certain General Campbell of the War Department. Campbell was Chief of Ordnance in 1945, the department that then directed the production and design of everything from hand grenades to the 500 pound bombs being dropped by B17s on Fortress Europe. However what must be noted is that Patton goes on to say in the letter that just about everything else the U.S. Army was using was without equal in the world. By the way, there is another letter attributed to Patton, but this one directly addressed to Springfield Armory, in which he says, “I consider the M1 the greatest weapon ever made”. Obviously the more poetic of the two found its way into the history books.

The story of the M1 Garand in Iran highlights a tale of interwoven politics that spans decades and is still being seen today. More than just the story of a service rifle in the Middle East, North Africa, (MENA)/Central Asia region, it crosses political and historical intrigue throughout. Mixed in is the history of American foreign military aid propping up the Shah’s regime, the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the ensuing Iran-Iraq War, and then the dissemination of the rifle into nearby Iraq and Afghanistan, possibly even Syria as some recent examples from various rebel groups there show.

My friend Tom invited me to a small informal shoot with some of his friends. Dave and Dan were there. You may recall Dave and his WWII Zundapp motorcycle that Dan took gorgeous photos of. There were a few other people there. Mike Sirianni, his son Mike and his grandson who is also named Mike. And there was Sonny. All of them are friends. Mike’s son asked Sonny to bring out some of his firearms so that his dad could get to shoot them one more time. Sonny brought out an M1 Garand, M1 Carbine and a Colt Govt 1911.

The American M1 Garand was the world’s first general issue semi-automatic rifle. It is famous for many reasons (such as the harmonious ping it makes when ejecting its en bloc clip), but it is a magnificent piece of engineering that you can only truly appreciate by seeing what’s inside.

Some guns just seem to attract the most ravenous fanboys. These fanatics collaborate and overtime form cult-like cells within the community of firearm enthusiasts. In this video we explore five firearms that have developed a fan base akin to cults, often bordering on outright religious behavior.

We introduced you to the concept of locking in a previous one of our 201-level posts on how firearms work, and today we’re going to talk about what has become the most common locking mechanism for rifles: Rotary locking. If to lock an action, you need to create an interference between the breechblock and the barrel, one of the most intuitive ways to do this is the same way a barrel bolt latch works.

Previously in Operating Systems 101, we covered the simple, inexpensive principle of blowback, and the reliable principle of short-recoil. Both of these mechanisms together form the foundations of almost all automatic handguns in common use today, but what about rifles? Well, the most common mechanism for rifles is the method of gas operation, developed by legendary Utahn Mormon gun wizard John Moses Browning. Browning observed that the gases coming from the muzzle of a rifle could influence objects around it, such as tall grass. Through tireless experimentation, Browning found he could harness this gas, and the principle of gas operation was born.

When we last left my CMP M1 Garand, it was having some problems with operating rod dismount. At first, I assumed that the cause of this was chance and operator error, because it didn’t seem like my operating rod was out of spec, but when the oprod dismounted twice more after I wrote and published the article, I knew something was wrong. I checked the operating rod tab again, and this time, it was too small. Well, crap. Fortunately, the CMP guarantees all of their rifles, so I contacted the Program’s customer service, and was directed to Lead Armorer Larry Champion, who immediately sent me a FedEx label and told me to put my operating rod and sales invoice in the box. He gave me the choice of either repairing or replacing the rod, and I chose the latter. Then, I took the operating rod to FedEx, had them package it and slap on a label, and off it went.

The big name YouTube channels, like Hickok45 and Forgotten Weapons have gotten large followings for a reason, but from time to time I come across smaller channels with just a few followers that really deserve more attention. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been watching one of these channels, called Bloke on the Range. What makes BotR a channel worth looking at is the Bloke himself’s attention to the detail, and good sense of humor. To see what I’m talking about, take a look at two of his videos below: One on the Lee-Enfield and why it’s a faster action than other bolt guns, and another on some of the tall-tales surrounding the M1 Garand:

If you read the previous two installments on how to order from the CMP, then you have a good idea about how to get eligible, fill out your paperwork, and send in your packet for a Field- or Service-Grade M1 Garand rifle. Now what? Once the waiting is done, and your rifle arrives at your doorstep, you have received a shiny new example of Patton’s “deadliest rifle in the world”.

This is how you run and gun with a M1 Garand USPSA style. John Z has been using his M1 Garand at the Sir Walter Gun Club for a couple years. Watch him run through these stages engaging targets and reloading his M1 on the run. Looks like fun and some good training for a classic weapon.

In October, I traveled out to see my co-writer Alex C. to collect data on the weights of different long guns and some of their components. Over that weekend, I weighed 58 rifles and submachine guns, and numerous magazines, bolts, bolt carriers, and other miscellaneous items. The purpose of this was not only to collate a general list of the weights of different weapons, but to be able to enhance the accuracy of a previous spreadsheet I’d produced showing the loaded “combat” weights of different rifles; that being available at this link.

The M1 Garand is a truly magnificent rifle that became a very potent symbol for a generation of American fighting men. Loaded with 8 round en-bloc clips, the M1 semi-automatic rifle showed the world that entire armies could be armed effectively with semi-automatic firepower. In this run and gun, we put the M1 to the test!