A variety of outstanding weapons and pieces of equipment affected the course of World War II for both the Allies and the Axis powers.
There was the British workhorse 25-pounder field gun, the deadly Supermarine Spitfire fighter, the Avro Lancaster bomber, the universal carrier, and the dependable Bren light machine gun; the rugged Soviet T-34, regarded as the best tank of the war; the devastating German 88mm antiaircraft and artillery gun, and the formidable Tiger tank series; the feared Japanese Mitsubishi Zero carrier fighter; and, from the American “arsenal of democracy” came the ubiquitous jeep, the Sherman medium tank, the half-track, the bazooka rocket launcher, the universally used C-47 transport plane—and the Garand M-1 infantry rifle.
Designed long before the war by John C. Garand, a French Canadian engineer, the semiautomatic, gas-operated, air-cooled, clip-fed M-1 was the main infantry weapon of the U.S. Army in 1941-1945. Firing a .30-caliber cartridge in eight-round clips, it was the world’s first semiautomatic rifle in military service and was used wherever American soldiers saw action, in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, the Pacific Theater, France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. MORE
h/t systemically confused
I’ve still got an International Harvester that is a hell of a shooter. Cost me a ten spot through DCM.
I had a few others over the years. Shot high power with a Garand for a few years. I went over to the dark side about 1992
@JDH-My DCM Garand is a SA and it draws admirers at the range every time I take it. It’s my all time favorite to shoot. My dad was an officer in Patton’s 3rd Army & fought in the Battle of the Bulge. I asked him years ago his thoughts on the M1. He got a wistful look on his face and commented that it was a very fine weapon. It was then I decided I had to have one. My receiver has some codes scratched into it with an electric pencil. When I asked the DCM, they replied that the codes mean that the rifle went to Viet Nam with the Marines.
How is it against mobs in let’s say, Portland?
I’d give the Garand two thumbs up, but…well you know.
I’ll take the bar over the garand.
“I’ll take the bar over the garand.”
100 guys shooting semi-auto in all directions or 1 guy shooting auto in 1 direction?
In terms of personal defense, how can you afford to feed it? A case of 30-06 every 4 minutes?
(just being funny – BAR’s a fine weapon)
izlamo delenda est …
Qualified as marksman back in the day with the M1-Garand. The hands on the clock have done their damage.
I remember a History Channel (back when They showed History) about the
Rifle it beat out. I think it was Phillips..It had a lot of cool features like
side loading without removing the Mag….
Bobcat, I think you’re referring to the Iver-Johnson. It was in the inventory and saw service with the Marines in the Pacific theatre during the early part of the war. It had a side door on the right that you could drop individual rounds in to keep it topped off.
Had a friend who bought one a few years ago I didn’t know that much about the guns but have since done enough reading to know I would love to own one myself.
Buy a new one.
https://www.springfield-armory.com/m1a-series-rifles/
They’re the long gun version of the 1911
” I think it was Phillips..It had a lot of cool features like side loading without removing the Mag….”
Johnson rifle, used to see them occasionally at gun shows. Collectables, if you ever see one of them at a reasonable price buy it.
https://www.forgottenweapons.com/rifles/johnson-m1941/
Fun fact: The Japanese reverse-engineered the Garand during the war, but their version never went into production.
Daily deal @ PSA – $1299.99 – get’em while they last:
https://palmettostatearmory.com/springfield-armory-m1a-socom-308-win-nra-mossy-oak-rifle-aa9604.html?trk_msg=28DM59DDPIJKPAF7A56VISJ9MS&trk_contact=61S8CDVDMKQQ31IVJS4ORN1TH8&trk_sid=ALKEQJHPSH1Q85M957MQOJ6VKS&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=SHOP+NOW&utm_campaign=Daily+Deal+Email&utm_content=5%3a00+Email.
Had to laugh – on the page someone asked, “Is this gun legal in NY?”
Ans. “Probably not, your state blows”.
I gave Johnny Garand the idea for that rifle.
He wanted to build record-players or some such.
When my brothers’ national guard company was first issued M16s they had to throw their Garands into an open trailer over an expanded metal sidewall. Three of these rifles had serial numbers under 100. The top Sargent wept when he had to throw the rifle he’d spent hours cleaning, boning the stock etc. onto the pile.
One may still purchase an M1 Garand if you meet their eligibility requirements-
https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/m1-garand/
I also own a Springfield M1A and it’s good fun, but lacks the character of the Garand.
Back in about ’95 I was able to get my hands on a SA M1 Garand repatriated from the South Korean Army. A good friend, an old retired U.S. Navy armorer, went over it and although ugly on the outside it is in fine shape on the inside. It is one of my more prized possessions and is one of the best $200 purchases I’ve ever made.
The .30-06 cartridge is a fine one, superior to the .308 of the newer M1As.
Aside: Isn’t it nice to see the word “clip” used accurately for a change? (-:
p.s. Watch that thumb!
Back in the 80’s, I was in the USAF. At that time, if you shot in a NRA sponsored match, sent in the targets, and a check for $175, the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (now the CMP) sent you a serviceable M-1. I did it and it was the bast $175 I ever spent. I had it re-barreled with a chrome schlien(sp?) match barrel, national match trigger and national match sights, and it can take care of business out to 1000 yards.
I have 3 of them and everyone at the range stops when that clip goes “ping”. 😉
Garand was an odd guy. He lived close to the SA arsenal and converted his livingroom/dining room area of his house into an ice rink. Had the cooling coils installed under the floor and would ice skate at lunch to unwind and clear his head. lol
I bought a Blue Sky Springfield Garand way back for around $150. It shot really well and I used it to qualify in matches so that I could obtain my DCM Winchester Garand for $165. I used that Winchester M-1 to take my first two elk but came to the realization that carrying it around at 11,500 feet altitude was like lugging a telephone pole. Both of my Garands are war production models and I treasure them. They are always a hit at the range. I also used Garands when doing funeral honor guard duty at Offutt AFB in the mid-70’s.
I’m lucky enough to have two, each of our three sons has one and our “garandson” has one that his father bought for him when he was still “in utero”. He’s not quite 12 now and he’s been shooting it quite well since Christmas. All of us are crazy about them. M1As are very nice too! If any of you who have one are reloaders, I’ve found that Remington 150 gr. PSPs feed very well and shoot accurately. They work better in mine than the more expensive brands. Manuals suggest 4895 and 4065 as “fuel” in the M1.
I think I’d be more of a fan if it had 16″ barrel and lost couple of pounds. Need a truck-friendly platform.
Anonymous
Check my link above. But why not just by an AR?
@ Brad. Thanks for info. I have AR and 2 sks. Am a fan of 30-06. Have 2 1903’s.
16 inch barrel Truck Gun. 30-06. Does not compute.
Anonymous – look up Shuff’s Mini G if you want one with a 16 inch barrel. Couple of his videos are on YT.
Anon – Look for a “Tanker Garand”. My brother has one, it’s shorter than a standard M-1, but I don’t know the measurements. He currently has a drop in “plug” that makes it a .308, but I have just about convinced him to remove it and go back to .30-06, he does say that it had one hell of a muzzle blast in 06, but it still has a loud voice in .308 too
Check out the Noreen BN-36 Assassin carbine. It is a beefed up AR platform chambered in .30-06. It takes 20 round magazines and spits them out as fast as you can pull the trigger. Loads of fun and handy if Antifa tries to rush your business or home.