Survival Directory
M1 Garand Rifle
This rifle arrived just in time for widespread use in World War II, and
played a large role winning victory after victory on the battlefield. The
Garand rifle remained in service with US forces until about 1957, and remained
in the hearts of GI's and others eternally.
The Garand rifle is one of the few vestiges of a great victorious crusade
against pure evil, and by touching or holding these relics, we make a valuable,
personal and physical connection with a past so easily forgotten.
The US M-1 rifle, 30 cal also known as the "Garand rifle" is one
of the icons that personifies the US itself. The Garand rifle is named after
its inventor and designer, a Canadian named John Cantius Garand (1884 - 1974).
John Garand immigrated to the US, and was naturalized as a US citizen in 1920.
A toolmaker by trade, he answered the call for a better self-loading rifle in
the years following World War I.
After several prototypes, one of Garand's designs had promise and was
initially accepted. It was also chambered in .276 caliber, and performed very
well. Near the end of the trials, General Douglas MacArthur demanded it
rechambered to .30-06 to make it compatible with existing stockpiles of
ammunition leftover from W.W.I. After acceptance in 1936, the US Army
designated it rifle, US M1. The US military never referred to it as the
"Garand rifle", this is a civilian moniker. Other than his civil
service salary, this is the only award Mr. Garand ever received for his rifle
design. John Garand retired in 1953.
The M1 wasn't fully deployed by the beginning of US involvement in W.W.II,
the Springfield M1903 rifle was still in widespread use in all branches of the
US military. The Springfield M1903 was an excellent rifle even by today's
standards, but was already obsolete at the beginning of W.W.II. A bolt-action
repeater, the Springfield M1903 was a difficult rifle to make especially in the
time it was intended to fight in. It required very advanced machining and heat
treating techniques, often beyond the abilities of the workers making them. The
initial batch of Springfield M1903 receivers had inconsistent heat treating,
and after reports of field failures, were collectively condemned en masse below
approximately serial number 800,000. By 1942, the Springfield was revised to
modern manufacturing technology and reflected this in the appended designation
M1903A3, however the basic performance was unchanged from the first M1903
Springfield. So, between approximately 1937 and 1943 the US military used both
the M1 and M1903 rifles sometimes side-by-side. By late 1943, the M1903
Springfield was a battlefield rarity.
Women occupied as much as 70% of Springfield's labor force, and most wartime
M1 rifles were made by women ordinance workers. They often exceeded wartime
quality and production quotas. The M1 continued as the backbone infantry rifle
during W.W.II, and remained in service through the Korean War (1950-53). During
World War II, M1 rifles were made by Springfield and Winchester. Following
W.W.II, International Harvester and Harrington Richardson joined the M1
production. HR-made M1s are considered the best made, but lack collector
interest since they are post war manufacture.
After W.W.II, the US Military investigated some of the alarming reports
coming back from the field. The more common complaints were weight (an M1
weighs nine pounds, heavy by today's standards) the inability to "top
off" the 8 round magazine, the tendency to smash thumbs during loading
(the ubiquitous "M1 thumb") the 8th round ping from an ejected clip,
and occasional clip ejection from hip-firing and mysterious reports of
7th-round stoppages while firing in heavy rain. These reports were turned over
to the Aberdeen proving ground and Springfield, along with the desire for a
more modern infantry rifle. Of all these reports, only the 7th round stoppage
was considered an unintentional consequence, as the other reports were the
direct results of design features. The 7th round stoppage was traced to opening
friction between the bolt lug and the cam track. A field fix was treating the
cam track with lubricant, although it wasn't military doctrine at the time.
Many times M1 shooters pondered why the M1 was never offered with the
ability to accept the BAR 20-round magazine. The BAR and M1 magazine
interchangeability feature was an obvious asset even then, and serious work was
put into making the M1 able to accept and use BAR magazines. The effort failed
partly due to the high bolt force required to strip off rounds from the BAR
magazine, and also because it would have required a complete redesign of the M1
rifle receiver. Time and finances simply didn't permit yet another major M1
redesign, so the BAR magazine project was cancelled.
There were variants: The M1 was produced in two sniper variants, the M1C and
the M1D. Both used offset scopes to allow clip-loading. If imitation is the
sincerest form of flattery, the Japanese paid tribute to the M1 as well. The
Japanese produced a copy of the M1, but chambered in the 7.7mm Japanese service
cartridge. It never reached full production before W.W.II ended. Germans also
appreciated the reliable M1 (German designation- 7.62 mm - Selbstladegewehr
251(a)), and more than a few were found with captured M1s. The Italian firm
Beretta made a high quality M1 copy known as "Beretta Garands". Made
on former US M1 rifle tooling, they are really a continuance of US wartime
Winchester M1 rifles. Beretta continued the evolution of the Garand rifle, their
initial improved rifle was the BM-59, followed by a flurry of sub-variants.
By the time the M1 was finally replaced by the M14 rifle in 1957, 5.4
million M1 rifles were manufactured by Springfield and other contractors. The
M1 was handed to reserve and National Guard units, and finally all were retired
and stored. These M1s were subsequently transferred to friendly nations during
the Cold War to help hedge the growth of unfriendly governments, and bolster
rapport with friendly governments. The last M1 was made sometime in 1957, and
official production stopped. Springfield Armory closed in 1968, and Robert
Reese purchased the Springfield Armory brand name in 1974, and formed a new
company in Illinois to manufacture semi-automatic versions of the M14 rifle.
Soon afterwards, Reese and company made M1 rifles. The similarity of names has
led to a great deal of confusion in the gun-buying public regarding provenance
of a former military arm, or a newly-made copy in the civil sector.
The M1 was now legendary and a strong interest followed among civil
shooters. Initially some M1s were transferred to civilians under the old DCM
program, but this was halted briefly in the 1970s when the US government began
a short program mandating the destruction of M1 rifles. After a hue and cry
from collectors and others interested in this fine rifle, the destruction
ended. During this time, market value for an original M1 easily fetched $800
and up.
Gun and import laws prohibited exported M1s from ever returning to the US,
so the number of M1 rifles were beginning to dwindle. Very little production,
if any, made a significant impact on the M1 market. The surplus market was
nearly awash in spares, but receivers were extremely rare and the tools and
gauges rarer yet. The end effect was the market for M1 rifles was essentially a
closed market. As a lad, my friends and I pined for an M1, but I don't recall
anyone in my town who actually owned one. The author recalls seeing them at gun
shows for $700 and up, and if we adjust for three decades into today's economy
the M1 rifle would be about $1500-$2500.
The 1980s saw much change with both gun laws and manufacturing technology.
Investment casting processes made steel castings made so close to the finished
dimensions that only minor fitting was necessary for assembly. During this
time, several manufacturers attempted to make M1 rifle receivers to take
advantage of the existing parts stores on the surplus market. Unfortunately,
few of these ventures succeeded since the M1 receiver requires a specific
material, forging and machining processes that apparently are beyond the means
of many companies even to this day.
Re-importation of surplus military arms resumed in the mid-1980s, and M1
rifles briefly flooded the US market. Imported M1s caused the market to bottom
briefly in 1991-1992 at around $375 for a well-used but functioning M1. These
were snapped up quickly, and prices continued back to the earlier levels.
Scattered reports of quality issues with Blue Sky surfaced, mostly around
heavily worn parts and reports of deformed barrels from heavy import stamps.
With the widespread deployment of the internet, the interest in M1 rifles
coalesced and with the DCM online, more awareness led to greater DCM
participation. This led to more proliferation of M1 rifles in civil use. The
CMP (nee DCM program) funding was topped, and became a privatized organization.
Fortunately they can sell M1 rifles, so $400-$500 quality M1 rifles have
reappeared.
The M1 was the last US issue battle rifle made of the classic
materials-steel, walnut and leather. With even moderate care, many outlived
several generations of owners. The only serious issue with the M1 rifle in
civil use is the tendency to accidentally discharge when the bolt is slammed
shut on a live round. This can also manifest as "doubling", or two
discharges with a single trigger pull. This has been traced to using ammunition
with "soft" primers, ammunition that can be detonated by little more
than the force of the bouncing firing pin inside the bolt channel. CCI and
Winchester are considered "hard" while Federal are "soft".
CCI now makes a military specification primer which should be suitable for the
M1.By keeping the M1 unloaded when not in use and safe handling practices, the
numbers of discharge injuries are low.
M1 Garand Pages
- US Rifle Caliber .30 M1 Garand
- The Garand
Guy
- M1
Garand Nomenclature, Accessories, and Maintenance
- National
Parks Service: Springfield Armory
- The
M1 Garand
- National Match M1 Garand