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96-655: The M1 Garand or M1 rifle is a semi-automatic rifle that was the service rifle of the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War . The rifle is chambered for the .30-06 Springfield cartridge and is named after its Canadian-American designer, John Garand . It was the first standard-issue autoloading rifle for the United States. By most accounts, the M1 rifle performed well. General George S. Patton called it "the greatest battle implement ever devised". The M1 replaced

192-469: A basic gas-actuated self-loading infantry rifle and carbine that would eject the spent cartridge and reload a new round using a gas-operated system. Designing a rifle that was practical in terms of effectiveness, reliability, and production was difficult, and it took fifteen years to perfect the M1 prototype model to meet all the U.S. Army specifications. The resulting Semi-Automatic, Caliber .30, M1 Rifle

288-530: A basis for several future weapons, such as Browning machine guns ( M1917 , M1919, and M2 ). Mannlicher produced smokeless powder versions of his guns, beginning in the early 1890s, until his death in 1904, . In 1903 and 1905, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company introduced the first low power blowback (shell operated) semi-automatic rimfire and centerfire rifles. The Winchester Model 1903 and Winchester Model 1905 operated on

384-560: A combat weapon". Nonetheless, in July 1945, 15,000 short M1 rifles were requested for use by airborne troops. The rifles were supposed to be produced within the next five months, but the procurement was canceled due to the Surrender of Japan in August 1945. Semi-automatic rifle In 1883, Hiram Maxim patented a recoil-operated conversion of a Winchester rifle . Another of the first designs of

480-521: A cut-down front handguard (secured by an M1903 rifle barrel band), while the T26 rifle was not fitted with a front handguard. It had been determined that the full-length stock was superior to the M1E5's folding stock, so the T26 used a standard M1 rifle stock. The PWB rifle, serial No. 2437139, and Springfield Armory's T26 were sent to Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) on 26 July 1945, for testing. The APG report related that

576-615: A favorable reception among troops. However, its shortened and improved version, the Model 1918, was used more during the Moroccan Rif War from 1920 to 1926. Still, the bolt-action Lebel Model 1886 rifle remained the standard French infantry rifle until being replaced in 1936 by the MAS-36 , another bolt action, despite the various semi-automatic rifles designed between 1918 and 1935. Other nations experimented with self-loading rifles during

672-583: A functional prototype, which was later designated the M1888 Forsøgsrekylgevær . This rifle underwent testing by the Danish military, but it was ultimately rejected for military adoption. Following the unsuccessful trials, the inventors developed a new design, known as the M1896 Flaadens Rekylgevær . This model was also tested by the Danish military, and this time it was found to be reliable. As

768-596: A large volume of fire was deemed more important – during World War II , American ground forces fired approximately 25,000 rounds for each enemy killed. In the Korean War , this number raised to 50,000, and in the Vietnam War it became 200,000 rounds per enemy. The first fully automatic rifle to see widespread usage was the German StG 44 , which was reportedly well-liked by troops, as the 30-round selective fire rifle gave them much more flexibility than their service rifle ,

864-744: A military advisor to the National Security Council , the secretary of defense , and the president of the United States . The CSA is typically the highest-ranking officer on active duty in the U.S. Army unless the chairman or the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are Army officers. The chief of staff of the Army is an administrative position based in the Pentagon . While the CSA does not have operational command authority over Army forces proper (which

960-479: A periodical published by the U.S. Department of Defense , gives the pronunciation as / ɡ ə ˈ r æ n d / gə- RAND , saying "popular usage has placed the accent on the second syllable, so that the rifle has become the 'guh-RAND ' ". American Rifleman magazine, while acknowledging / ɡ ə ˈ r æ n d / gə- RAND as the pronunciation favored by U.S. servicemen, deemed either pronunciation valid. French Canadian -born Garand went to work at

1056-493: A rate of ten rifles per day, 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

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1152-656: A recoil-operated semi-automatic rifle is attributed to Ferdinand Mannlicher , who unveiled his design in 1885 based on work begun in 1883. Other non-gas operated semi-automatic models were the Model 85 and Mannlicher Models 91, 93 and 95 rifles. The designs never proceeded past the conceptual/prototype stage due to issues inherent to the black powder used in their cartridges (based around the Austrian 11×58mmR M/77 ), such as insufficient velocity and excessive fouling . Automatic firearms would only become feasible after smokeless powder became widespread. Mannlicher designs served as

1248-503: A result, 60 units were procured for the Danish Navy, making it one of the earliest semi-automatic rifles to be officially adopted by a military force. In the final years of the 19th century and early 20th century, experiments and patents with gas-operated reloading were developed by Hiram Maxim and Richard Paulson as well a gas-operated conversion system from an American inventor named Henry Pitcher. Other designs also developed, such as

1344-487: A self-loading mechanism makes self-loading rifles more expensive to manufacture and heavier than manually loaded rifles. The semi-automatic M1 Garand weighs about 410 grams (0.9 lb) more (around seven percent) than the manually loaded M1903 Springfield it replaced. American development of a self-loading infantry rifle began with the .276 Pedersen cartridge in recognition of the difficulties of producing reliable self-loading mechanisms for more powerful cartridges. Although

1440-523: A semi-automatic rifle in battle, in 1911. Shortly after the Mondragón rifle was produced, France had its own semi-automatic rifle, the Fusil Automatique Modele 1917 . It is a locked breech, gas-operated action which is similar in its mechanical principles to the subsequently manufactured American M1 Garand . The M1917 was fielded during the latter stages of World War I , where it did not receive

1536-455: A similar rifle, and conceived the idea independently. Some of the shortened M1 rifles were field-tested in October 1944 on Noemfoor Island , New Guinea, by an ad hoc test committee, which included three platoon leaders of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) combat team. While the members of the test committee liked the concept of the short M1 rifle, it was determined that the muzzle blast

1632-568: A single target multiple times rapidly or multiple targets rapidly, greatly increases the effectiveness of a firearm in most applications. Reloading is a downtime from shooting and is a time of vulnerability in hostile applications. Semi-automatic rifles require less frequent reloading than single shot rifles. Semi-automatic rifles can typically more than double the hits at close range and increase hits by about 50% at longer distances compared to manually loaded rifles. The added weight of springs and fittings in self-loading mechanisms, along with some of

1728-416: A standard M1 rifle, serial No. 1,032,921, was the "control" rifle to which the shorter rifle was compared during the testing. The results mirrored those of the M1E5's previous testing. The test report found that the modified rifle's muzzle flash, blast, and recoil were all significantly higher than that of the standard rifle. Additionally, it was less reliable, leading to it being declared "totally unsuitable as

1824-521: A standard infantry weapon of their respective nations— Germany produced 402,000 Gewehr 43 rifles, and over 14,000,000 of the Kar98k . Another gas-operated semi-automatic rifle developed toward the end of World War II was the SKS . Designed by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov in 1945, it came equipped with a bayonet and could be loaded with ten rounds, using a stripper clip . It was the first widely issued rifle to use

1920-405: A target and providing a large variety of customization ranging from scopes and muzzle devices, to different calibers. Semi-automatic fire greatly assists in maintaining one's sight picture, which is especially important when follow-up shots are required. Due to their demand, the manufacturers of semi-automatic firearms have greatly increased the effective firing distance of their products compared to

2016-452: Is highly unlikely any U.S. servicemen were killed as a result of being given away by the clang noise; however some soldiers still took the issue very seriously. Some U.S. veterans recalling combat in Europe are convinced that German soldiers did respond to the ejection clang, and would throw an empty clip down to simulate the sound so the enemy would expose themselves. Garand's original design for

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2112-424: Is set by turning the range knob to the appropriate range setting. The bullet drop compensation/range knob can be fine adjusted by setting the rear sight elevation pinion. The elevation pinion can be fine adjusted in approximately one MOA increments. The aperture sight is also able to correct for wind drift operated by turning a windage knob that moves the sight in approximately one MOA increments. The windage lines on

2208-580: Is the mounting system for the telescopic sight . In June 1944, the M1C was adopted as a standard sniper rifle by the U.S. Army to supplement the venerable M1903A4 , but few saw combat; wartime production was 7,971 M1Cs. The procedure required to install the M1C-type mounts through drilling/tapping the hardened receiver reduced accuracy by warping the receiver. Improved methods to avoid reduction of accuracy were inefficient in terms of tooling and time. This resulted in

2304-544: Is within the purview of the Combatant Commanders who report to the Secretary of Defense), the CSA does exercise supervision of army units and organizations as the designee of the Secretary of the Army. The current Chief of Staff of the Army is General Randy George , who was sworn in on 21 September 2023, having previously served as acting CSA from 4 August. The chief of staff of the Army is nominated for appointment by

2400-534: The .276 Pedersen T1 rifle, calling it "highly promising" (despite its use of waxed ammunition, shared by the Thompson). On 13 August 1928, a semiautomatic rifle board (SRB) carried out joint Army, Navy , and Marine Corps trials among 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,

2496-466: The .50 BMG Barrett M82 . Semi-automatic weapons use gas , blow-forward , blowback or recoil energy to eject spent cartridges after the round has moved down the barrel , to chamber a new cartridge from the weapon's magazine , and to reset the action . This enables another round to be fired once the trigger is depressed again. Semi-automatic rifles can be fed by an en-bloc clip , external magazine , or stripper clip . The self-loading design

2592-453: The 7.62×39mm cartridge. By the end of World War II, however, semi-automatic rifles had been largely superseded in military usage by their fully automatic and select-fire counterparts - weapons such as the AK-47 , FN FAL and M16 limited the viability of widespread deployment of semi-automatic rifles. Gradually, military doctrine evolved to place less emphasis on individual marksmanship, as

2688-610: The British Army looked at the M1 as a possible replacement for its bolt-action Lee–Enfield No.1 Mk. III , but decided against it as by January 1940 the Birmingham Small Arms Company was already preparing production of the Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk 1. However, surplus M1 rifles were provided as foreign aid to American allies, including South Korea, West Germany, Italy, Japan, Denmark, Greece, Turkey, Iran , South Vietnam,

2784-565: The Cei-Rigotti in 1900. In 1906, Remington Arms introduced the " Remington Auto-loading Repeating Rifle ". Remington advertised this rifle, renamed the "Model 8" in 1911, as a sporting rifle. It was sold in Europe by FN Herstal as the "FN Browning 1900". The rifle is a locked breech, long recoil action designed by John Browning , and was offered in .25 , .30 , .32 , and .35 caliber models. It gained some popularity among civilians as well as some law enforcement officials who appreciated

2880-477: The Lee–Enfield dozens of years previously), would render the weapon too susceptible to clogging from dirt and debris and that a protruding magazine would complicate existing manual-of-arms drills. As a result, inventor John Garand developed an en bloc clip system that allowed ammunition to be inserted from above, clip included, into the fixed magazine. While this design provided the requisite flush-mount magazine,

2976-610: The M16 rifle at a similar point in its development. Production of the Garand increased in 1940 despite these difficulties, reaching 600 a day by 10 January 1941, and the Army was fully equipped by the end of 1941. Following the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Winchester was awarded an "educational" production contract for 65,000 rifles, with deliveries beginning in 1943. The M1 Garand was made in large numbers during World War II; approximately 5.4 million were made. They were used by every branch of

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3072-445: The Vietnam War . The U.S. Navy has also used the Garand, rechambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. A detachable M2 conical flash hider, adopted 25 January 1945 slipped over the muzzle and was secured in place by the bayonet lug. A T37 flash hider was developed later. Flash hiders were of limited utility during low-light conditions around dawn and dusk, but were often removed as potentially detrimental to accuracy. The Tanker name

3168-525: The bolt-action M1903 Springfield and became the standard infantry rifle known as the Garand Rifle . During World War II , over 4,000,000 M1 rifles were manufactured. The Soviet AVS-36 , SVT-38, and SVT-40 , as well as the German Gewehr 43 , were semi-automatic gas-operated rifles issued during World War II in relatively small numbers. In practice, they did not replace the bolt-action rifle as

3264-483: The bolt-action M1903 Springfield as the U.S. service rifle in 1936, and was itself replaced by the selective-fire M14 rifle on 26 March 1958. Sources differ on the pronunciation of the M1 Garand. Some, such as General Julian Hatcher's The Book of the Garand (1948), give / ˈ ɡ ær ən d / GARR -ənd , identical to the pronunciation of John Garand's surname. However, a 1952 issue of Armed Forces Talk ,

3360-500: The Army consists of two civilians—the secretary of the Army (head of the department and subordinate to the secretary of defense) and the under secretary of the Army —and two military officers—the chief of staff of the Army and the vice chief of staff of the Army . The chief reports directly to the secretary of the Army for army matters and assists in the Secretary's external affairs functions, including presenting and enforcing army policies, plans, and projections. The chief also directs

3456-544: The Army" under the newly appointed Commanding General, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant , thus serving in a different office and not as the senior officer in the army. Halleck was centered in the old brick War Department building adjacent west of the White House , along with the War Secretary, whereas Gen. Grant was out in the field. The first chief of staff moved his headquarters to Fort Myer in northern Virginia, near

3552-585: The Army, such as G-1, Personnel . The chief's base pay is $ 21,147.30 per month and also received a Personal Money Allowance (Monthly Amount) of $ 333.33, a basic allowance for subsistence of $ 253.38, and a basic allowance for housing from $ 50.70 to $ 1,923.30. In the 19th century the American land military used the title of "General-in-Chief" beginning with Gen. James Wilkinson (1757-1825), and later for several decades of commanding Gen. Winfield Scott (1786-1866). Later Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), given

3648-553: The Garand rifle. Several different styles of bayonets fit the rifle: the M1905 , with a 16-inch (406 mm) blade; the M1 with a 10-inch (254 mm) blade (either made standard or shortened from existing M1905 bayonets); and the M5 bayonet with a 6.75-inch (171 mm) blade. Also available was the M7 grenade launcher that could easily be attached to the end of the barrel. It could be sighted using

3744-621: The Korean War, the Department of Defense decided more were needed. Springfield Armory ramped up production, but two new contracts were awarded. During 1953–56, M1s were produced by International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson in which International Harvester alone produced a total of 337,623 M1 Garands. 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. In 1939,

3840-803: The M1 Garand was fully completed in the active-duty component of the Army (with the exception of the sniper variants, which were introduced in World War II and saw action in Korea and Vietnam). The Garand remained in service with the Army Reserve , Army National Guard , and the Navy into the early 1970s. The South Korean Army was using M1 Garands in the Vietnam War as late as 1966. Due to widespread United States military assistance as well as their durability, M1 Garands have also been found in use in recent conflicts such as with

3936-483: The M1 Garand was ultimately adapted to fire the .30-06 Springfield cartridge at the insistence of General Douglas MacArthur , most subsequent self-loading rifles for infantry use have been chambered for less powerful cartridges to reduce weight, making the service rifles easier to carry. Target shooting has a long history, predating the firearm. As weapons that demanded user accuracy developed, so did their usage in competitions. Today, semi-automatic rifles are one of

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4032-424: The M1 used a complicated gas system involving a special muzzle extension gas trap, later dropped in mid-1940 in favor of a simpler drilled gas port. Because most of the older rifles were retrofitted, pre-1940 gas-trap M1s are very rare today and are prized collector's items. In both systems, expanding gases from a fired cartridge are diverted into the gas cylinder. Here, the gases meet a long-stroke piston attached to

4128-467: The M15 sight, which was attached with screws to the left side of the stock, just forward of the trigger. A cleaning tool, oiler and grease containers could be stored in two cylindrical compartments in the buttstock for use in the field. The M1907 two-piece leather rifle sling was the most common type of sling used with the weapon through World War II. In 1942, a cheaper and more adjustable olive drab canvas sling

4224-598: The Pacific Warfare Board (PWB) decided to move forward with the development of a shortened M1 rifle. Colonel William Alexander, chief of the PWB, directed an Army ordnance unit of the 6th Army in the Philippines to fabricate 150 rifles in this configuration for testing. Since the previous M1E5 project was not widely disseminated, it is entirely possible that the PWB may not have been aware of Springfield Armory's development of

4320-400: The Philippines under the auspices of the PWB had been well-used prior to modification, and the conversion exhibited rather crude craftsmanship, including hand-cut splines on the barrel. Upon receipt of the PWB rifle, Springfield Armory's model shop fabricated a very similar shortened M1 that was designated as the "T26". One of the more noticeable differences was that the shortened PWB rifle had

4416-445: The Philippines, etc. Most Garands shipped to allied nations were predominantly manufactured by International Harvester Corporation during the period of 1953–1956, and second from Springfield Armory from all periods. Some Garands were still being used by the United States into the Vietnam War in 1963; despite the M14 's official adoption in 1958, it was not until 1965 that the changeover from

4512-475: 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. On 3 August 1933, the T1E2 became the "semi-automatic rifle, caliber 30, M1". In May 1934, 75 M1s went to field trials; 50 went to infantry, 25 to cavalry units. Numerous problems were reported, forcing

4608-523: The Thompson, ultimately producing an inconclusive report. 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 (7 mm) model (patented by Garand on 12 April 1930). In early 1928, both the infantry and cavalry boards ran trials with

4704-571: The United States Army The chief of staff of the Army ( CSA ) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army , the chief is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the secretary of the Army . In a separate capacity, the CSA is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( 10 U.S.C.   § 151 ) and, thereby,

4800-505: The United States Army's Springfield Armory and began working on a .30 caliber primer actuated blowback Model 1919 prototype. In 1924, twenty-four rifles, identified as "M1922s", were built at Springfield. At Fort Benning during 1925, they were tested against models by Berthier , Hatcher-Bang, Thompson , and Pedersen , the latter two being delayed blowback types. This led to a further trial of an improved "M1924" Garand against

4896-886: The United States military. The rifle generally performed well. General George S. Patton called it "the greatest battle implement ever devised." The typical opponent of a US soldier during World War II was usually armed with a slower-firing bolt-action rifle (e.g. the Karabiner 98k for Germany, the Carcano M1891 for Italy, and the Type 38 or Type 99 Arisaka rifle for Japan). The effect of faster-firing infantry small arms in general soon stimulated both Allied and Axis forces to greatly increase their issue of semi- and fully automatic firearms then in production, as well as to develop new types of infantry firearms. Many M1s were repaired or rebuilt after World War II. While U.S. forces were still engaged in

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4992-467: The authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of the Army, or delegates those duties and responsibilities to other officers in his administration in his name. Like the other service counterparts, the chief has no operational command authority over army forces, dating back to the passage of the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958. The chief is served by a number of Deputy Chiefs of Staff of

5088-676: The bolt action Karabiner 98k . Ultimately, automatic rifles would become standard in military usage, as their firepower was superior to that of a semi-automatic rifle. However, both semi-automatic and bolt action rifles are still widely used today in military service in specific roles, such as designated marksman rifles where the greater accuracy compared to automatic rifles is valued. Furthermore, to accommodate for this greater firepower, battle rifles were mostly replaced by assault rifles , whose lighter bullets allowed more ammunition to be carried at once. Where semi-automatic rifles continue to be used, they are usually in higher calibers, such as

5184-543: The cartridge energy being used to reload, can give the advantage of reduced recoil . Reduced recoil helps keep the rifle on target for successive shots, improving overall accuracy. A self-loading mechanism, tuned for specific cartridge dimensions and power, may fail to reload dirty or bent cartridges that would otherwise fire. It can also struggle to extract low-power training cartridges or may be damaged by high-power rounds. Some rifles require lubricated cartridges, making them prone to collecting dirt. Reliability issues in

5280-482: The civilian market, as well as a single-loading device which stays in the rifle when the bolt locks back. In battle, the manual of arms called for the rifle to be fired until empty, and then recharged quickly. Due to the well-developed logistical system of the U.S. military at the time, this consumption of ammunition was generally not critical, though this could change in the case of units that came under intense fire or were flanked or surrounded by enemy forces. When using

5376-411: The clip system increased the rifle's weight and complexity, and made only single loading ammunition possible without a clip. Ejection of an empty clip created a distinctive metallic "clanging" sound. In World War II, it was rumored that German and Japanese infantry were making use of this noise in combat to alert them to an empty M1 rifle in order to catch their American enemies with an unloaded rifle. It

5472-433: The clip, chambering a round and leaving it ready to fire. Contrary to widespread misconception, partially expended or full clips can be easily ejected from the rifle by means of the clip latch button. It is also possible to load single cartridges into a partially loaded clip while the clip is still in the magazine, but this requires both hands and a bit of practice. In reality, this procedure was rarely performed in combat, as

5568-562: The combination of a semi-automatic action and relatively powerful rifle cartridges. In 1936, the Model 81 superseded the Model 8, and was offered in .300 Savage as well as the original Remington calibers. In 1908, General Manuel Mondragón patented the Mondragón rifle , designated the M1908. The rifle was used by Mexican forces in the Mexican Revolution , making Mexico the first nation to use

5664-399: The danger of getting debris inside the action along with the cartridges increased the chances of malfunction. Instead, it was much easier and quicker to simply manually eject the clip, and insert a fresh one, which is how the rifle was originally designed to be operated. Later, special clips holding two (8+2=10 for target shooting) or five rounds (to meet hunting regulations) became available on

5760-472: The development of the M1D, which utilized a simpler, single-ring Springfield Armory mount attached to the barrel rather than the receiver. The M1C was first widely used during the Korean War . Korean War production was 4,796 M1Cs and 21,380 M1Ds; although few M1Ds were completed in time to see combat. The U.S. Marine Corps adopted the M1C as their official sniper rifle in 1951. This USMC 1952 sniper's rifle, or MC52,

5856-474: The direct blowback system of operation. Winchester introduced a .351 Winchester Self-Loading semi-automatic rifle, the Model 1907, as an upgrade to the Model 1905, utilizing a blowback system of operation, offering more power than its .22 counterpart. Both the Model 1905 and Model 1907 saw limited military and police use. In 1883, two Danish inventors, Madsen and Rasmussen, began developing recoil-operated, self-loading firearm designs. By 1887, they had created

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5952-499: The disadvantages. Further development of the M1E5 was suspended as other projects at Springfield, such as the selective-fire T20 series, were deemed to have a higher priority. Only one example of the M1E5 was fabricated for testing, and the gun resides today in the Springfield Armory National Historic Site Museum. Despite the concept being shelved at Springfield Armory, the idea of a shortened M1 rifle

6048-448: The drill team of His Majesty the King's Guard of Norway. The M1 rifle is a .30 caliber , gas-operated , eight-shot clip-fed, semi-automatic rifle . It is 43.6 inches (1,107 mm) long and it weighs about 9.5 pounds (4.31 kg). The M1's safety catch is located at the front of the trigger guard , easily operated by the trigger finger. It is engaged when it is pressed rearward into

6144-441: The first semi-automatics sold on the civilian market. Semi-automatic rifles are sometimes used for self-defense . Most semi-automatic rifles are rather lightweight and simple to operate, without compromising accuracy. Range-adjustable sights are also common, allowing their use in different environments. Johnson, Melvin M. (1944). Rifles and Machine Guns . New York: William Morrow and Company. Chief of Staff of

6240-605: The inspector general of the Army to perform inspections and investigations as required. In addition, the chief presides over the Army Staff and represents Army capabilities, requirements, policy, plans, and programs in Joint forums. Under delegation of authority made by the secretary of the Army, the chief designates army personnel and army resources to the commanders of the unified combatant commands. The chief performs all other functions enumerated in 10 U.S.C.   § 3033 under

6336-543: The insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some military drill teams still use the M1 rifle, including the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team , 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. It is also used by

6432-517: The interwar period, including the United Kingdom , which had intended to replace the bolt-action Lee–Enfield with a self-loading rifle, but this plan had to be discarded when the Second World War became imminent, shifting its emphasis to speeding up re-armament with existing weapons. In Springfield, Massachusetts , John Garand , a Canadian -born firearms designer, was tasked with designing

6528-515: The mechanism can negate the advantage of faster firing , potentially lowering the rate of fire compared to manually loaded rifles if not designed for easy manual reloading. The United Kingdom regarded the reliable rate of fire from manually loaded rifles to be nearly as high as self-loading rifles as recently as World War II . Semi-automatic rifles are uniquely susceptible to slamfire malfunctions caused by abrupt cartridge acceleration during self-loading. Slamfire discharges are unlikely to hit

6624-827: The more prominent firearms in sport shooting . There are various types of sport shooting, ranging from rapid fire shooting; target shooting, which is predominantly accuracy based; and distance shooting. Shooting clubs in America became increasingly commonplace in the 1830s, and have since grown in popularity. Semi-automatic rifles are used in various sport shooting events, including target shooting and rapid-fire competitions, which has invited more people, specifically women and children, to compete as well. Semi-automatic rifles have grown in status among hunters. Some hunters use semi-automatic rifles, including AR-15 style models, citing their compact design and customisation options, effectively making it easier to traverse rugged terrain while tracking

6720-441: The operating rod, which is pushed rearward by the force of this high-pressure gas. Then, the operating rod engages a rotating bolt inside the receiver . The bolt is locked into the receiver via two locking lugs, which rotate, unlock, and initiate the ejection of the spent cartridge and the reloading cycle when the rifle is discharged. The operating rod (and subsequently the bolt) then returns to its original position. The M1 Garand

6816-461: The president, for a four-year term of office, and must be confirmed by the Senate . The chief can be reappointed to serve one additional term, but only during times of war or national emergency declared by Congress. By statute, the chief is a four-star general . The chief has an official residence, Quarters 1 at Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall , Virginia. The senior leadership of the Department of

6912-459: The principle of blowback to function semi-automatically. Designed by T.C. Johnson , the Model 1903 achieved commercial success and continued to be manufactured until 1932, when the Winchester Model 63 replaced it. By the early 20th century, several manufacturers had introduced semi-automatic .22 rifles, including Winchester , Remington , Fabrique Nationale , and Savage Arms , all using

7008-485: The project. The task was assigned to Springfield Armory, and John Garand began work in January 1944. The resultant experimental arm, designated as the "U.S. Carbine, Cal. 30, M1E5", was fitted with a specially made 18-inch barrel (not a shortened standard M1 rifle barrel) marked "1 SA 2-44" and a pantograph metal stock that folded underneath the rifle. The receiver was marked "U.S. Carbine/Cal. .30 M1E5/Springfield/Armory/1". It

7104-480: The receiver to indicate the windage setting are four MOA apart. The front sighting element consists of a wing-guard-protected front post. During World War II the M1 rifle's semiautomatic operation gave United States infantrymen a significant advantage in firepower and shot-to-shot recovery time over enemy infantrymen armed primarily with bolt-action rifles. The semi-automatic operation and reduced recoil allowed soldiers to fire eight rounds as quickly as they could pull

7200-402: The rifle is accurate at much greater ranges." The M1 rifle is fed by a reversible en bloc clip which holds eight rounds of .30-06 Springfield ammunition. When the last cartridge is fired, the rifle ejects the clip and locks the bolt open. The M1 is then ready to reload. Once the clip is inserted, the bolt snaps forward on its own as soon as thumb pressure is released from the top round of

7296-414: 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. The first production model was successfully proof-fired, function-fired, and fired for accuracy on 21 July 1937. Production difficulties delayed deliveries to the Army until September 1937. Machine production began at Springfield Armory that month at

7392-482: The rifle to launch grenades, it requires the removal of a partially loaded clip of ball ammunition and replacement with a clip of M3 blank cartridges. Officials in Army Ordnance circles demanded a fixed, non-protruding magazine for the new service rifle. At the time, it was believed that a detachable magazine on a general-issue service rifle would be easily lost by U.S. soldiers (a criticism made of British soldiers and

7488-496: The standard buttstock. The PWB rifle uses an 18-inch (457 mm) barrel, retains the standard buttstock, and has a foregrip secured by M1903 barrel band. A weapon with those features was potentially valuable for paratroopers, as it was more powerful than the carbines and submachine guns currently in use. Preliminary testing revealed it had excessive recoil and muzzle blast, but it was recommended that it be developed further. The Infantry Board directed Col. Rene Studler to proceed with

7584-509: The target and may cause collateral damage . The time required for changing or reloading magazines can weaken the effectiveness of a rifle, as it imposes an effective duration limit on the continuous rate of fire of any rifle . High-capacity magazines increase the weight of the rifle and typically reduce feeding reliability due to the varying spring tension from a full to a nearly empty magazine. Detachable magazines in general are usually less durable than internal magazines. The complexity of

7680-569: The title after being recalled to come east from the Western Theater of the Civil War in 1864. By 1903, the senior military officer in the army was the Commanding General of the United States Army , who reported to the U.S. Secretary of War . From 1864 to 1865, Major General Henry Halleck (1815-1872), who had previously been Commanding General earlier in the war, served as "Chief of Staff of

7776-489: The trigger guard or not allow for proper movement of the finger. Most variants of the Garand, save the sniper variants, never saw active duty. The sniper versions were modified to accept scope mounts, and two versions (the M1C , formerly M1E7, and the M1D , formerly M1E8) were produced, although not in significant quantities during World War II. The only difference between the two versions

7872-507: The trigger guard, and disengaged when it is pushed forward and is protruding outside of the trigger guard. The M1 Garand was designed for simple assembly and disassembly to facilitate field maintenance. It can be field stripped (broken down) without tools in just a few seconds. The rifle has an iron sight line consisting of rear receiver aperture sight protected by sturdy "ears" calibrated for 100–1,200 yd (91–1,097 m) in 100 yd (91 m) increments. The bullet drop compensation

7968-436: The trigger, without having to move their hands on the rifle and therefore disrupt their firing position and point of aim. The Garand's fire rate, in the hands of a trained soldier, averaged 40–50 accurate shots per minute at a range of 300 yards (270 m). "At ranges over 500 yards (460 m), a battlefield target is hard for the average rifleman to hit. Therefore, 500 yards (460 m) is considered the maximum effective range, even though

8064-457: Was a successor to earlier rifles that required manual cycling of the weapon after each shot, such as the bolt-action rifle or repeating rifles . The ability to automatically load the next round results in an increase in the rounds per minute the operator can fire. The main advantage of semi-automatic rifles is the ability to fire sequential shots in rapid succession without adjusting the aiming position to manually chamber cartridges . Engaging

8160-532: Was an M1C with the commercial Stith Bear Cub scope manufactured by the Kollmorgen Optical Company under the military designation: telescopic sight - Model 4XD-USMC. The Kollmorgen scope with a slightly modified Griffin & Howe mount was designated MC-1. The MC52 was also too late to see extensive combat in Korea, but it remained in Marine Corps inventories until replaced by bolt-action rifles during

8256-459: Was designated as a carbine and not a rifle. Other than the folding stock, the basic M1 rifle was essentially unchanged with the exception of the short barrel, a correspondingly shortened operating rod (and spring) and the lack of a front handguard. The overall length was 37½ inches and it weighed approximately 8 lbs., 6 ozs. The M1E5 " Garand carbine " was tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground in May 1944. It

8352-403: Was determined that while accuracy at 300 yards was on par with the standard M1 rifle, recoil, muzzle blast and flash were excessive. It was recommended that a pistol grip be installed, which was done for subsequent testing. While the M1E5 was more compact than the standard Garand rifle, the short barrel made it an unpleasant gun to fire—and the advantages were not judged to be sufficient to offset

8448-497: Was dropped in favor of the .276. Further tests by the SRB in July 1929, which included rifle designs by Colt–Browning, Garand, Holek , Pedersen, Rheinmetall , Thompson, and an incomplete one by White, 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 T3E2 Garands were made and competed with T1 Pedersen rifles in early 1931. The .276 Garand

8544-562: Was excessive and was compared to a flash bulb going off in the darkened jungle. The conclusion of the test report stated that the shortened rifle was "totally unsuitable for a combat weapon". Even while the shortened M1 rifles were being evaluated by the 503rd PIR, two of them were sent to the Ordnance Dept. in Washington, D.C., by special courier for evaluation. One of these rifles was then forwarded to Springfield Armory. The M1s shortened in

8640-448: Was introduced and gradually replaced the M1907 after the war. Another accessory was the winter trigger , developed during the Korean War. It consisted of a small mechanism installed on the trigger guard, allowing the soldier to remotely pull the trigger by depressing a lever just behind the guard. This enabled the shooter to fire his weapon while using winter gloves, which could get "stuck" on

8736-485: Was invented after the war as a marketing gimmick for commercial Garands built on welded demilled receivers. There are three 18-inch M1 Garand variants, the M1E5 and T26, which never saw service, and the Pacific Warfare Board rifle, which saw very limited service in the Pacific. The M1E5 is equipped with a shorter 18-inch (457 mm) barrel and a folding buttstock . The T26 also uses an 18-inch (457 mm) barrel but retains

8832-433: Was one of the first self-loading rifles to use stainless steel for its gas tube, in an effort to prevent corrosion. As the stainless metal could not be parkerized , the gas tubes were given a stove-blackening that frequently wore off in use. Unless the gas tube could be quickly repainted, the resultant gleaming muzzle could make the M1 Garand and its user more visible to the enemy in combat. Several accessories were used with

8928-460: Was patented by Garand in 1932, approved by the U.S. Army on January 9, 1936, and went into mass production in 1940. Thus, in 1936, the American M1 Garand rifle became the first gas-operated semi-automatic rifle to be adopted by a country as their standard-issue service rifle . General George S. Patton described the M1 Garand as " the greatest battle implement ever devised. " It replaced

9024-447: Was reported that the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground began experiments with clips made of various plastics in order to soften the sound, though no improved clips were ever adopted. Conversely, former German soldiers have said that the sound was inaudible during engagements and not particularly useful when heard, as other squad members might have been nearby ready to fire. Due to the often intense deafening noise of combat and gunfire it

9120-494: Was still viewed as potentially valuable for airborne and jungle combat use. Particularly in the Pacific Theater, there was widespread dissatisfaction with the M1 carbine's range, power and foliage-penetration ("brush-cutting") capability. The Ordnance Department was not responsive to these complaints coming in from the Pacific and maintained that the M1 rifle and M1 carbine each filled a specific niche. Nonetheless, by late 1944,

9216-647: 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. On 25 February 1932, Adjutant General John B. Shuman, speaking for

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