Garand US M1 Rifle Home Page in Gun's World

    On Jan. 9, 1936, the U. S. Army adopted a semi-automatic rifle to replace the Model 1903 bolt-action Springfield which had been the standard U. S. Service rifle since 1903. The new rifle, designated U. S. Rifle, Cal. .30, M1, was also adopted shortly afterward by the U. S. Navy and the Marine Corps.
    The M1 rifle was invented and developed at Springfield Armory by Canadian-born John C. Garand, a civilian engineer who had been employed at the Armory since 1919. Garand's experience in the field of design and production was extensive. His initial design was a primer-actuated light machine gun which he developed at the National Bureau of Standards shortly after World War I. This gun showed such promise that Garand was transferred to Springfield Armory to work on development of a primer-actuated semi-automatic shoulder rifle. He subsequently designed a series of such riles, but the one finally adopted in 1936 was gas-operated rather than primer-actuated.
    Initial delivery of machine made M1 rifles from Springfield Armory began in September 1937. As might be expected, early production rifles did not perform well in service but the majority of defects noted were due to slight but critical dimensional differences. not in accordance with the design, between the Service test models and the machine-made guns. These troubles were eventually corrected and is a matter of record that the Ordnance Dept. during this period endured criticism which was often partisan. to say the least.
    Entrance of the United States in World War 11 resulted in accelerated production of the M1 rifle at Springfield Armory with corollary production by Winchester Repeating Arms Co. beginning in January 1941. By V-J Day (Aug. I4, 1945) a total of 4.028.395 M1 rifles had been produced. of whichWinchester manufactured 513.582. During the Korean War additional large numbers of M1 rifles were produced by Springfield Armory, and by International Harvester Co. and Harington & Richardson. Inc.
    That the M1 rifle gave a good account of itself in every theater of combat in World War 11 is an accepted fact. Subsequent performance in the Korean War only emphasized its general excellence as a battle rifle.
Target shooting activities in the years since the Korean War have shown the M1 to be a superior target rifle as evidenced by comparison of scores fired at all ranges with the 1903 Springfield and the fine National Match M1's and accurized Service rifles in use today.
    The M1 does have certain limitations which were emphasized during the Korean War. A primary criticism is its weight, which sometimes exceeds 10 Ibs. when the stock is of dense wood. The system of en bloc loading with an 8-round clip is also open to criticism since a partially expended clip cannot be conveniently refilled during a lull in battle. Also the infantryman often needed greater magazine capacity when confronted with massed infantry attacking at close range. Especially at night night aimed fire was impossible.
    To meet the dual requirements of reasonable weight and increased magazine capacity, the Ordnance Dept. developed the M14 rifle which was adopted in 1957. The M1 rifle will remain limited standard until rearming of troop, with the M14 rifle is completed. By Thomas E. Wessel