Hello everyone,
I made this video to go over the basics about the M1 Garand. This video needed to be made a long time ago, but here it finally is. This video is the first in a series of Garand videos because there's a lot to go over.
Here's the CMP link I promised in the video. Buy a great Garand for real cheap here:
www.odcmp.com/S...
HISTORY
The M1 Garand was produced by the United States Government from 1936 to 1957, and served our troops in combat during World War II, the Korean War, and in the early days of Vietnam. Springfield Armory, Winchester, Harrington and Richardson, and International Harvester manufactured the Garand in various quantities, totaling with a little over 6 million rifles produced. Later on, several other manufacturers made (and still make) remakes of the M1 Garand, including Century Arms, Fulton Armory, and Beretta.
The M1 was loaned by the United States to a multitude of NATO countries and is still used in honor guards all over the world. It was originally chambered in 30.06 Springfield, but was later modified for U.S. Navy use in the 7.62mm NATO. Other 7.62mm variants or re-builds are somewhat common on the market and are primarily used for match or competition use. After the wars, skilled gunsmiths found ways to accurize and perfect the M1 Garand, making it a staple of the Camp Perry shoots and other accuracy competitions. Today, the Garand is still seen in the hands of modern marksmen, but its later version, the M14, now dominates marksmanship circles in the version of the M1A, the modern civilian version.
OPERATION
The rifle is a full-stroke, gas piston-operated semi-automatic rifle. Some of the gases from firing a round are used to push the operation rod reward, which unlocks and pulls back the bolt, thereby extracting and ejecting the spent brass. The recoil spring launches the bolt forward, stripping off a round from the internal clip, feeding it into position, and locking the bolt on the new round. A unique feature about the Garand is the loading system, which is all internal. The rifle is loaded via an eight-round en bloc clip, which self-ejects upon the firing of the last shot (which produces the famous "PING" noise). Upon the firing of the last round, and the en bloc clip self-ejecting, the bolt is locked reward and ready for another clip to be inserted through the top. The front sight can be set for windage, and the rear sight can be adjusted for both windage and elevation. One click is equal to one MOA of shot pattern movement. Most rifle companies in the U.S. Military zeroed their M1s for a "battle zero" of 200 or sometimes 300 yards. Aiming at an enemy soldier's belt line meant either a chest-area strike at closer ranges, or a belt-line strike at farther ranges. This kept things simple and effective without having to continuously adjust the sights and mess with soldiers' zeroes depending on the range of the enemy. Windage was generally left alone or gauged on the spot, but the rifle is capable of being fully-zeroed with ease.
REPUTATION
General Patton called it the "greatest battle implement ever devised," and it was well-respected and well-liked by the men who carried it. It was known for being extremely reliable, even in the volcanic ash of the Pacific islands to the dirt, rain, and cold of the European theater -something General MacArthur noted after the war. The fact that it was the only standard-issue semiautomatic rifle of the war meant that soldiers had far greater fire superiority over their enemies, who were mostly equipped with low-capacity bolt-action rifles. It was known for decent to great accuracy, depending on the rifle and the shooter, and could be trusted by the men who carried it. The Germans respected the rifle's capabilities, and the Japanese even made their own prototype rifle based off captured M1s, but the rifle was too little too late and never saw combat service. After World War II, the obvious need for a magazine-operated system was in order. Also, the rifle was re-chambered for the newly adopted 7.62mm NATO cartridge, in what became the M14. The Garand was well-respected and was a crucial component of the infantry company of the wars it was involved in.
CONSTRUCTION
The receiver is hammer forged, heat-treated, machined carbon steel, and the parts are all either machined or stamped steel. The unique and unseen design called for some peculiar manufacturing methods and machinery for production. One of the most curious features is the op rod, which is intentionally and expertly bent at just the right places in just the right angles. Because of the quality of machining, heat treating, and metals involved, the M1 was able to withstand constant neglect and abuse while still performing its duty.
1 окт 2024