This Day In History

[Subdeacon Joe]

19 OCTOBER 1926

THE M-1 GARAND IS PATENTED. John C. Garand patented a semi-automatic rifle. Civil Service employee John Garand was in a class all by himself, much like the weapons he created. Garand was Chief Civilian Engineer at the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. Garand invented a semiautomatic .30 caliber rifle, known as the M-1 or "the Garand," which was adopted in 1936 after grueling tests by the Army.

It was gas-operated, weighed under 10 pounds, and was loaded by an 8-round clip. It fired more than twice as fast as the Army's previous standard-issue rifle and was praised by General George S. Patton, Jr., as "a magnificent weapon" and "the most deadly rifle in the world."

 

 

[Tom Bullweed]

My M1 Garand experience and thoughts are below. I have owned three in the past 25 years and used then for CMP co petition, hunting and enjoyable shooting. Other shooters will have much, much more experience and knowledge than me. An answer to my tactical question may inspire to own another.

Quantum leap in infantry weaponry.

First reliable, accurate and full-power infantry rifle.

Slim and handy enough for all day carry and yet hefty enouh to absorb recoil.

A great rifle when used in mass, like a platoon.

But, the 8-round clip make topping the magazine impossiblw. This greatly limits the rifle whene used by a single shooter. If you were in a desperate situatiin and had fired four rounds, you cannot easily or quickly top off the capaciy, and dumping four to load another full clip seems very untactital.