springfield armory m1a serial number 101000 manufacture date

30, M1” – as the Garand was officially designated – was the first semi-automatic rifle in general issue to any army. In an age when other major armies were still armed with boltaction rifles, the self-loading Garand gave US troops a distinct advantage. General George Patton called the M1 Garand rifle “the greatest battle implement ever devised.” Bear in mind that Patton was a tanker who had commanded the first US tank school during World War I – he understood that the job of a military force is to kill the enemy, and the M1 Garand was good at that. LEROY THOMPSON Series Editor Martin Pegler But the Garand became the defining mankiller of the war, despite its weight and magazine problems, and many US combat veterans consider it one of the key reasons they survived the war, as one veteran succinctly commented, 'I let my Garand do the talking.'

It was also a particularly heavy weapon in contrast to the much lighter M1 Carbine. But this problem may have been overstated as experienced troops did not all empty their weapons at the same time. Some Army and Marine Corps troops allegedly felt that the distinctive 'twang' as the Garand's clip was ejected when empty alerted the enemy that the soldiers were reloading and resulted in an attack.

Eight rounds was not much magazine capacity for a self-loading rifle, thus requiring frequent reloading in combat. The eight-round clips which were used to load the M1 Garand were, however, viewed with mixed emotions by the troops on the ground. 30-06 cartridge gave US troops a distinct advantage. In most battles the Garands speed of fire combined with the powerful. It was the US Army's principal infantry weapon in World War II, beloved of troops for its ability to withstand hard use and be ready when needed. Patton called the Garand, 'The greatest battle implement ever devised.' At a time when opposing forces were armed with bolt action rifles, US troops had a highly reliable self-loader.

No less an authority on killing the enemy than General George S. It shot faster and further than enemy infantry rifles and hit harder. The M1 Garand gave US infantrymen a marked edge during World War II.

Springfield armory m1a serial number 101000 manufacture date