The M-1 Garand is the rifle used by US force through WWII and Korea, and still retained as a marksman's weapon well into the Vietnam era. Some Gaurd and Reserve units were still using them as stander individual weapons until the late 60s. About 10 pounds with the leather sling and a full clip, easy to use, utterly reliable. Effective range against individual targets was about 800 yards if the shooter was that good, and damn dangerous out to about three times that.
Down side is the oft mentioned "enbloc" clip, which held eight rounds. When those are expended, the clip is automatically ejected, hence the "ting". Smack a fresh one in, and make sure your thumb is out of the way, otherwise the bolt will load the first round and your thumb into the chamber. Even though it packs a pretty heavy round by today's standards, becuase of the gas action, mass and perfect balance, it has very mild recoil. It was also one of the last rifles built with the use of the bayonet firmly in the mind of designer, unlike today's military rifles.
We produced a couple million of them, they still show up in the oddest places. In the footage out of Liberia and Haiti over the past year, I've spotted them. They are still a popular target rifle 40 years after they were taken out of widespread use, and in some circles a popular hunting rifle. |
