The Semi-Automatic Rifle, Caliber 30, M1 (M1 Garand)
The Semi-Automatic Rifle, Caliber 30, M1 (M1 Garand) “In my opinion, the M1 Rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised.” (George S. Patton) …but it was a long time coming, and followed a rocky road of development. (my own words... Thomas E. Ward, II, PhD) M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 1 M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 2 Today’s Presentation • A Brief Look Backwards • The State of the Art & Competing Technologies • Development Woes • The Final Design (Finally!) • Allies and Enemies • A Long Legacy & Proud History M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 3 .30-40 Krag-Jorgensen Rifle (Spanish-American War) M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 4 A Brief Look Backwards • 30-40 Krag outgunned by the Mauser 7x57 in Spanish-American War • Krag: 200 gr RN projectile @ 2,000 fps (1971 ft.lb.) • 7x57: 173 gr RN @ 2,300 fps (2025 ft. lb.) • M1903 Springfield Development • 30 caliber ’03 • 220 gr RN projectile @ 2,300 fps (2,585 ft.lb.) • 30 caliber ‘06 (.30-06) • M1906, 151 gr @ 2,700 fps (2,445 ft.lb.) • M1 ball, 173 gr @ 2640 fps (2,678 ft.lb.) • M2 Ball, 152 gr @ 2800 fps (2,647 ft.lb.) • Patent infringement issues with Mauser • The Doughboy’s Rifle: M1917 (!!!) • Post World War I • Autoloading Weapons – a 19th Century Development M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 5 M1903 Springfield Rifle M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 6 A Few Examples of Competing Technology M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 7 Colt M1895 “Potato Digger” Machine Gun M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 8 The State of the Art & Competing Technologies • Hiram Maxim & his machine gun (1885) • Patents on gas, recoil, and blowback operation • Maxim
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