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 & Maxim Vickers machine guns: recoil operated • Hotchkiss Machine Gun (Mle 1897, WW I Mle 1914) – gas operated • Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR / M1918, gas operated/piston/rod) • Bang Rifle (I couldn’t make this up!!!) • Johnson Rifle (recoil operated)
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 9 Grandaddy of the Garand: The Bang Rifle designed by the Danish arms designer Søren Hansen Bang
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 10 Why Bother With Autoloading?
Increased volume of fire • Faster cycling than a bolt action rifle • Greater soldier tolerance of perceived recoil
But there was opposition… • Concern about soldier fire discipline • Ability of logistical system to sustain • The “volume versus precision” debate • Paul W. Mapes, MAJ, IN, CGSS class of 1936 “Considerations against the adoption of a semi-automatic rifle to replace the present Springfield”
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 11 Primary Competitors
• Sorensen Hansen Bang: Bang Gas Trap • Colt-Thompson Autorifle: Delayed-action Blowback (Blish Lock) • J. D. Pederson: Toggle action • John Garand: Gas Trap, then Gas Port • Melvin Johnson: Recoil
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 12 The Old and the New
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 13 M1 Garand Development Woes • The Gas Trap Garand
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 14 Solving the Gas Trap Design Weaknesses
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 15 The Final Design – Finally!!!
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 16 How it Works:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWh_J0UlJ74
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 17 The Arsenal of Democracy
• Gearing Up for Production • Springfield Armory - 3,526,922 M1 rifles from 1932 through 1945 • Winchester Repeating Arms - 513,880 between December 1940 and June 1945 • Combined production for Springfield and Winchester during World War II was 4,040,802 rifles
• WINNING @ Guadalcanal
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 18 US Marines at Guadalcanal
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 19 M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 20 Allies & Enemies
• The US started with an enormous lead • The only ally to fully field a semi-automatic basic infantry weapon • Soviet SVT-36/38/40 (an “almost” story) • Enemies tried and failed • German development: • Mauser & Walther Gewehr 41 (Bang gas-trap… a failure) • Walther Gewehr 43 (short stroke piston, much better, but too little & too late) • Japanese attempted to copy the M-1
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 21 German Attempts: G41 & G43 Mauser G41
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 22 German Attempts: G41 & G43 Walther G43
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 23 USSR: SVT-40
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 24 Japanese Copy: Type 4 / Type 5
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 25 A Long Legacy & Proud History
• WW II Production: Springfield Arsenal & WRA - 4,040,802
• Post-WW II - Korean War & Cold War Production (1945-1957) • Springfield Arsenal - 637,420 (last M1 produced on 17 May 1957) • Harrington & Richardson - 428,600 • International Harvester - 337,623
• TOTAL US Production, 1936-1957: 5,468,772 M1 rifles
• Equipping Allies • Modification & Adaptation • Italian BM-59 • US Mods for 7.62x51 (.308 Winchester) • M1C and M1D sniper versions • The Next Generation: M-14 • CMP Sales Today
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 26 M-1 Garand Users • Algeria • Guinea • Panama Non-state actors: • Austria • Haiti • Paraguay • Moro National • Argentina • Indonesia • Philippines Liberation Front • • Belgium • Iran • Saudi Arabia Iraqi insurgents • • Brazil • Israel • Thailand Provisional Irish Republican Army • Cambodia • Italy • Turkey • Syrian National • Canada • Ivory Coast • United Kingdom Coalition • Republic of China • Japan • United States • Talibans • People’s Republic • Jordan • Uruguay of China • South Korea • Venezuela • Cuba • Kingdom of Laos • South Vietnam • Denmark • Liberia • North Vietnam • Ethiopia and Vietnam • Netherlands • France • Yemen • Nicaragua • Nazi Germany • Norway • West Germany • Pakistan • Greece
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 27 A Rifle for the Nations
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 28 Iraq, 2007
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 29 Partial List of References • http://www.scott-duff.com/WhoHowManyWhen.htm • Hatcher’s Notebook – MG Julian S. Hatcher • The Complete Book of the Garand – MG Julian S. Hatcher • https://www.chuckhawks.com/gas_trap_M1.htm • https://www.alloutdoor.com/2013/06/24/30-40-krag/ • https://m1-garand-rifle.com/30-06/ • https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a570469.pdf • http://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/modern-bullets-can-elevate-the- 7x57-mausers-performance/83658# • Curiosandrelics - CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9489424 • www.shooterscalculator.com/ballistic-trajectory-chart.php
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 30 Backup Slides for Discussion
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 31 The Most Interesting Man in the World
MG Julian S. Hatcher, 1888-1963
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 32 CPT Paul Mapes, with US Olympic Shooting Team, 1920
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 33 6th Infantry Division, Provisional Fort Leonard Wood, MO, 1940
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 34 M1 @ Normandy
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 35 M-1 @ Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 36 M-1 @ Luzon
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 37 M-1 @ Bougainville
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 38 Read & Weep…
M1_Garand_DevAndUse_v01g 39