Garand may have come up with different features on his rifle if left to his own devices, but the terms that the military contract called for set the stage. Nevertheless, the M1 was considered very accurate and was used in the sniper role with scoped variants as well as in modern competition. In addition, the bolt handle can serve as a forward assist to properly seat a round. The long-stroke piston on the M1 is like that found on the AK and constitutes a long steel operating rod that is one piece with the charging handle and joins the rotating bolt, which features two locking lugs on its face. Garand, a long-time Springfield Armory engineer, the rifle that bears his name is a long stroke, gas piston-operated, eight-shot clip-fed semi-automatic rifle chambered in the same. In fact, the M1 Garand was so successful that it continued to see use in Vietnam and with reserve troops into the early s, although it had been officially replaced in from front line service.Įven then, the Garand was still in use with the militaries of a dozen friendly nations that we equipped, including the Greek Army well into the s.ĭesigned by Canadian-born John C. Military in after more than a decade of development and even then saw some key changes before ending up as the rifle carried to victory in WWII and Korea. This revolutionary design was adopted by the U. The M1 Garand was the first semi-auto issued to American fighting men when our enemies and allies were still carrying bolt-action rifles little different from those of World War I. There are semi-automatic rifles that do not have a pistol grip, collapsible stock or a detachable magazine, and the granddaddy of them all is the World War II-era M1 Garand. Government surplus M1 Garands are still available through programs such as the Civilian Marksmanship program.

M1 garand reload mid clip