How Garand's Rifle Became the M1
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- Everybody seems to love the M1 Garand. But there's a lot of the story behind this rifle that we don't often hear much about. Today, we're digging into that history. How did a stubbornly traditional Pre-WWI US military eventually equip their soldiers with a state-of-the-art semi-automatic service rifle just a few decades later? And just what was it about that rifle that those soldiers liked so much?
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John C. Garand’s true talent really lay in production design. He designed most of the machines that would be used to manufacture the M1 Rifle, and was always focused on making the process simpler and more efficient through improving the machining and manufacturing process.
I wonder if his background as a machinist and not an engineer had something to do with that. Garand probably had a much better idea of what makes sense ergonomically as an operator than someone who just drew it out on paper.
Spot on. Most people don't realize that old world designs were made on machines that usually did one cut at a time, on an assembly line of sorts. The modern notion of one machine doing every, if not almost every, cut just wasn't possible. A lot of good rifles had issues in tooling, so the tooling being worked on by the designer gave the M1 an advantage scarcely seen.
@@ALovelyBunchOfDragonballz psst, that's still how a lot of things are made!
@@antonantolick5688 okay, I'll just take your word for it despite almost every firearms manufacture used CNC machines and polymer injection.
That's me sarcastically saying you're wrong, just so we're clear. Didn't want any confusion.
@@ALovelyBunchOfDragonballz I would caveate this by saying designing around the capabilities of machining equipment is still very important.
They are definitely much more of "do it all" machines than they used to be. But if you can make a design that takes significantly less machine time to make you can have a HUGE advantage over other designs.
It's been so interesting to me how modern gun design tends to trend toward fewer and simpler parts vs the other way around like most other technology.
This near-documentary look into the Garand was an absolute joy to watch. I'm a sucker for historical information and footage, and you guys really knocked it out of the park with this one in terms of both content and presentation. I'd love to see more videos in this style in the future; the evolution of certain designs or gun uses over the years, US law enforcement's transition from revolvers to semi-autos, and the list goes on. Excellent work all around!
I’m with u 100% let our nerd powers combine.
I do not understand how this channel only has 519k subscribers. This is a fantastic channel with fantastic content and made extremely well. If I could subscribe 500k more times, I would.
Suppressed because their website sells ammo
@Rob That may have something to do with it, but honestly, the fact is that we just don't crank out as much content as a lot of other channels. We average about two videos per month. Most gun-related channels with "big" numbers publish multiple times per week.
And not to mention all the kids that just want to watch somebody blow s*** up without learning anything practical
This channel is for knowledgeable gun owners who want to learn more about the firearms that they own or are thinking about getting. The top gun channels are really just entertainment content, which attracts the attention of the TH-cam crowd.
I feel like this channel has always prioritized quality over quantity, and for that I’m thankful
That lighting makes my knees weak! amazing episode, Chris!
We tend to not think about this today because most everybody owns AR's, but one of the major advantages of a semi-auto rifle is not merely the speed, but actually the ability of the shooter to preserve his natural point of aim between shots. Cycling a bolt requires the shooter to re-acquire the target, but with the Garand, he will be back on target immediately after the rifle finishes recoiling.
just bought my first garand last month. got an expert grade so still breaking her in. beautiful gun
That’s the new barrel and stock model right?
@@FishFind3000 Yep
Sent in my paperwork last week 🇺🇸
@@Leg239 Nice, i just got mine on gunbroker. is the cmp really still selling those? I thought they ran out a couple years ago
Hands down one of the best channels going!! Outstanding AF!!
My M1 Garand is the jewel in my small collection of ww2 battle rifles, absolutely a blast to shoot , and I never get tired of hearing the ping and searching around for the enbloc lol
Perfect timing with this video. I just bought my first Garand today!
Congratulations! Hope to join the club one day.
A really thoughtful, enjoyable video! Actually, an M1 rifle can be topped up, but it is slower than dumping rounds and loading a fresh clip. Also, Army Ordnance was experimenting with detachable magazine Garands during the war.
Even with a det. Mag, you don’t know how many rounds you have left. Carrrying extra mags means more weight. The M14 was actually designed with a stripper clip guide and those clips were the designed means of reloading….but yeas, easier to top off, even if the mag wouldn’t accept a full clip. So, the soldiers would still have to have a supply of loose ammo or remove the rounds from the clips, that they were packaged in.
Awesome content I love hearing how firearms types came to be and even the stories behind them. I especially like anything to do with Eugene Stoner and his designs and not just the AR-15 all of his designs
You have no idea how disappointed I am that Manny Mansfield didn’t narrate 😢
I think part of what makes the M1 magical in my opinion is that it's point of impact is not very affected by variations in the cartridges it shoots
Good job sir!! I think you covered this subject very well. I own a Korean war vintage M1, and love it. My grandfather carried a M1 in WWII. I have a lot of nostalgia for this rifle
I love the use of language from the 40's. Its just colorful, simple, and to the point. It seems like that is lost in todays General Officers. Im talking to you Milley and Austin
My basic training company in the 4th training regiment at Fort Dix, in 1963 was issued M1 Garands. I fired expert with mine. One of the great things about the Garand was also that with a bayonet is was one hell of an up close and personal weapon. Just the feel of the rifle gave an infantryman great confidence.
Lucky Gunner does Forgotten Weapons...and does it well!
Feels like a blend of Forgotten Weapons and Loadout on Gamespot.
The Garand will never be forgotten!
Better, honestly
I always enjoy Luck Gunner videos. This one is my new favorite. Thank you so much, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
When ever I'm bummed that LGA hasn't put out a video in a while I remember it's not Lucky Gunner Video. Keep up the great content and I'll keep grabbing ammo from you guys.👍
Watching Garand talk about future rifle development gave me flashbacks of Tony Stark's father talking to his son via an old black and white movie in _Ironman 2._ "I'm limited by the technology of my time..."
My father was a prewar regular who started on the '03 Springfield. In the Spring of 1941 he got assigned to assemble the company's new M1s over the weekend. They came without a manual. He spent the weekend assembling them and by Monday morning he and his buddy were expert armorer's.
The first combat use was not Guadalcanal. A unit of Philippine Scouts, part of the Territorial Guard, had M1s and destroyed a Japanese battalion as they tried to cross a river.
I remember reading a book on Douglas MacArthur that had come out a couple years ago, and during the chapter on his time as Army chief of staff, this rifle was being developed with it's experimental caliber. But because it was the 1930s, Army budgets were stingy, and there were still warehouses full of WW1 era .30-06 ammo, MacArthur and some others forced Garand's hands to change it to be .30-06 to "save' money and burn up all this .30-06 ammo that was collected dust
At the time, it was absolutely the right call to make. Having billions of rounds of .30-06, not to mention other weapons in inventory like the BAR and M1903 using it, switching calibers for the M1 Garand, even a better cartridge, wasn't feasible in the middle of the Great Depression. Everyone was broke already as is.
@@gameragodzilla That's a thing I think people over look, you can develop the greatest caliber/rifle ever...but where's the budget and infrastructure to build and maintain it for Army contracts?
@@Tadicuslegion78 Yup, and that's why even though self loading rifles existed, even for military issue like the RSC 1917 in French service for WW1, the M1 Garand still gets credit and fame for being the first truly standard issue semi-auto rifle because all the underlying infrastructure and manufacturing were also in place.
If the infrastructure wasn't there, then the Garand would've only been issued to select troops and most would still be using bolt action M1903 Springfields, thereby making the Garand probably a footnote in history at best.
@@gameragodzilla The RSC 1917 falls well short of meeting the criteria of “standard issue” while rugged enough for field issue, it was temperamental at the best of times, and at its peak select units had enough RSC to issue at at a rate of 1 per Groupe (squad) making it more akin to DMR than standard infantry rifle. Plenty of semi-auto rifles were issued on a trials or limited basis during the First World War, but the first military in the world to actually procure and issue semi-auto rifles to each individual infantryman in the army, was the United States.
@@MaxwellAerialPhotography Exactly. So that is why decisions like using the already existing stockpiles of rounds rather than switching to a new, weird proprietary round is a good decision. Easing manufacturing and procurement allows everyone to get an M1 Garand, not just select troops.
Thanks for putting this together! Really enjoyed this mini docu style video. The first rifle I ever bought for myself was a CMP M1 Garand when I was 24. Been obsessed my entire life so I welcome anymore great content about it!
A good friend of mine takes care of a decorated Korean War Army Vet. The vet is 93 now and a man of few words...His best quote is " Thank God for my M1 Garand !"
Excellent presentation! Have owned a Garand for many years. Very accurate, performs flawlessly...
Great video. Thanks Chris!
I bought the "Garand Thumb" for my Garand and it makes a world of difference.
Excellent presentation! Thank you
Message of Garand basicaly handing over the design torch to Stoner is huge in the hindsight.
Awesome video and I loved finding out more about Mr Garland. Very informative and truly a man ahead of his time, I would love to see you make a series like this or at least continue onto the M14
Flaws? Flaws?! FLAWS??!! I'll pretend I didn't hear that. 😸 Great use of period footage, good sound, and well written presentation. Thanks!
Chris that was an excellent video. Thanks for the knowledge download.
Thanks!
Great story. Thanks Chris.
This was an excellent video by an excellent beard about an excellent rifle
Excellent history presentation.
The military industrial complex is never at the forefront of technological advancement.
Awesome video with so much good information. Thank you!!
This was great! Please do more like this!
Excellent video sir. Efficient and well researched.
Thanks guys, another classic production!!
Excellent presentation. Full of interesting information and presented in a very professional manner. I'm sold, I'm going to subscribe.
Manny should have made a cameo in this feature, after all...he is the preeminent living authority on the subject.
Loved this, watched it with my son. Do more, please. 1911, m14, m16, m4, beretta m9, sig m17
Good historical piece. My only disagreement is toping off the M-1. I can tell you from experience that you can top off the weapon. I have been firing an M-1 for years for fun and in CMP competitions. It takes practice but it can be done.
I came here to make this point. I even found a demonstration on TH-cam: th-cam.com/video/ebmGLDG1g5M/w-d-xo.html
Right, it's possible, but it's slow, the gun was not designed with that in mind, and it's not the easiest thing to pull off under combat conditions. Especially compared to reloading a detachable magazine, or even topping off a bolt action.
@@LuckyGunner Agreed. But it’s possible. That was my point. Funny thing, FYI, I’m a retired police officer and as such had to qualify on the range every quarter. This includes rifles drills, which we normally use AR’s. On a bet I actually ran that drill with my M-1 and believe it or not, scored almost as high as with an AR! Way more taking cover for mag or in this case, clip changes but I made $50 that day!
@@robertbennett106 - Thanks for sharing that story of qualifying with a Garand.... that's pretty neat. About ten years ago, I happened to see a two-gun competition at the shooting club nearby, and one of the competitors was a somewhat elderly gentleman - a veteran of the Korean War. Well, the joke is on me, because you never saw someone run an M-1 like that guy! His reloads were extremely quick and no jams, either; just got the rifle back into action. Can't remember where that man finished in the competition, but his expertise with the M-1 has always stuck with me. A now-deceased uncle on my wife's side, a U.S. Army infantryman during the Korean War, carried one in combat in 1950-1951. He credited his M-1 for making it home alive.
Chris, this was a remarkable video. You're an excellent presenter of interesting firearm history. Thanks for doing this; looking forward to more videos like this in the future!
Master class video, one of the best ever by any modern gun “channel!
This is a great story. Thanks for ding the research.
Nice video, I liked it a lot. But you can top off a Garand with minimal effort. But the thing might be so that soldiers did not have loose ammo, but only en bloc clips. So then easiest way to top off is to shoot gun empty and put a another one in.
Excellent detail and history!
Nice job Chris. Well done!
Glad to see you referenced George’s book. Used it as a reference on a trip to Giadalcanal.
Who better to pass judgment on small arms than a competitive marksman turned platoon leader in the Solomon Islands.
His section on Arisakas, where he recruited Japanese POWs to learn about their marksmanship training and tactics, is especially compelling.
Yeah, it's really a fantastic book. I'm not aware of any other first-hand account of war from the perspective of a real "gun guy." He answers all the questions shooting enthusiasts always want to know that typically get left out of other war stories.
Very well done sir. Thank you.
Well done. Thanks a bundle. Good information.
Tremendous video, and you will keep getting my ammo orders. Thanks!
Magnificent episode !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was nice, a clip of John Garand speaking.
I recently read an interview of a next-door neighbor of John Garand. She said he always introduced himself as John (GerAND) Garand. I found this interesting because many say it should be pronounced GARend. He lived in a modest home in a small neighborhood in East Hartford, CT. He had a small garden he loved tending and sharing vegetables with the neighbors. A brilliant, humble man who has his name firmly stamped in history.
Hmm... In 1943, John Garand wrote a letter to American Rifle magazine in which he told them how to pronounce his name properly. He said: hard G; short A, as in Harry; and rhymes with errand with the stress on the first syllable. This means GA-rand not ga-RAND. Ian McCollum over at Forgotten Weapons has a short video about this, including a copy of Garand's letter.
@@GallifreyanGunner The interview I referenced above can be found in the Summer 2018 issue of GCA Journal. (Garand Collector's Association) The neighbor of John Garand said everyone called them the Guh-RAND'S and John always introduced them as the Guh-RAND'S. Maybe he was just bowing to the popular pronunciation? .We may disagree on this one, as so many do, but I think we can agree on what a wonderfully designed rifle he developed, a rifle that played a critical role in winning WWII.
@@tinman8518 It just seems weird that he'd take the time to write a letter to a magazine to correct the pronunciation and then say it differently at home. Also, primary source, the man himself, vs secondary source, the neighbour. Mind you, at this point the rifle's name could be considered separate from the man so either pronunciation for it is up for grabs.
Indoor ice skating rink???
Lol he was french.
Kind of ironic that the new 6.8 common round is looping back toward individual marksmanship over volume of fire
Yes, it's a very interesting development. I'm curious to see if it ever becomes an actual general issue rifle or if it's designated only for special units and use cases.
I think it's a combination of the XM250 being a much lighter weight gun than the M249 SAW, so maybe that's going to be issued more often for volume of fire, and the XM5 coming with its own optic. The distance where you'd require a full powered rifle round isn't as important when you're using non-magnified iron sights where targets beyond 500m would be too difficult to see properly anyways. So you'd get up close before engaging in a mobile form of warfare. However, if you are using optics, especially ones that even calculated bullet drop for you, then engaging at longer distances is much more viable. Doubly so if you're also fighting guys with body armor that normal intermediate calibers can't penetrate.
Nothing ironic about, just because two things historical share a vague resemblance in name or design doesn’t mean that “we’ve come full circle” or “whats old is new again” or “someone thought of this decades ago” or whatever tired and probably incorrect historical cliche you want to throw out.
Aside from sharing a bullet diameter .276 Pedersen and .277 Fury, share nothing in common. They were developed under vastly different sets of objective, technologies, and limitations.
Sounds like those detachable magazines would've been nice.
Excellent presentation, very informative and interesting. Now I wanna see Manny's version, ;-).
Artillery is the KING of battle. That said, I am glad we did get the M1 for WW2. Sometimes, rate of fire is very important. I have two. Both are all original and shoot extremely well. The key is to not exceed the pressures they used when the rifle came out. Easy to do if you reload or buy M1 specific ammo. I do have an adjustable gas plug in one which turns my M1 into a single shot, just cycle the bolt manually, but I can run my bolt action 30-06 ammo through the M1, if I want. The iron sights on the M1 are probably the best iron sights I have ever used. With young eyes, accuracy to 500 yards should not be a challenge if the shooter is a decent marksman.
In the video, it would seem that the US first used the M1 Garand during the landings at Guadalcanal in August 1942. Records would show that the Philippine Scouts (a regular US Army outfit) were using the M1 as early as late December 1941 to stem the Japanese landings on Luzon, Philippines until Bataan surrendered in April 1942. Great video, nonetheless. Cheers from the Philippines!
Holy cow Chris. Extremely well done, professional production. Thumbs up for your efforts here.
Great video! Would love another about the history of the M16!
Some points I extracted from Hatcher’s book (with my own comments):
1) Felt recoil of .276P is half that of 30-06.
2) Receiver for 276 is 1” shorter than for 30-06.
3) 276 round weighs ¾ of 30-06. 47 billion rounds were fired in WWII.
4) 30-06 lends itself better for tracer and AP. There was an assumption that AP would become standard.
5) Infantry board in 1928 advised to replace 1903 and BAR with .276P rifle.
6) Cavalry board also preferred .276P.
7) Pig board and goat board found .256 to outperform .276 and 30-06 out to 600.
8) Chiefs of inf and cav prefer .30 because in stock, same as MGs and better for AP.
9) Infantry board tests found that .276 Garand trumped .276 Pederson trumped 1903 trumped BAR for hits per lbs of ammo, ease of use and simplicity, and still prefer .276 over 30-06. (Note, the new semi rifle was originally meant to replace the 1903 and the BAR. The BAR was an excellently build weapon for a faulty doctrine, walking fire. It was an IAR that was later made into a reluctant LMG.)
10) M1 ammo (174 grain) approved in 1925 to give MGs in sustained indirect fire mode greater range. Lesson learned from WWI compared with Vickers and Maxim. Not in use until 1934 when old stock of M1906 ball was used up!!!! M1 rifle was designed for M1 ammo, not yet in use when .30 was said to be preferred over .276 based on large stocks!!!
11) M1 ammo deemed unsafe on National Guard ranges because too hot for safety templates, so M2 introduced to mimic M1906. In 1939 the M2 (a new round!) became standard, at least for training. AP was meant to be standard for social work.
12) They revised their wish for increased range from MGs because the flatter trajectory prohibited plunging fire onto reverse slope positions. M1 ammo was declared obsolete in 1944.
My conclusions, perhaps erroneous: .276 should have been introduced. Even better, .256 should have been further developed. Even more betterer, the Brits should have jumped on the bandwagon and redeveloped the Bren to shoot the same (Utopia)…
I am yet to read Canfield’s bible on the Garand.
Nathaniel F also did some good in-depth research into this for TFB which I need to revisit. His conclusion was not the same as mine.
Very informative!
Great Video! I hope you do more deep dives in the future!
The first center fired rifle I ever shot was the Garand. It was literally in a high power match.
VIDEO IDEA: Top 10 “Do it all” pistols… handguns that can be an edc, concealed carry, and possibly a home defense
Excellent. Thanks!
What a fantastic presentation! I can almost imagine the ghost of Alistair Cooke nodding in approval. Outstanding!
Some Marine units on Guadalcanal were issued Johnson rifles, another good weapon in 30/06 that was phased out for the Garand. They have become a very expensive collector item and may make for another excellent video!
Shots fired in anger is a must read for all gun guy’s who have a interest in the Pacific war
Excellent video
Another great video.
My first issued military rifle was an M-1, then an M-14, then an M-16. The M-1 was the most accurate in excess of 500 yards. A real marksman’s rifle before we adopted the Spray and Pray approach to marksmanship.
This is definitely one of my favorite channels on TH-cam and it's because of content like this. I've been watching for a couple years now and the production quality and information quality in these videos is outstanding. Keep up the good work.
Love this historical type content! Keep it coming!
designed in the 20s and still beats any modern day bolt action rifle. if u get a chance, visit the Springfield Armory museum!
I like that the rifle had a 22 year service life and the video is exactly 22 minutes long to the second.
After the Spanish-American war the US Army looked at the 7x57 Mauser, and supersized into the 7.62x63 (.30/06) Springfield cartridge
I have a couple of boxes of 7mm ammo. If I wait long enough, Kel-Tec or PSA might come out with something that shoots it. Or Bond Arms.
7 Mauser is one of my favorite old bolts in my collection
Chesty Puller might shout "If your rifle's too heavy, you can drop and give me 50! Now PUSH!"
No, Chesty Puller understood the physical limitations of his marines and of military logistics.
“Difficult to top off a garand without fully ejecting or shooting off all the rounds”
My grandpa laughed to at that, showing me on his, how you just catch the clip then stop it with the bolt, then insert the number of rounds you had or have, then push down all the way to engage it again, even if you were missing a single bullet from a full clip.
Then he had me try it and it worked perfectly.
He said his guys did that all the time, and laughed again at such a dumb comment.
But he agreed about the weight and trying it myself, I too agree it’s a heavy thing.
No one cares
Great video! Looking forward to the next instalment.
Loved this concise history lesson. Are you gonna do a series on America's entire progression of service rifles?
Where to cop that jacket, Chris?
Have owned more than a dozen M1 Garands and recently passed one to my son. I am a recently retired career police officer and still travel and teach gunfighting to law enforcement instructors. Though I would pick up an AR-platform if I knew a rifle/carbine fight was at-hand, I would not feel outgunned if I grabbed my Garand instead. As a matter of fact, there are M1's still in field service today around the world. I know I can't shoot as quickly, use modern sighting systems and larger capacity magazines, utilize a collapsing/adjustable stock not accessorize like many modern battle carbines/rifles but I can promise you, that you will not be happy if I was shooting at you with an M1 inside of 300-400 yards. Press on dear warrior.
Really enjoyed this video. It reminded me of C&Rsenal but in a shorter form. Well done sir!
God Bless John C. Garand. His rifle saved millions of American soldiers lives during the second world war.
Fascinating, well done video!
Ok can we get the story for another day now please? Garand challenged the younger generations, and soon it was delivered.
Actually, it is quite possible to reload a Garand before it's empty. Hold the bolt to the rear with one hand, place the other hand over the top of the rifle and hit the clip release with that hand's thumb. The hand over the top of the rifle will prevent the clip from fully ejecting; it will also trap the cartridge coming out of the chamber which will wind up lying on top of the clip. Let the bolt go forward until it butts up against the back of the clip to hold it in place. At this point, you can feed the round that just came out of the chamber back into the clip, and other rounds, as well. Once the clip is fully loaded, push on its top to reinsert it back into the rifle, then the bolt will either go forward on its own, chambering the top round in the clip, or a tap on the bolt handle may be necessary. Admittedly a fairly time-consuming, multi-step procedure, and not something anyone would be doing in combat. But the common statement that the Garand "can't be reloaded before it's empty, you have to hit the clip release, and completely unload the rifle then reload it with a new clip, or fire out the gun until it's empty" is absolutely untrue, and only said by people who don't really understand the rifle.
I was looking for this comment 👍
Older 158 grn ball ammo was loaded with a lighter load than modern 30-06 ammo.
Better than most other gun history channels
Great history lesson, thanks for the info, pretty cool history!
Thought you guys had given up on us. Glad to see a new video.
An absolutely fantastic video. I've saved it under my favorites.
I may be wrong, but I hold strongly to the belief that the M1 is still relevant today. A designated rifleman in a squad equipped with this rifle can give the extra range, accuracy and punch that the 5.56 cartridge does not have. There exists a micro red dot rear sight mount that can be adapted to the M1 rifle in minutes, in a non-permanent fashion that greatly increases the long range accuracy of the rifle. The .30-06 is still plentiful and affordable. I recognize that the weight of the rifle and its ammunition are significant challenges.
I agree. Eight 30-06 is a better application than 30 rounds of 223's or 7.62x39 (Just slightly on the AK.). I like a bigger round at HV.
I’d love a modern m1 setup
Remington model 8 could have handles 30-06. Long recoil could handle 8mm lebel and long recoil is generally safe. It’s just a nightmare to field strip the model 8.
I heard the reason for semi-auto resistance was that it would foster ammunition wastage.
30-06 was out of date by the time the Garand was developed. It worked better and was originally designed for a smaller cartridge. In the end, what it was, was, terrifying. It turned cover into concealment. Any enemies hit were done. Maybe they lived, but they were done. For them, the war was over. It destroyed bodies and at a semi auto rate. The German 8mm, the Soviet 7.62x54r, and the British.303 were good too, but only the Americans carried as their standard battle rifle, a semi automatic.