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BillyBob got tired of my political commentary and wanted me to do something fun. Here goes.
The firearm of the week is one of the greatest battlefield rifles ever. The M1 Garand!
The Garand was developed in the mid-1930's by John C. Garand. Garand was a Canadian by birth and moved to the US early in his life. He worked in the textile industry early in his career. He was a tinkerer and a target shooter which led him to designing firearms. The US army tasked him to develop a semi-automatic firearm. The .30 M1 was the first ever semi-automatic rifle to be issued to any infantry. It replaced the M1903 bolt action. However, the M1903 saw use in WW II, Korea and Vietnam.
The Garand was called "the greatest battle implement ever devised", by General George S. Patton.
What made it the greatest battle implement ever devised? Early in WW II the Germans were using K98 bolts and the Japanese, Arasaka bolts. The German K98, developed in 1935, is an awesome rifle, very well made and had 30 to 40 years of solid technology behind it. However, being a bolt action with 5 rounds, a great marksman might get 10 - 12 shots down range a minute.
Enter the .30 M1. It has an 8 round en bloc internal clip. In the hands of a well trained soldier, it could produce 40 to 50 rounds accurately. So, 10 rounds out of a K98 or Arasaka or 40 rounds from the ass kicking .30-06.
Garands were produced up until the mid-1950's. These rifles are still available. Visit http://www.odcmp.com/. This is the site for the Civilian Marksmanship Program. Depending on inventory and grading you can purchase directly from the CMP once your application is approved. .30-06 military surplus ammo is readily available too.
The above picture is my rifle. It is a great shooter, easy to field strip and darn accurate out to 400 yards.
Big Mullet
