A Successful Semi-Automatic

John Garand spent the better part of his life perfecting a semi-automatic rifle. On several occasions, as he was within reach of success, the Army changed its specifications, altering the caliber from .30 to .276 and then back again. In the process Garand altered the operating system from primer actuated to gas. Despite the frustrations, he met with success on the eve of World War II, when his rifle would meet its severest test in combat throughout the world.

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Patent Model SPAR915

John Garand's patent, dated September 5, 1919, is clearly reflected in his first experimental weapon. In the early pieces, Garand used a primer actuated system which used the set back power of the cartridge primer to operate the action.

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Model 1920    SPAR914

Garand's second attempt still retained the primer actuated action and turning bolt of his original patent, and was produced in both clip and magazine loading variations.

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Model 1923    SPAR916

This is serial No. 1 of the 1923 series. It was lighter than the previous models but the primer actuated device was doomed to failure as the .30 caliber cartridge did not lend itself to this type of operation.

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T3E2               SPAR924

By 1927 the Army had become interested in a new .276 caliber cartridge and Garand was instructed to develop a rifle to handle it. Five years later, however, Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur decided in favor of .30 caliber and the project was abandoned.

John Garand experimented with several different operating systems to achieve semi-automatic operations. At the insistence of the Army he also worked with several different calibers of cartridges. Two of the most important calibers were the .276 shown on the left and the .30 on the right.

Serial No.1      SPAR911

Garand's completed design is seen in the first M1 produced. Much of this rifle was hand made, putting together all of Garand's concepts for a weapon. The first eighty units were made, to some extent, by hand.

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Experimental Receiver SPAR918

The final design of the receiver of the now famous M1 rifle is apparent in this early experimental model. It was produced under John Garand's supervision at the Armory in October, 1929.

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Pedersen Rifle            SPAR1329

Garand was not alone in striving to perfect a semi-automatic rifle. The Army also contracted J.D. Pedersen to develop a rifle competition with Garand's. Pedersen's version, shown here, had a mechanism similar to the Luger pistols.

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Landmark M1s

More than six million M1 rifles were built, most of them by Springfield Armory. Displayed here are some of the milestones reached during the production history. Some of the milestones are missing, but have found important niches of their own. Serial Number 1,000,000, for instance, was presented to the inventor John Garand.

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U.S. Small Arms of World War II   During the Civil War both the Union and, especially, the Confederate Armies were confronted with almost insurmountable logistical problems created by the dozens, even hundreds, of different sizes of ammunition used by each side. By World War II, the United States had reduced this number to merely three calibers for small arms. Even so, the logistics of supplying the right ammunition to the right place remained a serious problem. Complicating the matter was the fact that the United States was also the manufactory for the Allies and had to supply allied forces with ammunition for their weapons. Such confusion led, after the war, to attempts to standardize not only American ammunition but to agree upon a standard ammunition for all allies.

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U.S. Rifle Cal. .30 M1

An "exploded view" of the M1 Rifle showing its many sub-assemblies and parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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