1) When was the M1 Garand designed?
A: Design of the rifle that eventually ended up as the M1 Garand began as far back as 1924. The final version of the rifle was finished in 1933.
2) Who designed the Garand?
A: John Cantius Garand from St. Remi, Quebec was the designer of the M1 Garand.
3) What caliber round does the Garand fire?
A: The Garand fires the .30-06 Springfield cartridge. During early developmental stages, a cartridge of 0.276 caliber was experimented with, but was eventually dropped in favor of the current .30 caliber service round.
4) When did the Garand enter military service?
A: The United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 was officially adopted by the U.S. Army in 1936. It saw service with reserve and guard units into the 1970s.
5) What wars was the Garand used in?
A: The M1 Garand served in WWII, the Korean War and even the Vietnam War to a limited degree.
6) What rifle did the Garand replace in the U.S. military?
A: The Garand replaced the M1903 bolt-action rifle which had been the standard-issue infantry rifle in the U.S. Army since 1903.
7) Does the Garand have a detachable magazine?
A: No. The Garand has an internal magazine which is loaded from the top with 8 round “en bloc” clips. Loading the Garand can be tricky at first and many users find themselves getting “M1 thumb” by accidentally closing the action on the thumb of their loading hand.
8) What companies built the Garand?
A: Springfield Armory originally produced the Garand. Winchester produced a number of Garands during WWII in addition to Springfield Armory’s production. After the outbreak of the Korean War, Harrington & Richardson and International Harvester were awarded contracts to build the M1 rifle. The Italian firm, Beretta, also built the M1 Garand using Winchester equipment.
Springfield Armory currently builds commercial models.
9) Can I mount a scope on my Garand?
A: The original M1 scope mount required drilling and tapping the receiver. This can still be done, but would diminish the value of the rifle. There are at least two companies (B-Square and S&K) that manufacture no gunsmithing scope mounts for the Garand.
10) Are the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine the same rifle?
A: No. The M1 Carbine is similar in operation to the Garand, but is much shorter, lighter and fires a different round, the .30 Carbine. The Garand was designed to be a main battle rifle for infantry troops while the Carbine was intended to be used by rear echelon personnel such as vehicle drivers.
11) Were there any variants of the standard Garand?
A: The only variation of the Garand that saw combat was the sniper rifle. There were two versions, the M1C and the M1D. These both saw limited service with the only difference between the two models being the mounting system for the scope. The U.S. Navy used a Garand chambered in 7.62 NATO. The Tanker model had a shortened barrel and gas system but never saw service.
12) What is the difference between the M1 Garand and the M1A?
A: The M1A is an offspring of the M1 Garand. The M1A has a detachable box magazine while the Garand has an internal magazine. The M1A fires the 7.62 NATO round while the Garand fires the .30-06 Springfield round. While there are other minor differences, the two rifles are very similar.
13) What is throat and muzzle erosion and why are they important?
A: These terms refer to areas of the barrel and the wear that occurs to them from use. The throat or leade is where the bullet first engages the rifling of the bore. The muzzle is the end of the barrel where the bullet exits. The hot gases from fired rounds erode the metal in both of these areas. The use of metal cleaning rods from the muzzle end of the barrel also contributes to the muzzle erosion. The concern is that as the metal erodes from these areas, accuracy will be adversely affected. Erosion is also an indicator of the amount of use the barrel has seen.
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