What is it about the Garand?

[medic2264]

3 more pages of posts

[ASAMP]

levallois,

This link will answer your question from my point of view:

My Pair - Military Surplus Collectors Forums

[DaveN]

so you like the ping?? I like it sooo much I made a key chain out of a enbloc clip(you just drill a hole and voila!) Now when I need the ping I just tap it on something(Metal or forehead your choice) good story, a guy I know saw my key chain and said he had a rifle his dad gave him after he died (4xx,xxx)
that was cool to look at but i was new to M1 g's. funny story....my son wanted one and carried it all through high school(the key chain not the rifle) ha ha! note if you drill it on end your key or keys fit inside the enbloc

[Joe W]

Um, that wasn't a Garand.

Sure was. From the M1 Magazines Article "Hollywood's Superstar" , "Smile you S.O.B.! BOOM ! Roy Scheider's Sheriff Brodie blows up the giant, seemingly unstoppable shark in the climax of Spielberg's breakout hit JAWS with a well placed shot from USS Indianapolis survivor Quint's M1 Garand".

Rondog, sorry about jumping on the bandwagon. I have to remember that when I see something not to be so fast on the keys. Thought I was first on this, then saw that there was about 3 or 4 more pages, with pictures, no less.

[Joe W]

You probably like old Rock n' Roll, like "In the Still of the Night" too. So do I

As much as I love the M1, I'd go to war with my M1A, its younger brother. I don't need selective fire, I aim.

Just finished re-reading 'The Doom Patrol" in the Aug. 2010 "Leatherneck" magazine. Story about 8 Marines who, following Operation Pursuit in Feb. 1968, volunteered to go back to the location of an ambush and retrieve the body of a marine KIA. There is a picture of the eight marines taken after the successful accomplishment of the mission. They are pictured with M14's. Under the picture it is noted that "most of the patrol opted to trade their M16's for the M14 service rifle." There is no mention in the story as to why they opted for the M14. A bit strange in that there orders were "to make no enemy contact, travel by stealth in the dark, get the body and return. If they had run into a superior force, they were to abort, split up and get back any way they could."

[Laufer]

Bodyman:
A friend bought me my first Garand at Camp Perry a few weeks ago during his match (I'm 55). Anyway, he has over 10 of his own, therefore knows which combination of TE/ME etc to look for, and the bore in my Service Grade has quite a shine.
This friend retired from the Navy Marks. Team, set AR iron sight records (200/600), and so I trust him "110%" on any gun or reloading issues.

bd1:
Did your Sargent in Vietnam have any trouble finding 30-06 M2 ammo at base camp etc?
It's a dumb question, but since many of our early Pacific troops in early WW2 carried the Springfield '03, were some of these available in Korea or early Vietnam, in order to have the most reliable guns?

[Charlie59]

What was it?

[Ben Hartley]

Laufer...

Not Bodyman. but I was in 'Nam in 1963 and 1964.

...Did your Sargent in Vietnam have any trouble finding 30-06 M2 ammo at base camp etc?...

He shouldn't have, as MAAG issued M1 rifles and .30-'06 (M2 Ball) -- as well as tracer, AP, and all the rest -- to the Vietnamese Army (ARVN). My experience was with a .30 Carbine. issued by the ARVN battalion to which I was attached, and I had no problem whatsoever with ammunition supply. The ARVN Infantry types were issued M1 Rifles; in some cases the rifles were taller than the troop...or so it seemed.

...It's a dumb question, but since many of our early Pacific troops in early WW2 carried the Springfield '03, were some of these available in Korea or early Vietnam, in order to have the most reliable guns?

I don't recall ever seeing an '03 Springfield. That's no proof of anything, of course; absence of evidence is not evidence of absence after all. My best guess? I'd be inclined to think very, very, very few, if any.

HTH

Ben Hartley

[Laufer]

That's quite interesting Ben. Thanks. Absence of direct proof also applies to Black Hole theory etc, and nobody can prove that they don't exist.

Whenever I return from a business trip there is a strong urge to peek into the safe, at my first Garand, in order to verify that it is real.
Isn't this a sign of a hopeless nut case? You can be quite frank.

[TDH]

Frankly Laufer yes it is. Some say it can't be cured though there are a few rare cases where the infected person had had a temporary remission from this dreaded malady. Eat 2 cookiees and go to the range as soon as possible.