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I’m a big fan of military surplus rifles…
I’ve got a few of them, and there’s just something about the quality and craftsmanship that went into building these rifles…
…and the history that they’re associated with, that just makes them special.
I do have a favorite in the mil-surp category… And I know that if you’re reading this, you’re probably a fan of this rifle too.
So, this is my M1 Garand review, and the main points I’ll be covering are the:
- Design of the Garand
- Shooting Characteristics
- Historical Significance
So let’s get started with the review!
Design Of The M1 Garand…
The M1 Garand is a semi-automatic rifle that shoots the 30 06 round.
It’s made of wood and steel, the way rifles used to be made, and to me it seems incredibly sturdy and well-built.
It has an internal magazine that holds 8 rounds, which for its time was well above the typical magazine capacity of 5 rounds.
The rounds are stored in en bloc clips that you load into the rifle’s internal magazine.
As mentioned before, the M1 Garand stock is made of wood and keeps the traditional rifle stock design.
I’ve always found it to be very ergonomic, it feels really solid in the hand.
When you’re loading a Garand, it’s important to be careful…
You load it by pushing a clip into the magazine with your thumb, and once the clip is in place, the bolt with automatically come forward and chamber the first round.
There is the potential to get your thumb caught between the bolt and the chamber if you let it linger causing what’s known as “garand thumb”.
However, I’ve never had a problem with this personally…
…and I think it’s an easy thing to avoid if you just pay attention to what you’re doing when you load this rifle.
The position of the safety on the M1 Garand has also been criticized by some who don’t like that it’s positioned at the front of the trigger guard.
But I’ve always found it to be very intuitive and I like how the safety is designed.
Shooting Characteristics Of The Garand…
The M1 Garand is a pretty heavy rifle…
Again, it’s made from steel and wood, and the difference in weight between the M1 and one of my AR-15s is pretty dramatic.
With all that said, I think the M1’s weight is an advantage…
The 30 06 is no slouch of a round, and the weight along with the gas system of this rifle make the recoil incredibly manageable.
Another factor that’s probably in play in terms of recoil management is the balance of the rifle.
Even though the rifle is heavy, the balance makes you forget about that weight when you take aim, and you don’t really notice it much.
Overall, it’s just a joy to shoot because you’ve got that powerful round, but at the same time, your shoulder isn’t all beat up after a day on the range.
The grand is also a very accurate rifle…
One of the reasons for this is the fact that Garands were well-built with quality materials, but I think you also have to give a lot of credit to the M1’s sights.
The aperture sights on the M1 Garand are amazing, and they’re my favorite set of sights on any milsurp rifle I’ve shot.
They give you a very long sight radius, which is always a big benefit to the shooter, and to me, it just seems easy hit my steel targets consistently.
I much prefer the Garand sights over the V-notch type sights you find on Mauser rifles…
…and as I mentioned before, it makes shooting the Garand a blast (no pun intended).
Historical Significance Of The M1 Garand…
Aside from being a great rifle, it’s really the historical significance of the M1 Garand that makes it such a legend.
The Garand served in World War II (the biggest war the world has ever seen!) and in the Korean War.
During World War II, most of the nations involved were using bolt action rifles to arm their soldiers…
However the United States, in a very forward-thinking way, was arming its soldiers with a semi-automatic battle rifle…
…and in addition to it being semi-automatic, it also held eight rounds in it’s magazine as opposed to five rounds like most bolt action rifles of the time.
Aside from all that, it was a reliable workhorse that just got the job done against the Nazis and the Imperial Japanese.
I really can’t think of another rifle from its era that I would personally choose over it…
…and It served so well, that it would morph into the M14 and still be used by the U.S. Military many decades later.
Now I got mine from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (so really this is a CMP Garand review), and it’s one of the H&R rifles.
I’ve heard that that means it’s one of the rifles built for the Korean War, but I’ve never confirmed that it is a Korean m1 Garand.
If you’re looking to pick up a Garand for yourself (and I think it’s a military surplus rifle that every shooter should own)…
…I would start by looking at what the CMP currently has available because the price for mine was incredibly reasonable.
M1 Garand Review Conclusions…
In conclusion, the M1 Garand is a fantastic military surplus rifle. I love it because it’s:
- Reliable
- Accurate
- Powerful
- Fun to shoot
And to add to all of that, it has the prestige of fighting on the right side in some of the biggest wars the world has ever known.
Now, whether you’re shooting a milsurp like the Garand or a modern rifle like an AR 15…
You need to make sure that your shooting fundamentals are squared away. So if you’re looking for help improving your shooting…
Check out my FREE guide that shows you how to improve your shooting without leaving your home or spending a dime…
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Farewell! And have fun at the range.
Red Dot Shooters