What Was the Best U.S. Army Rifle in History? Meet the M1 Garand

What is/was the best U.S. Army rifle? If we’re going to go with length of service, then one could make the case for the M16/M4 series, which in one variant or another has been the Army’s standard issue rifle since 1965. Its reliability has improved immensely since its inauspicious debut during the Vietnam War; it’s plenty accurate and packs a lot of firepower for its lightweight. However, after all these years, controversies still remain about the terminal effectiveness of its 5.56x45mm NATO/.223 Remington cartridge, as can be gleaned from reading books such as Mark Borden’s Black Hawk Down and the late great Chuck Taylor’s The Fighting Rifle.

Some might make the case for the Kentucky Rifle, since it was the first truly American firearm and played a key role in winning America’s independence during the Revolutionary War. Indeed, the British “Redcoats” soon dubbed the weapon “the widow-maker” for the high death toll it inflicted on their officer corps. However, it was only issued to a select few sharpshooters, as it was too expensive to produce as a general issue to the Continental Army.

Some might make the case for the M1903 Springfield. After all, it was the rifle that enabled America’s “doughboys” to win World War I. However, compared to the European powers, the U.S. foray into WWI was a relatively brief one.

But when it comes to the rifle that helped the United States win World War II—wherein America committed much larger numbers of troops over a far longer period of time and in more theaters than it did in World War I—and from there, also served American fighting men in the Korean War … well, it becomes awfully hard to argue against the M1 Garand. It becomes even harder to argue against the Garand when you consider that no less than General George Smith Patton Jr. deemed her “the greatest battle implement ever devised.”

Where It Began: John C. Garand

The M1 Garand was named for her inventor, John Cantius Garand, who was born in Quebec, Canada, but moved to the United States along with his father and eleven siblings after their mother passed away in 1899.

After learning English whilst sweeping floors at a textile mill, young John got a job at a shooting gallery which inspired his interest in firearms and how to make them. Garand became a toolmaker and began to design firearms as a hobby. In November 1919, his inventive skill landed him employment as an engineer at the government’s Springfield Armory (not to be confused with the present-day private sector gunmaker of the same name), and less than a year later, Garand was a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Tom Laemlein of The Armory Life picks up the story from there:

“Even with the excellent M1903 Springfield rifle in service and a World War already won with that rifle (along with the M1917 “Enfield”), the U.S. military was thinking ahead. Once assigned to the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts, John Garand was given the responsibility of designing a new semi-automatic, gas-operated infantry rifle … His early efforts showed a great deal of promise, and Garand would eventually patent his “Semiautomatic, Caliber .30, M1 Rifle” during 1932. However, it would take until January 9, 1936, for the U.S. Military to officially adopt the promising rifle. The M1 rifle was introduced rather slowly, and mass production did not begin until 1940 while America watched as Europe tore itself apart again during the early stages of World War II.”

Proving Her Mettle: the M1 Garand in WWII

The rest was history. When America entered into WWII, the semiautomatic function and 8-round magazine of the Garand rifle gave American GIs a distinct tactical advantage in terms of firepower and rapidity of fire without sacrificing accuracy (effective range of 500 yards with standard iron sights, according to Travis Pike), battlefield reliability, or durability.

The lone glaring weakness was the “M-1 ping,” i.e., the rifle would eject the empty stripper clip with a loud “ping!” which sent a strong auditory signal to enemy troops that their Yankee adversary’s weapon was empty. But needless to say, this weakness wasn’t severe enough to offset the Garand’s advantages.

Proving Her Mettle Part Deux: The M1 Garand in Korea

The Korean Peninsula turned out to be a much different climate from the tropical climes of the South Pacific, but fortunately, John Garand had the presence of mind to design his ingenious rifle to function in extreme cold as well as heat.

During the infamous Battle of the Chosin Reservoir in 1950, the U.S. Marines battling Communist forces found that their M1s still functioned perfectly fine, except for the lubricant; the natural oil issued at the time had an unfortunate tendency to thicken and gum up in the extreme cold of “the frozen Chosin.” So, in the true spirit of “Adapt, Improvise. Overcome,” the leathernecks simply stripped all the lubricant out of their Garands and ran them bone-dry—and the rifles kept on working and killing Commies left & right.

Where Are They Now? Want Your Own?

Though it’s been sixty-five years since the M1 Garand ceased to be the standard-issue infantry rifle of the U.S. Army (replaced thusly by the M14), her legacy and popularity still live on to this day. If you want to purchase a bona fide military surplus Garand, your best bet is the Civilian Marksmanship Program.