An M1 Garand rifle.
The M1 Garand is a semi-automatic rifle that was used by the USA during World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
Info
The M1 Garand was designed by Canada-born John C Garand to replace the Springfield M1903 rifles as the standard service rifle for the United States. It officaly replaced the Springfield in 1936. It is considered one the best rifles in any armed forces during the twentieth century and is perhaps the most iconic rifle of WW2, and General Patton called it "the greatest battle implement ever devised". It is still used today by the U.S. Marine Corps and NJROTC classes as a drill weapon.
The M1 Garand was used by all branches of the United States Military in front-line service until 1957, when it was replaced with the M14 rifle. However, the Garand was used by reserve and National Guard units well into the 1970's. A Sniper variant of the Garand was used by U.S Forces in Korea and Vietnam.
The M1 Garand is clip-fed from the top with an 8-round clip that pops up and makes a distinctive "ping" sound when ejected.This is perhaps the most distinguishable part of the weapon and is instantly recognisable. The M1 Garand is the main weapon for Americans in infantry combat.
The M1 Garand was useful for engaging enemy forces at medium to long range and it has a clip of 8 .30-06 rifle cartridges. The clip, the "en-bloc" clip has a uniqe style design that allows 4 rounds to sit side-by-side, it's design was also made for easy mid clip reloading. The M1 Garand is a common weapon in the Call of Duty games. Although not exactly known why, the in-game version of the M1 can not be reloaded in mid clip. This is inaccurate to it's real life counterpart, this is also a long running feature in other WW2 titles such as the Medal of Honor series which also gets it wrong. In reality the M1 rifle is perhaps one of the easiest rifles to unload at anytime. Simply pull back and lock the operating rod and reach over the receiver with your thumb and press the clip ejection button on the right side of the receiver and the clip will pop right out in your hand, easily done with one hand in one quick motion.
