The M1 Garand, loved by all, very nearly didn't make it--and was slated to be something besides what we now know. John Garand began working for the government right after World War I. His initial designs revolved around a curious feature: The unlocking of the mechanism was to be initiated by the primer setting back out of the case. That is, the primer, blowing partially out of the case, unlocked the action and allowed it to cycle.

Why such a curious method? Back then, few knew why rifle bores were degrading, but one leading theory was that the pressure and heat of the combustion gases drove the residual acids of the powder into the pores of the steel. So designers were reluctant to direct gases back into the action.

Browning had already gotten around the problem with the long-recoil action found in his Auto-5 shotgun. But while his autoloading rifle using this principle, the Remington Model 8, was fine for hunting deer, it had two faults as far as the Army was concerned: It wasn't a .30-06, and it couldn't take a bayonet.

A rifle that could take a bayonet required some sort of gas system. And since keeping a gas system going in a corrosive environment was not possible, Browning came up with his primer-unlocking method. (Later, of course, we figured out it was the primers causing the corrosion.)

But just about the time Garand had the bugs worked out, the Ordnance Department changed the ammo. They crimped the primers to keep them from blowing in machine guns, and that sent Browning back to the drawing board. The result was a better rifle.

The one he produced was a 10-shot self-loading rifle that used en-bloc clips. Why clips, and not magazines? After all, the BAR used magazines, right? Yes, and they were heavy, bulky and required a lot of care. Clips were simple, required no maintenance, and a loaded en-block clip didn't take up any more space than a pair of loaded stripper clips.

That the first design held 10 shots was due to a new round called the .276 Pedersen, which fired a 125-grain 7mm bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2,600 to 2,700 fps. It probably would have been a great idea except that the Great Depression struck, and the new chief of staff, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, shot down the concept because there was no money for converting the Army to the new caliber, and there were warehouses full of leftover .30-06 ammo from WWI.

John Garand personally (and on his own initiative) made the design changes to convert the .276 Pedersen Garand into the .30-06 Garand--the rifle we now all know and love.

If you've never fired a Garand, it has two peculiarities you have to know about. One, it will mangle your thumb if you aren't careful. You load the rifle by locking the bolt back and then pressing a loaded en-bloc clip down into the receiver.

The latch at the bottom of the receiver will both grab onto the clip and release the bolt. If your hand is in the way, the bolt will attempt to chamber it. As the thumb is mostly what you have in there, you'll get an "M1 thumb."

The other thing to know is that the operating rod is pretty much floating around inside the rifle on its own. There aren't any guide rails, locating brackets or other hangers to hold onto the rod. Thus, the gases ported out of the barrel whack against an unsupported rod, which can and does flex.

M1 Garand Assembly

M1 Garand Video