Just what would be considered the best infantry combat rifle of WWII?

Oxford · 04-07-2008, 03:40 PM

M-1 Garand

Capt'n Mil Coll · 01-04-2009, 04:47 PM

I just did a complete on my old M1 Garand and I still say it won WWII.

Flaming Day · 01-04-2009, 06:04 PM

For a bolt-the Lee-Enfield NO4 Mk1,simplicity and ammo capacity is key in its success.

Flaming Day · 01-04-2009, 06:05 PM

Maybe the M1 for its less punishing round compared to the M1 Garand,though the M1 Garand is still a Kick but rifle.

Flaming Day · 01-04-2009, 06:07 PM

For Machine Gun definitely the MP-series of guns.The 9mm round was still effective and the gun itself was well made.

TheTroll · 01-04-2009, 06:12 PM

M1 Garand

shop tom · 01-04-2009, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kygunsmith

When the US put a rugged reliable 8 shot semiauto in every infantryman's hands it radically changed tactics. One guy going "Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam" while his buddy moved on the enemy. There is no comparison between the M1 and any other combat rifle of WWII. Of course things might be different if Germany or Russia had had the industrial might to produce millions of their semi-autos.

They did, but their semi-autos couldn't hold a candle to the Garand.

tom

Flaming Day · 01-04-2009, 07:39 PM

I agree mith tom,the only german semi's i know of merely weren't good.The Russians did come up with one of the best semi auto' in 1945 after the war,The SKS.Created by Sergei Simonov,it served as the standard well into the fifty's for Russian Semi's and still is one of the most reliable rifles(semi-auto of course) today.But still not as well made and accurate as the Garand.

Kodiak32 · 01-05-2009, 08:03 PM

M1 Garand.

Hman · 01-23-2009, 07:54 AM

I think this is a tie between your M1, mauser,mosin,arisaka they all perfromed well under the worst condition you could have.If I had to pick one it would be the one I had the most ammo for

TheWanderingMind · 01-23-2009, 02:10 PM

The M1. Hands-down. Yes, it does have that annoying "ping" after 8 rounds, but if the war had continued, it would have been modified for an extended magazine. They already had it in the works by war's end.

Plus, it brought my father home - which is why I am able to post this now...

Pothole · 01-25-2009, 01:48 PM

the m1 garand is simply an awesome rifle, i love mine and cant go a week without holding her, and being able to accurately put led down range quickly is what wins battles, yes it is heave and awkward to reload a half empty clip, but if my life was on the line i would want a semi-automatic rifle with some knockdown

mosin warrior · 01-25-2009, 11:29 PM

How can you not vote for the M1 Garand. You have 8 rounds to influence the battle without having to take your eyes of the sights or work the action. And who would go against Patten saying it was the best battle implement ever made.

15AcreWoods · 02-16-2009, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billy

well........
he WAS a megalomaniac.....

Patton was right about the M1 and if the politicos had listened to him and gone on to Moscow there would have been no cold war.

mx308250 · 02-16-2009, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frothing

The best WW2 rifle, hands down, is the German assault rifle known as the Sturmgewhr. It was way ahead of its time and nobody had anything like it. Most automatics were machine pistols which lacked knockdown power or range of the Sturmgewhr. The second in line is the Garand

Sturmgewhr is the best, no contest.

White Rook · 02-16-2009, 02:57 PM

10/22, my bad that will be the best in WWIII.J/K

WWII the M-1, which was used on the WINNING side. Go figure.

jason1965 · 02-16-2009, 07:20 PM

M1 Garand.

BOHICA1962 · 02-17-2009, 11:18 AM

The only ones who really know are those who have been in battle. I haven't been but in my opinion it would have to be the M1.

Montana_Mauser · 03-02-2009, 06:14 PM

Garand.
...Whoever said, "either Garand or Mosin, the Mosin was reeeely reliable..." get your head examined.
And yeah, the sturmgwehr was pretty spiffy... too bad it was WAY too late and was never the standard infantry rifle on any front.

twtalbot · 03-03-2009, 11:22 AM

#1 by a wide margin: M1 Garand-fast, accurate, easiest to use sights of all rifles issued (fast to aim, easy to see front post, easy, positive adjustments).

#2 by a very narrow margin: 1903A3 Springfield.good handling, sights almost as good as M1 magazine cutoff and cocking knob are superfluous and could have been left out of the design.

#3 almost neck and neck with #2: Enfield No4, MKI, behind the Springfield only because of the non-adjustable rear sight.

#4 1936 MAS France was defeated almost at the beginning of the war but the rifle wasn't to blame. Accurate, nice handling, with sights as good as any but the Americans'. The main drawback with the rifle is it's lack of a mechanical safety. The mainspring is so strong that if you close the bolt but leave the handle up,turning it just enough to begin to engage (maybe 5 degrees) and pull the trigger, it will finish rotating the bolt for you. I haven't tried it with a live round, so I don't know if the fring pin comes down with enough force to fire. The only way to avoid this is to leave the handle totally un-engaged.

#5 Mauser (and early war Arisaka) Reliable enough and accurate on the target range, but the inverted "v" front and v-notch rear are just too fine to aim reliably in variable lighting conditions. Except for machine marks on exterior finish and a few stamped parts being used that didn't reduce functionality, German quality remained consistent to the end of the war. Arisaka shorcuts were more severe.

#6 Carcano: Old design, but serviceable, sights like the Mauser, loads with enbloc clips, slightly mor secure than stripper clips.

#7 Mosin Nagant: Probably the most reliable, but the competing rifles were generally at least as tough as the men who were using them, too. The Mosin is the clumsiest to shoot of all the WWII rifles-unless you're left handed. Seriously, they bolt handle is not an uncomfortable reach with the left hand.

04-07-2008, 03:40 PM	#41
Oxford Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Gladstone, Missouri Posts: 14,098 Images: 18 Blog Entries: 4	M-1 Garand __________________ "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right".

01-04-2009, 04:47 PM	#42
Capt'n Mil Coll Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Right behind you. -NRA Member- Posts: 3,391 Images: 45	I just did a complete on my old M1 Garand and I still say it won WWII. __________________ Let's light this fuse and see what happens!

01-23-2009, 02:10 PM	#51
TheWanderingMind Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Wichita Falls Texas Posts: 1,038 Images: 26 Blog Entries: 14	The M1. Hands-down. Yes, it does have that annoying "ping" after 8 rounds, but if the war had continued, it would have been modified for an extended magazine. They already had it in the works by war's end. Plus, it brought my father home - which is why I am able to post this now... __________________ Adjutant, Swiss Coast Guard - Garde Cotiere Suisse - Schweizer Kustwache - Guardia Costiera Svizzero

02-16-2009, 02:57 PM	#56
White Rook Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: South West Ohio Posts: 2,109	10/22, my bad that will be the best in WWIII.J/K WWII the M-1, which was used on the WINNING side. Go figure. __________________ USAF SSgt 80-86 IN GOD WE TRUST NRA MEMBER Last edited by White Rook; 02-16-2009 at 02:59 PM.

03-02-2009, 06:14 PM	#59
Montana_Mauser Banned Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Billings, Montana, USA Posts: 71	Garand. ...Whoever said, "either Garand or Mosin, the Mosin was reeeely reliable..." get your head examined. And yeah, the sturmgwehr was pretty spiffy... too bad it was WAY too late and was never the standard infantry rifle on any front. Last edited by Montana_Mauser; 03-02-2009 at 06:17 PM.

01-04-2009, 06:04 PM	#43
Flaming Day Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Currently on a marching field,getting yelled at for uneven stick heights.Darn left hand. Posts: 112	For a bolt-the Lee-Enfield NO4 Mk1,simplicity and ammo capacity is key in its success.

01-04-2009, 06:05 PM	#44
Flaming Day Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Currently on a marching field,getting yelled at for uneven stick heights.Darn left hand. Posts: 112	Maybe the M1 for its less punishing round compared to the M1 Garand,though the M1 Garand is still a Kick but rifle.

01-04-2009, 06:07 PM	#45
Flaming Day Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Currently on a marching field,getting yelled at for uneven stick heights.Darn left hand. Posts: 112	For Machine Gun definitely the MP-series of guns.The 9mm round was still effective and the gun itself was well made.

01-04-2009, 06:12 PM	#46
TheTroll Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Under a bridge somewhere in Ohio Posts: 491	M1 Garand

01-04-2009, 07:39 PM	#48
Flaming Day Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Currently on a marching field,getting yelled at for uneven stick heights.Darn left hand. Posts: 112	I agree mith tom,the only german semi's i know of merely weren't good.The Russians did come up with one of the best semi auto' in 1945 after the war,The SKS.Created by Sergei Simonov,it served as the standard well into the fifty's for Russian Semi's and still is one of the most reliable rifles(semi-auto of course) today.But still not as well made and accurate as the Garand.

01-05-2009, 08:03 PM	#49
Kodiak32 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 522	M1 Garand.

01-23-2009, 07:54 AM	#50
Hman Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: MI Posts: 4	I think this is a tie between your M1, mauser,mosin,arisaka they all perfromed well under the worst condition you could have.If I had to pick one it would be the one I had the most ammo for

01-25-2009, 01:48 PM	#52
Pothole Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Washington Posts: 201 Images: 21	the m1 garand is simply an awesome rifle, i love mine and cant go a week without holding her, and being able to accurately put led down range quickly is what wins battles, yes it is heave and awkward to reload a half empty clip, but if my life was on the line i would want a semi-automatic rifle with some knockdown

01-25-2009, 11:29 PM	#53
mosin warrior Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Carlisle, PA Posts: 478	How can you not vote for the M1 Garand. You have 8 rounds to influence the battle without having to take your eyes of the sights or work the action. And who would go against Patten saying it was the best battle implement ever made.

02-16-2009, 07:20 PM	#57
jason1965 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bennington NewHampshire Posts: 901	M1 Garand.

02-17-2009, 11:18 AM	#58
BOHICA1962 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LUBBOCK TEXAS Posts: 522	The only ones who really know are those who have been in battle. I haven't been but in my opinion it would have to be the M1.

03-03-2009, 11:22 AM	#60
twtalbot Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Louisiana Posts: 424	#1 by a wide margin: M1 Garand-fast, accurate, easiest to use sights of all rifles issued (fast to aim, easy to see front post, easy, positive adjustments). #2 by a very narrow margin: 1903A3 Springfield.good handling, sights almost as good as M1 magazine cutoff and cocking knob are superfluous and could have been left out of the design. #3 almost neck and neck with #2: Enfield No4, MKI, behind the Springfield only because of the non-adjustable rear sight. #4 1936 MAS France was defeated almost at the beginning of the war but the rifle wasn't to blame. Accurate, nice handling, with sights as good as any but the Americans'. The main drawback with the rifle is it's lack of a mechanical safety. The mainspring is so strong that if you close the bolt but leave the handle up,turning it just enough to begin to engage (maybe 5 degrees) and pull the trigger, it will finish rotating the bolt for you. I haven't tried it with a live round, so I don't know if the fring pin comes down with enough force to fire. The only way to avoid this is to leave the handle totally un-engaged. #5 Mauser (and early war Arisaka) Reliable enough and accurate on the target range, but the inverted "v" front and v-notch rear are just too fine to aim reliably in variable lighting conditions. Except for machine marks on exterior finish and a few stamped parts being used that didn't reduce functionality, German quality remained consistent to the end of the war. Arisaka shorcuts were more severe. #6 Carcano: Old design, but serviceable, sights like the Mauser, loads with enbloc clips, slightly mor secure than stripper clips. #7 Mosin Nagant: Probably the most reliable, but the competing rifles were generally at least as tough as the men who were using them, too. The Mosin is the clumsiest to shoot of all the WWII rifles-unless you're left handed. Seriously, they bolt handle is not an uncomfortable reach with the left hand. __________________ My rifle and pistol are only tools. I am the weapon.