dustoff1996
Well-known member
Was This WWII Rifle Better Than The M1 Garand?
Hickok45 ClipsJune 29, 2024
Was This WWII Rifle Better Than The M1 Garand? - Hickok45 Clips
- Thread starter dustoff1996
- Start date
June 29, 2024
Hueydriver
Well-known member
He can really shoot! Love that guy.
If you own both rifles, take them apart. Compare the bolt mechanism and gas systems. Which is simpler in construction and more robust is pretty obvious. I have fired thousands of rounds in the M1 with a couple of malfunctions. I have fired hundreds of rounds in the G43 with more than that by far. But I am glad I have both.
Better materials and manufacturing would surely have helped the G/K.43. However, as they were they would be very low on my list for my use in a battlefield environment. The M1 would be first. After that, the No.4 and K98k about even. Then perhaps the 03A3. I like aperture sights.
donki1967
Member
I am fortunate to have a 1944 M1 Garand and a 1944 G43 BLM.
My preference is for the Garand, thanks to its sights.
We must still recognize that German industry was still performing well given the situation.
The Garand was developed well before the war.
In any case, these are two weapons that are a must in a collection!
My preference is for the Garand, thanks to its sights.
We must still recognize that German industry was still performing well given the situation.
The Garand was developed well before the war.
In any case, these are two weapons that are a must in a collection!
K98k sight is my favorite behind the M1 and No.4
Joseph Burke
Senior Member
Same. I find the tangent v notch to be most accurate for me, to include my .22 trainers. The peep sight on my M1 Garand(s), or peep sights in general, some say allow for faster target acquisition.
There might be some truth to that and what I've heard from some, in regard to the sights, with the German rifles referred to as being hunting rifles while the US rifles (with peep sights) are better combat rifles.
Possibly, but if I compare the sights between my, say, tangent v notch sight German KKWs vs. my post WWII MAS45 (Mauser design with peep sight), with the biggest design difference to me being the sights I
far far prefer the KKW even though the peep sight on the MAS 45 has a much longer sight radius. Personal preference I suppose but I have accuracy in mind over speed of target acquisition.
Back to the topic, the M1 Garand had plenty of development time to iron out the bugs and my examples run flawlessly. I'm with DaveDavis though in that the 8 round clip/enbloc was indeed a fault (even John Garand knew it) ]that would finally be corrected with the M14, but I'm getting off-topic with that. The Russians as well as the Germans knew well the advantages of a topable box magazine, whether removable or not.
My take, I love the M1 Garand. It is my favorite WWII rifle. I think it is hands down the best battle rifle of WWII. However, the G/K43 is a more collectible rifle. Just my humble opinion.
Cyrano4747
Well-known member
It's a good rifle, but they string out badly once the barrel gets hot.
Garand all day if we're talking WW2 semi-auto rifles.
luftpirate
Well-known member
Id like to see a lineup with the SVT also and see what he has to say.
I find the ergonomics of the Garand to be inferior to those of the G-43 or the Tokarev...the bore axis is too high on the Garand. As for reliability, I haven't had a single malfunction with my G-43, whereas the Garand is somewhat ammo sensitive. Once you tighten up the sloppy fit of the SVT's action in the stock, they seem to have decent accuracy.