Tommy Vercetti
New member
M-1 Carbine
Quick! Your a USGI in WWII!
- Thread starter P99AS9
- Start date
You don't get a choice! You get what you are issued!
Once you get out of the states, depending on your NonComs and officers, you can use what you can scrounge....providing you come up with an issue weapon for inspections.
Now, if I were an independent contractor, who got to pick and choose my equipment and my assignments, that would be different. Haven't found much mention of people with that status in the history books!
M1 Garand for rifle distances
M1 Carbine/tommygun/grease gun for short range.
1911A1/S&W .38 for constant wear.
T26E1 for smiles and giggles, and just so I had a fighting chance against heavy German armor!
johnwilliamson062
Moderator
What is lightest?
Carbine?
I will engage when in range and hunker down behind something sturdy and let the BAR guy engage when not.
Carbine?
I will engage when in range and hunker down behind something sturdy and let the BAR guy engage when not.
Pathfinder45
New member
I'm still a good shot......
.......but when I was a young man I was much better than good. They probably would have made me be the guy with the 1903A4. However, I doubt that the scopes were that good back then. I think that the 1903A3 has wonderful sights for precision shooting and would have felt more confident with that rifle. It would be better not to be there at all.....but far be it from me to rain on this fantasy.
.......but when I was a young man I was much better than good. They probably would have made me be the guy with the 1903A4. However, I doubt that the scopes were that good back then. I think that the 1903A3 has wonderful sights for precision shooting and would have felt more confident with that rifle. It would be better not to be there at all.....but far be it from me to rain on this fantasy.
Bamashooter
New member
i would choose the 1903 springfield becouse i have one and i love to shoot it. the rifle is extremely accurate and i am very proficient with it.
Each weapon has its proper place and use.
In my 20's or 30's, I would have opted for the M1 Garand or M1928A1 Thompson SMG. Today, I'd go for lightweight with the M1 Carbine.
- M1 Garand - .30-06 - excellent battle rifle, if a tad heavy and limited on ammo supply. Very useable with proper PT and training.
- M1 Carbine - .30 Carbine - a great light rifle for auxillary troops and command officers. But I don't want my whole squad armed with them.
- M1A1 Thompson - .45ACP - Heavy, with a voracious appetite for heavy ammo. Short range and inadequate barrier penetration too. But despite it's faults, highly effective in trained hands. Excellent for CQB/urban warfare.
- M1918 BAR - .30-06 - If forced to use this weapon, I'm gonna requisition a jeep to carry it. Too heavy, limited 20-rd mags run dry fast and barrels tended to overheat. Excellent firepower if you have an assigned ammo mule tagging along.
- M3 "Grease Gun" - .45ACP - Like the Thompson, only lighter and harder to control. Easier to maintain, but no single-fire ability either.
- Deployable Browning M1919A4 - .30-06 - No thanks. I'm allergic to grenades and artillery fire.
- Springfield M1903 - .30-06 - a 1903A3 or -A4 with a quality rifle scope would be an excellent choice. Slow rate of fire, limited ammo capacity, but you trade that against long-distance sniping from concealment or cover.
In my 20's or 30's, I would have opted for the M1 Garand or M1928A1 Thompson SMG. Today, I'd go for lightweight with the M1 Carbine.
Left out of the equation is.....
You are one of a team.... the rifle you carry is only going to be as good as the men who are beside you. One man alone, no matter how good a shot and how good his weapon, is not much use on the march to Berlin. It is all about working together in a coordinated effort.
You are one of a team.... the rifle you carry is only going to be as good as the men who are beside you. One man alone, no matter how good a shot and how good his weapon, is not much use on the march to Berlin. It is all about working together in a coordinated effort.
bamaranger
New member
18lbs, empty
Seems like the BAR was listed at 18 lbs, empty. Ammo in 20rd box mags, '06 ammo mind you. No strippers, ammo carried in mags, loaded rd by rd, afore hand. HOw many mags on your person? As many as you can carry I'd bet.
My F-tr rifle weighs about 18 lbs, and its a hassle to carry to the firing line, much less across France and half of Germany.
Garand for me, and praise to everybody that humped it all for real.
Seems like the BAR was listed at 18 lbs, empty. Ammo in 20rd box mags, '06 ammo mind you. No strippers, ammo carried in mags, loaded rd by rd, afore hand. HOw many mags on your person? As many as you can carry I'd bet.
My F-tr rifle weighs about 18 lbs, and its a hassle to carry to the firing line, much less across France and half of Germany.
Garand for me, and praise to everybody that humped it all for real.
War production focused on providing .30-06 ammo in 8-round en-bloc clips for the Garand and 5-round stripper clips for the troops training with and still using the 1903 rifle. It wasn't until 1943, IIRC that ammo was produced on belts to be canned and shipped to the field ready-to-use. Linked ammo was usually produced in the field by support crews.
Stripper-clip adapters to allow loading the BAR mags were frequently lost in the field and troops resorted to reloading the mags by hand. Most BAR men could count on some help from his team, though. No one wanted the BAR to run out of ammo.
About half the BAR's in Europe "lost" their bipods between Normandy and the Rhine in an effort to strip the weight of the rifle. Some outfits detailed a solider to stay close to the BAR and carry extra magazines. But at 18 pounds it was lighter than the German MG34 or MG42 (both weighed about 25 lbs, were belt fed and had fast-change barrels).
We should all be grateful to those men who plodded along with the BAR and those who trudged through Europe lugging the Browning .30 cal light MG (M1919 - 31lbs!). And I can't even imagine the pain of slogging the Pacific tropics with a BAR.
Please pause for a moment this Memorial Day to say a prayer for all those who served, but especially those who carried these boat anchors under arduous conditions.
Stripper-clip adapters to allow loading the BAR mags were frequently lost in the field and troops resorted to reloading the mags by hand. Most BAR men could count on some help from his team, though. No one wanted the BAR to run out of ammo.
About half the BAR's in Europe "lost" their bipods between Normandy and the Rhine in an effort to strip the weight of the rifle. Some outfits detailed a solider to stay close to the BAR and carry extra magazines. But at 18 pounds it was lighter than the German MG34 or MG42 (both weighed about 25 lbs, were belt fed and had fast-change barrels).
We should all be grateful to those men who plodded along with the BAR and those who trudged through Europe lugging the Browning .30 cal light MG (M1919 - 31lbs!). And I can't even imagine the pain of slogging the Pacific tropics with a BAR.
Please pause for a moment this Memorial Day to say a prayer for all those who served, but especially those who carried these boat anchors under arduous conditions.
berettaprofessor
New member
You answered your own question; the Garand is the only one of the above I'd trust at all 3 ranges, although the Springfield might be a good 2nd choice. If I knew I'd be fighting only a short range I'd pick something else that would throw a lot more bullets down range in a short time, but if I'm only holding a carbine and trying to stop somebody shoot at me at 300 yards, I'm in a world of hurt.
golfnutrlv
New member
The choice is easy for me.
M1 Garand. It's the best balance of power, accuracy, range, and mobility. One of the best designed, most effective battle rifles ever designed IMO.
Just ask General George Patton....."The greatest battle implement ever devised". Ok, maybe he exaggerated a little, which was not a-typical for Patton, but he has a point.
M1 Garand. It's the best balance of power, accuracy, range, and mobility. One of the best designed, most effective battle rifles ever designed IMO.
Just ask General George Patton....."The greatest battle implement ever devised". Ok, maybe he exaggerated a little, which was not a-typical for Patton, but he has a point.
wyobohunter
New member
Garand
It did the trick didn't it?
Plus I got one not too long ago and love it. I'll even take it moose hunting this year.
It did the trick didn't it?
Plus I got one not too long ago and love it. I'll even take it moose hunting this year.