Best U.S. Military Rifle?

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's All-

While setting around shooting a game of 8-ball over
on another web-site, I got to wondering just what
most folk's would think is the best U.S. Military
rifle in history?

Please vote in the poll that I have created!

FootNote- just so you will know, I really like the M1
Carbine. With its .30 caliber cartridge, light weight,
short length, and with 30 round "banana clip's"; I
believe its the best of both world's.

Thanks In Advance,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Feanaro]

So hard to choose!

I pick the M14 based on personal preference. It's got twenty good rounds, full sized rifle cartridge and I think it's a beautiful weapon. M16A2 comes in close second though.

 

[cdbeaver]

My vote went to the venerable old M1, primarily because I've never shot an M14 or M16. The carbine is handy to carry, but for a weaon of war it is best used when it doesn't need to be used. That is, by troops who aren't going to be in combat.

The M1, if properly maintained, is a great weapon. It shoots a powerful cartridge accurately, provides good firepower (for up to eight rounds) and can be reloaded rather quickly (even by a southpaw). What's more, it's pretty danged reliable under severe weather and terrain features.

I carried one in Korea until I started riding in a Jeep daily, then switched to an M2 carbine. Didn't feel any safer with a carbine in hand, only less encumbered by weight.

 

[only1asterisk]

Krag!

David

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Other than having to carry them, I thought a lot of my Rem 700 and Win 70.
Didn't like the "pink cloud". Nightmares for two straight nights now. 'scuse me. Got to deal with a little PTSD here. Not myself for about a week now.

KR

 

[seeker_two]

What? No Krags, Trapdoor Springfields, or Lee-Navy's?...

Guess my favorite would be the M1 Johnson .30-06...



...or the Winchester 1895 in .30-40 Krag (privately bought by the Rough Riders... )

 

[Sven]

M1 Johnson .30-06 IS a darn cool rifle!

Same the carbine.

I'm just smitten with the idea of a detachable mag holding 20 rounds of .308.... voted for M14 though deep in my heart I know the 'true' vote would be for the M1 Garand.

Here are my M1 Garand and M1A receivers, both waiting to be built up into shooting specimens:

 

[Mike Irwin]

Where are the flintlocks?

Where are the caplocks?

Where are the trap doors?

Where are all of the carbines?

 

[ChairborneRanger]

How can anything that relies upon an 8 round en bloc clip be considered the best U. S. military rifle in history? It's....ah....well....like....2003 now. Time to get with the program.

 

[Coronach]

En blocs actually have some advantages. They reload more quickly than magazines and you can get prone easier with the rifle. That said, I don't think that those advantages outweigh the 8-round limit or the fact that you pretty much must run the rifle dry to reload.

JMO,

Mike

 

[jrpeterman]

I chose the M-16 because it has remained the primary fighting rifle in the U.S. military longer than any other. Relatively light weight, adequate round, and the ability to carry more ammo.

 

[RustyHammer]

I voted M1 Garand .... love mine. In addition to what Coronach said, there was always the "advertisement" to the enemy that you had just fired your 8th round and must reload .... "ting"! (Germans figured that one out quickly.)

Still ... it was way ahead of it's time as a GI weapon.

Lock and load,

Rusty

 

[meathammer]

I chose M1 Garand. It's rugged, accurate, and I absolutely love the .30-06 cartridge. M-14/M1A is a close second, hopefully I'll get one of those too someday.

 

[Destructo6]

Is this a "best of its time" or "best overall" question?

If best of its time, no doubt about it, the Rifle caliber 30, M1.

If best overall, I'll go with the M14.

 

[Schuey2002]

M1 Garand, I guess..

 

[cabinetman]

Why the M1 is by far the best.....

I took my 27 year old son shooting for the very first time with a bunch of my military semi-autos. We had an even dozen including:

MAS 49/56
Egyptian Hakim
FN49
CETME
L1A1
M1 Garand
M1 Carbine
M 91/30
Russian SVT40
Yugo SKS

and a few others. My son has never shot any rifle, especially not any large caliber military rifle. He shot them all but with the M1 Garand, at 100 yards, he was consistantly hitting the water filled gallon milk jugs off hand with no problem.

The M1 was a farm-boy's rifle. He could pick it up, learn how to load it, and get accurate with it within minutes of handling it. That rifle is accurate, reliable, and rugged.

Say what you want about any of the "wannabes", the M1 is by far the most user-friendly rifle on the planet!........imho.

Rome

 

[RandyB]

threw my hat in for the M-1. My reasons are simple. At the time it was produced and used by the US army it was far more advanced and better suited to combat than its competitors. Compare the M-16/M-14 with the AK-47/74 and your get debates on which is better/reliable/etc. The M-1 carbine filled a niche but was not a 'give the the general infantry man". When comparing the M-1 to the Enfields, Mausers, etc. of WWII, it in my opinion stand out as a much better weapon.

 

[RCL]

Trapdoor Springfield

 

[Gewehr98]

Kind of a toss-up...

US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model 1917, or US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model 1903. Hmmm...

 

[telewinz]

I'd give the edge to the M14, accuracy, reliability, and firepower but how can some voters consider the Garand "better" than the M14? The M14 is truely a much "improved" Garand, its no FAL but that wasn't an option.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I have one of everything on the list except the M14 and I chose the M16 as best. It is the only one on the list that can be easily and rapidly be changed into a wide assortment of configurations and uses without sending it back to the armory. It is the closest to "One size fits all" of our military firearms.

 

[Khornet]

Ah, the M1 ping myth

rides again. Think about it: how long does it take to reload M1? How 'bout when you're REALLY motivated? How long does it take a German to cross the 50-200 yd separating you? When has every member of a squad run dry and 'pinged' at the same time? How does Herr German know you didn't just whack an empty clip on a rock just to get him to stand up?

 

[Kharn]

T48 (the US Army has ~330 of them still in the armory). Just to be a pain in the .

Kharn

 

[DrDremel]

The Stoner Rifle.
It was to be adopted by the marines but was shot down simply because the army and airforce had already bought so many M16 rifles that they felt it would not be good logistically to have two different rifles. The army and airforce did not want to change because it was a pride issue. They did not want another branch telling them their rifle was inferior. They had too much money invested in the m16 to dump them. The Stoner was as close to a perfect system as there ever was. It is head over heels the most modular rifle ever designed. If it was adopted, the configurations possible would be staggering with 20+ years of development.

 

[Byron Quick]

I really wouldn't feel hard done by armed with any of the above listed rifles.

Personally, I don't care for the 5.56 mm round. Not so much because of terminal ballistic efficiency. I'm more concerned about the differences between "cover" and "concealment." Much that is "cover" against the 5.56mm is only concealment with the .308 and .30-'06.

On the other hand, that's what heavy weapons and artillery are in the inventory for.