4. Semi auto, It isnt a bolt action so you can provide rapid sustained effective fire ( I remember reading somewhere that the time saved from the automatic ejecting of the spent En-Bloc clip makes up for the smaller magazine capacity, allowing the Garand to provide the same rate of effective fire as the M-14)
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Yep it was and is very effective as far as that goes. Unless you are shooing 20 round mags. That changed the scene quite a bit I'd say plus the noise of the expended clip
DMK mentions this:
The Garand's official effective range is only 450 yards, not 800+ yards like some seem to believe.
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I'll say this:
Prone position, I shot to 500 yds in days of old and it was effective I will tell you. We had longer stuff out there but the round and the range were beyond what you mention.
We used the boattail armor piercing rounds, and they were bad news on the targets and the butts
Metal was pierced with great regularity (bad Shooters not me
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Camp Matthews CA 1959/1963
Here is some history for you:
Up to World War II the camp had no name and was known simply as the Marine Rifle Range, La Jolla, and fell under the command of Marine Corps Base, San Diego. The camp was officially designated Camp Matthews on March 23, 1942 in honor of Lieutenant Colonel (later Brigadier General) Calvin B. Matthews, USMC., a distinguished Marine marksman of the 1930s period.
Camp Matthews continued to serve as the firing range for the Marines with a permanent garrison of 700 men. In March 1942, a new administrative building was ready for occupancy, along with a large mess hall, a post office, swimming pool and outdoor theater.
Marine Corps recruitment following Pearl Harbor so taxed the ranges limited facilities, that some 5,000 Marines who enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor, had to be rushed to an Army camp at San Luis Obispo for their weapons training. During the peak of the war as many as 9,000 men were rushed through the range every three weeks. The rifle range was also used by Marine Aviation units, as well as Army and Navy units.
Camp Matthews continued to function through the Korean War and into the 1960s. In May 1963 it was necessary for the Marines to discontinue using one of their 65 target ranges because of civilian encroachment and consequent safety hazards. Finally it was decided to relocate Camp Matthews and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot's weapons training to Camp Pendleton.
Closing ceremonies occurred at Camp Matthews on 21 August 1964 and 46 years of Marine training at that portion of the San Diego Marine Base came to an end.
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Closed down one year after I left the Corps.
HQ