The infamous M1 Garand "ping" sound

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Soldiers used to carry extra clips with them. In a firefight, they would "throw" that extra clip down, and nail the enemy when he pops his head up.

I asked the last of the Gun Club’s WWII vets, Sammi, a guy who was second wave on Okinawa and Iwo Jima invasion about enemy soldiers reacting to the “ping”.

My recollection is not exact, but his physical reaction was as though this was a ridiculous idea brought about by someone who had never been in combat. His verbal reaction was “ah, no”.

I believe combat is very noisy. There are lots of people around. And it was not like some “Mano e Mano” mythological Western gunfight. Nor apparently is it like an on line video game where you will be reborn in the spawning point. In real life, one death is all you get. You jump out and expose yourself based on a "ping", there are likely 20 guys in that position with loaded guns. And once visible, there are lots of hidden eyes with hidden guns that have just found you.

Also, if someone is close enough to hear the ping, they are close enough to roll a grenade on you. Without having to leave the safety of their fox hole.
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Exactly MY opinion too. It's a legend, no basis in fact. Bravo Sierra. With all the large-caliber rifles blasting everywhere, who's gonna hear the "ping"? Plus all the other GI's with loaded rifles, the distance involved between combatants, the grenade thing, etc. Even if there WAS only one GI, and someone heard his ping and started to rush him, it doesn't take that long to reload an M1.
 
The only way I know of to do it is to install a Holbrook Thumbsaver Device. It replaces the op rod catch and when inserting a clip requires you to pull back on the op rod handle to release the bolt. It also eliminates the auto clip ejection feature, to release the clip you hit the side eject button.
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But that's one of the main features of the M1. It only takes one time for a shooter to suffer from the "M1 thumb" and after that they will forever remember how to operate the M1. Besides that "ping" noise is telling the shooter that the rifle is empty any they need to put another clip in. I love watching shooters firing AR type rifles firing all their rounds then trying to fire the empty mag.
 
I have never had the chance to ask a veteran about the ping legend discussed here. But yesterday, I watched Saving Private Ryan again (one of my favorites). In scenes where Spielberg recreated the noise level of multiple rifles shooting, you could not hear the ping even though you could see the enbloc ejecting.
 
I love watching shooters firing AR type rifles firing all their rounds then trying to fire the empty mag.
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That's funny, the AR has a distinct sound when the bolt locks back. When I hear that I know 'Time for another mag.'

Of course, with a 30 round mag I don't run dry nearly as often as I would with a Garand and I can top off if I'm moving or behind cover, but that's another thread. BSW
 
The first time I heard about the clip ping was from my Father...a WWII vet who fought at the battle of Falaise Gap, and on through Germany.
 
The first time I heard about the clip ping was from my Father...a WWII vet who fought at the battle of Falaise Gap, and on through Germany.
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What did he say about the legend of the "ping" causing the enemy to charge the now "unarmed" GI's?

And I don't know, maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I've never had my bolt release when I put in a new clip. It'll move just a tad, but doesn't "release" and slam on my thumb. I always have to slap the op rod with my palm to strip a round and drive it into battery.
 
OK, can somebody answer the OP's question. How does one get rid of the ping? Yes, you all love the ping. He does not. Pretend you wanted to be "tactical". How would you get rid of the ping?
 
OK, can somebody answer the OP's question. How does one get rid of the ping? Yes, you all love the ping. He does not. Pretend you wanted to be "tactical". How would you get rid of the ping?
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Don't use a Garand. It's as much a part of the design as the gas system is. BSW
 
"Can someone answer the OP's question..." they did, read all the posts an you'll find it.

I watched Saving Private Ryan, an several times I did hear the enbloc ping....an then seen them showing a G.I. reload an slap the OP rod...also when you push the loaded enbloc down, keep downward pressure down on it an the bolt won't go all the way forward, what can happen is some release a little pressure an don't flip their thumb out of the way quick enough.....I did notice on some scenes from Saving Private Ryan that there was no recoil at all when they fired multiple shots....but of course they were blanks!
 
Is there a way to get rid of the annoying "ping" sound that the M1 Garand makes whenever it fires the last shot and the clip is ejected? Has anyone ever made such a modification or know of someone who has? If so how did they do it?
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OK, can somebody answer the OP's question. How does one get rid of the ping?
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You have to use the rubber enbloc clips. The army developed them for Korea, right toward the end so they didn't get issued for long. They were made of hard rubber like old Colt pistol grips.

Cheaper than Dirt had some of them, but I heard they ran out about a year ago with no restock, but somebody's GOT to carry them, so get with google and find you some if that beautiful sound really bothers you..
 
I would suggest getting the Holbrook Device. It will be alot easier to get than searching for the rubber En-Bloc clips and it will also prevent the auto clip ejection. If later on he decides he wants to hear the "ping" then all he will have to do is reinstall the GI op rod catch.

Heres a link that has the contact information for the gentlemen making them.
http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/07/letter_re_m1_garand_en_bloc_cl.html
 
Another +1 for the Holbrook Device.

It took me a little while to get used to it, but I prefer it to the original action now.

Very, very easy to load 2 rounds into a partially-inserted clip, then press it down until it clicks. No need for modified clips to load 2 rounds (or resort to "crossed rounds" tricks...)

Also easy to catch the empty clip when ejecting, which is better than looking for them in the tall grass.

Unless you are using the Garand in combat conditions, I can't see the delay associated with the Holbrook Device as causing any hardship. :)
 
My fathers outfit would use that to lure them in with that ping sound Its a grace from God when a squad is fighting, Or trade it for an M1A1 two of the most devistating weapons ever invented,




Jim
 
That's funny, the AR has a distinct sound when the bolt locks back. When I hear that I know 'Time for another mag.'
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Let me guess, one or two shooters. Probably 90% of our shooters use AR or AK type rifles. The must suffer from CRS. :confused:
Or CHS or CSS.
 
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My dad who fought in the Pacific and later in Korea / early Vietnam still yells because he is half deaf.

I asked him about the ping once and he yelled back that after a few seconds of a knock- down drag-out firefight with the Japanese you could not hear the guy next to you yelling, much less the ping.

Then I asked about the enemy seeing the clip flying out.

He then pointed out that back then they used a multi weapon type layer defense arraigment. He said that while you and your buddy might have M1 Garands in your night foxhole, there were other guys covering you with their rifles and somebody else with a BAR. Then there was a belt fed 30 caliber MG covering all of that. Then the higher ranking Sgts and Junior Officers with Thompson SMGs (he said they had some shotguns too) who did point protection at various points. Then throw in a few radio guys, jeep drivers, message runners and likewise who had 30 cal carbines.

He explained that having the enemy charge them in the jungles / high grass of the Pacific Island area was actually a much better way to inflict high enemy casulties, as compared to trading sniper shots all day long.
 
If the enemy can hear your "ping", you are too close. Get out your pistol as you are now at pistol distances........try to stay fruther away from the enemy........
 
The way soldiers overcame letting the enemy know they were reloading they kept a few empty enblocs in a cargo pocket and would ping em off the receiver so Japanese and german soldiers would use the lull in firing to react to the Americans to find that ol' G.I. Joe had rounds left in his rifle
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In all my time in the Army (and I trained on the M1 and used one in combat) I never heard that.

Consider this -- American soldiers don't come in ones. They come in squads, platoons and companies. When one soldier runs dry, that don't mean all his buddies have run dry.

Next, lie down outside of grenade range from me and let me shoot over you. Get up and charge when you hear the ping! -- you won't make it to your knees before I have a fresh clip in the rifle.
 
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