DocRock
member
Considering the military ended up with a plastic rifle firing the 5.56, an M1 carbine with better magazines and something with a little more range than the .30 carbine could have succeeded as a bridge between Garand and M16. But we must remember that it was never ever viewed as a primary infantry rifle, so whether it was technologically more advanced than the Garand is rather immaterial. Given the thinking and decision that gave us the ill-conceived M14/7.62x51, what is truly amazing is that the military ever got to the M16/5.56!