Would you take the AR15 or M1 Garand?

[Col. Plink]

As to the OP, I'd choose my Garand. It's damned accurate, and I am better suited to it. It's size fits me like a glove, and I've found AR's to be unsettlingly light and small.

I'm a big fella, so I guess the question is not a very broad one (unlike my Garand)

 

[HorseSoldier]

I own both, and am comfortable with that. As for which one I'd choose -- as others have already asked, for what? For gunfighting? The AR is ridiculously superior.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Any semi automatic rifle with a front sight that is firmly affixed to the barrel (or has optics firmly affixed to the receiver) is better than any rifle whose front sight isn't really firmly affixed to anything.
__________________Are you talking about the Garand gas/sight block? Hell, the increased sight radius more than makes up for any play that might exist in even a well worn rifle. I tapped the "grooves" for gas block assembly with a brass hammer lightly, and now I have to gently tap the assembly off to clean it. There is zero play. What is an extra 6-8 inches (estimate, I didn't drag them out to measure and compare) of sight radius worth to accuracy? A little additonal FYI: clintfowlerrifles.com/2008/07/23/the-m1-garand

 

[JaxJim]

I gotta jump in on this one, ya'll are having too much fun!

To start: I own both. I enjoy shooting both.

The M1 makes me smile every time I pull the trigger. Due to eye sight issues, anything over 100 yards is pretty much a fruitless effort so I do not shoot at ranges longer than this. I can hit 8" paper plates all day with the Garand and I'm pretty sure that the target if of the living flesh variety would probably be negatively impacted in a major way by that .30 projectile. I've shot the Garand for so many years that reloading is not a chore, but is for me a bit of a cumbersome process.

The AR platform is a hoot too! At the same distance (100 yards), my groups are better even with iron sights. I also shoot it off-hand much better. Being a lighter rifle, I am more comfortable offhand. While the AR doesn't automatically eject the magazine like the Garand does it's clip: a push of the button drops the empty and a fresh stack of 30 rounds is ready to go in a couple of seconds. I'm not a big fan of ghetto gear on an AR, I keep things simple: optics and maybe a light, but these two additions are much more difficult on a M1.

I use an AR for hunting hogs, with 5.56. I use Hornady 75 Grn ballistic tip loads (my reloads) out of a 1:7 barrel that really thumps hogs. One-shot drops are the norm. A 30-06 round wouldn't kill 'em any deader. I for one appreciate the lighter weight of the AR when trudging through the swamps in Florida.

I'm not giving up either. But I do not grab a Garand when I go hunting for pigs. Too darn heavy and too long for the swamps! (Completely off topic: I do take an old Remy 740 WoodsMaster .30-06 pig hunting at times. Kills 'em pretty dead too!)

The AR and Garand are different rifles made for the same purpose. Enjoy them both if you got both. I've had more folks ask to shoot one of the Garands at the range than any of the ARs though. Many people get a kick out of shooting one and they are always smiling when they hand it back!

 

[wombat13]

Why "rack" grade and what do you mean by rack grade? A CMP service grade garand (better than rack grade) only runs $600. As far as I know, that's cheaper than pretty much any AR. Collector's grade garands run about $1k, now you're in AR price territory.

 

[Otacon_22]

M1 Garand. I load for .30-06 so ammo is plentiful and in the mountains here, engagements would occur at distances >300 yards.

 

[scythefwd]

The garand is effectively incapable of mounting optics suitable for long range shooting, and it is not as accurate as the ar-15. The trijicon ACOG bolts on easily and has BDC out to 800 yards, and has 4X magnification.

If you need a scope to shoot 500 on human sized targets, you should join a club and get some practice. I can hit out to 400 (the furthest I have shot) using an M16 (ar). The garands sights are just as good. I could hit out to 500, no doubt. The .30-06 bucks the wind better than most of the chamberings that the ar comes in.

The reload process isn't that different. Pull back charging handle, insert clip, move thumb, let go vs. insert mag, pull charging handle, let go.

OP - I have several thousand rounds through a M16A2. It was a tool, and I shoot it fairly well. I have less than 100 through my garand. The garand isn't as accurate as my M16 was. If I owned both, the AR wouldn't go to the range as often as the garand. There just isn't any fun in shooting the AR to me. It's pull the trigger, pull it again, pull it again, repeat. The garand has soul though, doesn't kick hard (compared to a .223 it does, but it's not that hard of a kick), and just feels more satisfying when I pull the trigger.

 

[Heck]

I own both, shoot both, and love both. Since the OP said this is for a range gun, I would have to choose the Garand and there are several reasons for this and none of them have to do with the function or cartridge of either rifle.
I seldom go to the range and am not surrounded by a sea of guys with their tricked out ARs shooting massive numbers of rounds down range.(I enjoy this because I pick up their brass) But when I have my AR I am just one of those guys. I get weird looks because I have an A2 sight on my flat top upper and a fixed stock. The gun is a dime a dozen.
When I have my Garand it is the only one there. It is a RIFLE everyone notices. I'm 32 and a lot of people my age have never seen or shot one. I can't tell you how many people have approached me just to tell me that their father carried one of those or older gentlemen who carried one ask if they can hold it. It is amazing to see the look on their face as they pick it up, look it over, and you can tell they are going to another time and place. I have yet to get this reaction from any thing else I have. Not my 1903 A3, M1 Carbine, Nagant, K98, or Enfield. Garands are unique and special, mine is 68 years old and is still relevant. How many things, much less a gun, can you say that about?

 

[skoro]

I like the 5.56 cartridge and that's what we shot when I was in the Marines several decades ago.

But given the choice, it's the M1 for me, and it isn't even close.