This site is about the United States Caliber .30 M1 Rifle, better known as the M1 Garand. The inventor of this rifle was Mr. John C. Garand. Mr. Garand worked at the United States Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. His work on this rifle enabled the United States to enter into World War II as the only country with  a Semi-Automatic Rifle as standard issue for its troops. This site has been set up to tell the history of the M1 Garand from testing to production. The files posted here are copies of the original Ordnance files. These files are from the National Archives in Washington, D.C., the National Archives Military Field Branch in Suitland, Md., as well as Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Md. Most files on this site are incomplete at best. No one thought that 50 or 60 years later this rifle would become a collectable firearm. Hopefully data at this site and its sister site will help you to understand what led to its development. I hope you enjoy the sites. The other site address and link is at the bottom of this page.

After doing more than 25 years of research on the M1 Garand, I have written two volumes of a three-volume book on this subject. Volume 3 is currently underway. The book is made up of the Ordnance files themselves with a text introduction by the author. Not only is there a book on this site but also a CD-ROM and VHS VIDEO of old Signal Corps footage on production of the M1 Garand. If you wish information on how to order any of these items, you can click on the link below. To go directly to the files just click on the Special update link below.

Special update on M1 Garand ammo, dealing with M1 and M2 Ball

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Direct Link to the Second Site. I hope you enjoy.