Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
Latest activity
Classifieds
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Log in
Register
What's New?
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More Options
Advertise with us
Contact Us
Close Menu
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Forums
Competition, Tactics & Training
Firearm Training
M1 Garand Operators Course Sept 17th
Search titles only
By:
Reply to Thread
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Barry in IN" data-source="post: 1226305" data-attributes="member: 13273"><p>I've never taken a class at USSA nor have any other connection with it, but found this thread last night and wanted to log on to say that if one is thinking about taking this class, you should.</p><p></p><p>I used a Garand in a Yavapai Firearms Academy (Louis Awerbuck) Carbine class last year. This was not a Garand-specific class at all, yet I got my eyes opened a bit about what it was capable of. A Garand-specific class should be even better at that.</p><p></p><p>People think the Garand is too old, heavy, and slow to be of much use now. A Garand may not handle as well as a stubby little carbine, but it isn't bad. I compare it to using an eight-shot shotgun with a 24" barrel. That would be a typical fighting shotgun except for a few inches more length. The handling is similar, as is the magazine capacity, yet people do OK with the shotgun. </p><p>Actually, I used it a lot like a shotgun- Using a similar stance, and planning reloads accordingly.</p><p> </p><p>As far as weight goes, I'll just say that I doubt my Garand would have been the heaviest rifle in any carbine class I've taken. </p><p> </p><p>A Garand isn't bad. </p><p>It doesn't carry a lot of ammo on board but it hits hard and reloads fast. I was able to keep up, which I did wonder about before the class. I can only think of one drill where I got caught looking at a target with an empty rifle in my hands without time to reload it (a close range advancing drill- I think the target would have been handled after the first eight big bullets though).</p><p></p><p>I think the AR has the best ergonomics of anything out there, but I was one of the very first to get a shot off on every drill so the Garand isn't too bad there either.</p><p></p><p>I had opened the rear sight aperture slightly (using a 3/32 drill, I think) and this let me get on the sights a little quicker. Although a red dot would obviously be faster, it wasn't bad at all. </p><p></p><p>Rain hit us pretty hard one day, and some guys started having gun trouble (no doubt from lube getting washed away). I was concerned that the Garand's wide open action would let the lube be washed off and give trouble there but it did not. I did have some trouble with some odd-sized clips sending the bullet nose a little high. Once that was found and I got rid of them, it was fine (my having a .308 instead of a .30-06 was possibly part of that). A good thing about the Garand is if there is a problem feeding, you look down and you are looking right into the chamber. A quick poke to align the cartridge or a sweep of the hand to remove it, and you are up and running. </p><p></p><p>The clip is either in or it isn't and you know it immediately. Anyone who has had a mag fall out after the first shot from failing to fully seat an AR mag can tell you that's a good thing. </p><p></p><p>Loaded clips are easy to carry. They fit in pockets easier than any carbine mag I know of excluding the M1 Carbine. When I take a Garand for a walk, I stick a few clips in my pockets. I keep a Garand in the SUV as a car gun, and have clips in all sorts of cubbyholes (That IS what cup holders are for, right?).</p><p>In the class, I used a Maxpedition Rolly Poly for an ammo pouch and just kept a bunch of clips in it. They got turned around and pointing different directions, but I liked being able to use the same motion to reload each time because the clips were in the same place instead of being spread around in pouches in a vest or on a belt. </p><p></p><p>It would be nice if those clips had 30 or 40 rounds in them instead of eight, but I think that, realistically, eight rounds of 30-06 or 308 is probably enough. But we don't know that. </p><p>In a 3-gun match, it's no contest. An AR with a couple of mags will run right through a typical stage, but it's a lot of with a Garand. </p><p></p><p>I might not head out into a riot in my front yard or an Afghanistan city with a Garand instead of an AR, but I do keep one as a car gun. </p><p>I might not have done that before running one through a class to see how it could keep up and shooting a couple of 3-gun matches with it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Barry in IN, post: 1226305, member: 13273"] I've never taken a class at USSA nor have any other connection with it, but found this thread last night and wanted to log on to say that if one is thinking about taking this class, you should. I used a Garand in a Yavapai Firearms Academy (Louis Awerbuck) Carbine class last year. This was not a Garand-specific class at all, yet I got my eyes opened a bit about what it was capable of. A Garand-specific class should be even better at that. People think the Garand is too old, heavy, and slow to be of much use now. A Garand may not handle as well as a stubby little carbine, but it isn't bad. I compare it to using an eight-shot shotgun with a 24" barrel. That would be a typical fighting shotgun except for a few inches more length. The handling is similar, as is the magazine capacity, yet people do OK with the shotgun. Actually, I used it a lot like a shotgun- Using a similar stance, and planning reloads accordingly. As far as weight goes, I'll just say that I doubt my Garand would have been the heaviest rifle in any carbine class I've taken. A Garand isn't bad. It doesn't carry a lot of ammo on board but it hits hard and reloads fast. I was able to keep up, which I did wonder about before the class. I can only think of one drill where I got caught looking at a target with an empty rifle in my hands without time to reload it (a close range advancing drill- I think the target would have been handled after the first eight big bullets though). I think the AR has the best ergonomics of anything out there, but I was one of the very first to get a shot off on every drill so the Garand isn't too bad there either. I had opened the rear sight aperture slightly (using a 3/32 drill, I think) and this let me get on the sights a little quicker. Although a red dot would obviously be faster, it wasn't bad at all. Rain hit us pretty hard one day, and some guys started having gun trouble (no doubt from lube getting washed away). I was concerned that the Garand's wide open action would let the lube be washed off and give trouble there but it did not. I did have some trouble with some odd-sized clips sending the bullet nose a little high. Once that was found and I got rid of them, it was fine (my having a .308 instead of a .30-06 was possibly part of that). A good thing about the Garand is if there is a problem feeding, you look down and you are looking right into the chamber. A quick poke to align the cartridge or a sweep of the hand to remove it, and you are up and running. The clip is either in or it isn't and you know it immediately. Anyone who has had a mag fall out after the first shot from failing to fully seat an AR mag can tell you that's a good thing. Loaded clips are easy to carry. They fit in pockets easier than any carbine mag I know of excluding the M1 Carbine. When I take a Garand for a walk, I stick a few clips in my pockets. I keep a Garand in the SUV as a car gun, and have clips in all sorts of cubbyholes (That IS what cup holders are for, right?). In the class, I used a Maxpedition Rolly Poly for an ammo pouch and just kept a bunch of clips in it. They got turned around and pointing different directions, but I liked being able to use the same motion to reload each time because the clips were in the same place instead of being spread around in pouches in a vest or on a belt. It would be nice if those clips had 30 or 40 rounds in them instead of eight, but I think that, realistically, eight rounds of 30-06 or 308 is probably enough. But we don't know that. In a 3-gun match, it's no contest. An AR with a couple of mags will run right through a typical stage, but it's a lot of with a Garand. I might not head out into a riot in my front yard or an Afghanistan city with a Garand instead of an AR, but I do keep one as a car gun. I might not have done that before running one through a class to see how it could keep up and shooting a couple of 3-gun matches with it. [/QUOTE]
Insert Quotes…
Verification
Post Reply
Forums
Competition, Tactics & Training
Firearm Training
M1 Garand Operators Course Sept 17th
Search titles only
By:
Top
Bottom