Last week the U.S. Marine Corps released a report on the Garand rifle. Because the Marines know a lot about small arms, and had just adopted the Garand, the report was authoritative and timely. It was also:
• The only official, fully documented account of Garand performance ever published.
• A grave indictment of the Garand's dependability.
The Test
Until lately, the Marines' standard rifle was the 38-year-old war-tested Springfield, which was also the Army's rifle until 1936. (The Army last week had about as many Springfields as Garands in service...