Your Favorite US Military Rifle?

[oremike]

National Match M-14 But I'll settle for a M1-A Loaded, not in the collection, maybe someday.

 

[gmerkt]

1. M16 (used these in the army). Light weight, easy to use, easy to shoot. (have a couple of AR's)
2. M14 (trained on these in the army) Have owned several, let them all go in the run-up to the AWB in Wash.
3. M1 Rifle (have two, one in .30-06 and another in 7.62mm NATO)

I've owned a number of 1903 Springfield variants over the years, good rifles but as I've gotten older, I don't hold much with heavy bolt actions. I've got sporting bolt actions that are much lighter. Of the 03's, I liked the 03A3 best for having aperture rear sight.

 

[Shane117]

Hard to say why, I don't own one and probably never will (given the political landscape in WA) . Even if I did, it wouldn't be my "shtf" rifle or my "one and only."

But there is just something cool about a battle rifle used by SOF units before SOF units were cool.

 

[ron]

M1 Carbine family,

M1 Carbine - War Baby

Years ago we had a club member a crusty old WW 2 veteran who saw combat in the south pacific. He referred to the
M1 Carbine as the "Idiot Stick". Issued to rear support personnel, truck drivers, cooks and officers. I like the
improved version of the M1 Garand. My choice is the M14 with it's superior gas operating system.
My custom built NM M1A.

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

The M1903-A3 it weighs 8.69 lbs never shot mine just tossed it around

 

[Yarome]

1873 Springfield trapdoor carbine. What can I say? I'm a bit of a Cavalry buff and it's just a plain ol rip in the pants to shoot.

(Runner up would be a Sharps.)

 

[huntpotter]

M16-A3
Navy MK2 MOD1

 

[Mikej]

I like the
improved version of the M1 Garand. My choice is the M14 with it's superior gas operating system.
My custom built NM M1A.

I love the way you put that. My feelings exactly.

Some day I hope.

 

[Tinman357]

M-14. Followed closely by the M-4 carbine.

 

[ron]

1873 Springfield trapdoor carbine. What can I say? I'm a bit of a Cavalry buff and it's just a plain ol rip in the pants to shoot.

(Runner up would be a Sharps.)

I shot one once. Wow it hurts Skinny narrow metal butt 45/70 cal. Cool carbine to go with your Colt .

 

[MacReady]

Saying the M1 (Rifle or Carbine) might be seen as 'too easy' so im gonna go with the M1941 Johnson.
Unique design that actually worked quite well. I had a chance to shoot a buddies a long time ago and I thought it handles and points very well. Looking at the internals you can see where Eugene Stoner got a lot of inspiration when designing the AR15. I dont think the US wouldve been at a disadvantage at all if in an alt-history scenario they had chosen it over the Garand. And by many accounts the LMG version mightve been one of the best squad machine guns of the war so theres that too.

 

[Aero Denezol]

My favorite for shooting is the 1903a3 when it has a pistol grip C-stock. After that it would be the M1 rifle closely followed by the M16A2.

M16A2 with iron sights is my favorite.

National Match M-14 But I'll settle for a M1-A Loaded, not in the collection, maybe someday.

The NM M-14 is my second favorite.

 

[Oryguner]

Well......if I you make me pick just one.....

 

[CountryGent]

@Oryguner very nice.

And there is nothing wrong with a little M1 eye candy.

 

[MTpockets]

One of my favorites, considered by some to be one of the most recognizable and also the most hated... the M14 EBR-RI
Whenever the Military issues something that is designated "Enhanced", it just means that the weight has been increased.

An article on the M14 EBR-RI

How the U.S. Army Builds the M14 EBR-RI - Guns and Ammo

The M14 EBR-RI has become a legend in the military community, and this was the only time a writer was allowed inside TACOM to document the building of these chassis-based M14s.

www.gunsandammo.com

My civilian version of a heavy M(1A)14 EBR-RI (not clone correct)


Edited to reduce clutter.

 

[gmerkt]

Years ago we had a club member a crusty old WW 2 veteran who saw combat in the south pacific. He referred to the
M1 Carbine as the "Idiot Stick". Issued to rear support personnel, truck drivers, cooks and officers.

My now departed father-in-law was a combat marine in WW2. His comment about the Carbine: "No officer who took his shooting seriously carried a Carbine."

 

[CountryGent]

A bit of historical neat-o-ness: Audie Murphy's M1 Carbine that he gifted to a friend during the Watts Riots for home protection. It went up for auction some time back.




Murphy, according to his book To Hell and Back (Holt, 1949), referred to it as his "lucky carbine", and preferred the diminutive rifle over the Garand for some environments ("Wonder if I could get a carbine. I don't like an M-1 for this woods fighting."). A couple interesting vignettes from the aforementioned book:

"Within a moment I am involved in a duel with a German who climbs upon a cannon to get the advantage of elevation. I see him as he lowers his rifle upon me and whip up my carbine. He fires. The bullet kicks dust in my face as my carbine goes off. Frantically I try to blink the dirt from my eyes, knowing the German will not miss again. It is only a few seconds, perhaps, but it seems much longer before I can see. The kraut is sprawled in front of the gun. Later I discover that my lucky shot got him in the heart." (Chapter 15)

"Before reporting to company headquarters, I carefully clean my carbine. 'I want to go up and try to get that sniper,' I say …. There is a rustle. My eyes snap forward. The branches of a bush move. I drop to one knee. We see each other simultaneously. His face is a black as a rotting corpse; and his cold eyes are filled with evil. As he frantically reaches for the safety of his rifle, I fire twice. He crashes backwards …. At headquarters I make my report. Then I go to the room that serves as a kitchen, take my carbine apart, and start cleaning it." (Chapter 17)
​

Parenthetically, though before my time, I have two relations, and a former boss, who lived through the Watts riots back in the day. Tense time, to put it mildly. Good on Audie for helping a buddy.

 

[oremike]

I was living in Hawthorn during the '64 Watts riots. I remember my Mom telling my to not stand by the front window so as to not get shot. I was 8 years old.

 

[Aero Denezol]

My now departed father-in-law was a combat marine in WW2. His comment about the Carbine: "No officer who took his shooting seriously carried a Carbine."

I was a pretty good rifle shot before my eyes faded and I have never especially liked the Carbine. I have some modern handguns that can approximate the performance of the M1 Carbine. Some of the fighting in the Pacific was across canyons and airfields. Give me the Garand every time for that.

Donald Malarkey of the 101st Airborne (Band of Brothers fame) once claimed he hit 2 Germans with a Carbine at "2-300 yards" distance. I always found this remarkable. I have one (1) Carbine in my safe and its on my list to see if I can replicate that 2-300 yards shot on a steel gong.

 

[bcp]

1922M2

Bruce