Garand vs M14/M1A

[RonJ]

I have shot a lot of 7.62 through an M14. Never paid much attention to the recoil.
I have never fired an M1. Is it a much harder kicker?
I have heard a lot of WWII/Korea vets complain about the M1 being a heavy recoiler.

 

[BCDWYO]

I have both and will say that the Garand has slightly more kick than the M1A, but it still isn't as bad as a steel butt-plate bolt gun in 30-06 would be (like my Springfield 1903).

 

[rburg]

but it still isn't as bad as a steel butt-plate bolt gun in 30-06 would be (like my Springfield 1903).

I don't know why, but I prefer to call it "the recoil absorbing steel butt plate." It just makes me feel better when it wallops my shoulder.

I guess Uncle Sugar wanted his troops to be real men, not wimps. Maybe it was a feature to get them to save money and ammo.

 

[Dennis The B]

The stock on the Garand contributes to the felt recoil a bit more than the newer-designed M1A/M14. The gas system in the Garand doesn't bleed of excess gas like the newer M1A/M14, and that also contributes to it, too.

However, I don't have that problem with this one. The custom stock, and the fact that this Garand is chambered in 7.62mm, all make for a sweet-shooting M1.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I trained on the M-14 at Fort Dix in the Summer of 1967, I recall one of the instructors in the BRMC (Basic Rifle Marksmanship Course) saying that when he joined the Army some years earlier (He was an E-6) he was told by his uncle and brothers "that old M-1 will tear your shoulder off!" The he fired it and "I knew that b------- ran in my family!" I clearly recall our being told the M-14 does NOT recoil that much, and an instructor would fire one on full auto-with enough tracers so we could see he wasn't faking it-from his crotch and his chin. Felt recoil is very subjective, at 5"10" and 200 more or less muscular pounds I am not recoil sensitive.

 

[Bat Guano]

I've heard it both ways--and I have both. To me the M1A is a bit softer but with a good position both are very manageable--and fun. My days of shooting iron sights are pretty well over, but I have great memories of both rifles.

Carpe diem!

 

[NE450No2]

I have shot them side by side, and I cannot tell any real difference...

 

[GatorFarmer]

The steel butt plates are so you can thwack someone with the rifle. I have fired an M1A with a steel butt plate. It didn't seem that bad. Neither was the M1 in GI form.

I suspect those who complained had only fired .22 rifles before for comparison.

Ballistics on the M2 ball round have a 150 gr bullet at 2700 fps. Specs for a generic 7.62 x 51 ball round have a 147 gr bullet at about 2800 fps.

 

[Edmo]

I too own an M1 Garand and an M1A and neither kicks anywhere near as much as my 300 Winchester Magnum bolt gun with full power loads. Between the weight and gas system they soak up a lot of the push.

It is all perspective. Compared to a rifle chambered in 22 LR, they are thumpers! However, for 30 caliber rifles, I think they are fairly tame in the recoil department.

Edmo

 

[NYlakesider]

I have fired a bunch of rifles considered kickers. The Mosin Nagant carbine, the Enfield "jungle" carbine, Springfield 03s/ Pattern 1917s and do not feel that the recoil is severe. IMHO the Garand and M14 are not even as bad as the supposed hard kickers I mentioned above.


As long as someone mentioned Garand’s I have a question for the disciples of that great battle rifle.

What is the life expectantly of those en bloc clips? How many bounces off the ground can they take before their '’used up’’?
In the wars I know they were considered expendable and most 30.06 rifle ammo came right in the clips, basically a new clip every reload.

I realize the type of surface their hitting will make a difference, but anyone got some sort of an answer.
I have shot M1s a bunch of times but do not own one YET, but got my curiosity up by this M1 thread

 

[walnutred]

My American Legion post has been reloading the same 8 Garand clips since we received our Garands in the late 1980s. As we only use 7 rifles in a salute there has been some rotation but not much. We average a funeral every 6 weeks.

 

[NYlakesider]

My American Legion post has been reloading the same 8 Garand clips since we received our Garands in the late 1980s. As we only use 7 rifles in a salute there has been some rotation but not much. We average a funeral every 6 weeks.

Interesting Thanks.

Also a big THANK YOU to your post for getting involved in paying final respect to our military departed!

 

[10 X]

The M1 is a 9 1/2 pound rifle firing a 150 grain bullet at nearly 3,000 FPS
The standard M1A is an 8 1/2 lb rifle firing a 150 grain bullet at about 2,800 FPS.
With NM and Super Match the rifles are much heavier and the stocks wider.

I find the M1 recoil to be a bit sharper than an M1a, not much.

 

[Ron H.]

I have shot a lot of 7.62 through an M14. Never paid much attention to the recoil.
I have never fired an M1. Is it a much harder kicker?
I have heard a lot of WWII/Korea vets complain about the M1 being a heavy recoiler.

Sir, having owned and shot both side by side, I don't notice much difference. Both are gentler than my '03 or any .30-'06 sporter I've shot.

That said, either gets wearisome if you're doing a lot of shooting. After an 80-shot match with a .30-cal, I'm wore plumb out; shooting such a match with the AR is much easier.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[wbraswell]

Those big, heavy, old warhorses are like Cadillacs. Go put a couple of hundred rounds through a Model 70 featherweight in .30-06, or maybe a 99F Savage in .308. Your shoulder will not appreciate it.

 

[LVSteve]

If you don't like recoil in a ~.30 caliber semi, buy a FAL. When set up properly with the correct ammo they are very soft shooting. The key is that the bolt carrier should never "run into the stops" when the gas is set correctly. Also the low bore axis and straight stock help a lot with perceived recoil.

The shape of the stock also helps with bolt guns. I have a 1912 Mauser and an Indian 2A1 Enfield in 7.62 NATO. The Enfield has a much straighter stock much like the FAL and the difference in perceived recoil is quite marked.

 

[310Pilot]

Many years ago, I qualified Expert on both the M-1 Garand and the M-14, and I shot M-14s on rifle teams for several years. I really didn't notice any significant difference in felt recoil between them; then again, I typically sent about 200-300 rounds of 7.62 NATO down range every other day in practice with the M-14 (every day for two weeks prior to a match, sometimes up to 400-500 rounds/day), and was never bothered by recoil. Carried the 14 in combat, and was able to get our 14s back for a while after they were replaced with those M-16 toys, but bureaucracy eventually prevailed, and we ended up stuck with the "Swell Mattels" after that, none of us were happy. Both the Garand and the 14 seemed pretty soft in recoil compared to my .300 Weatherby Mag, which I loved to shoot, even off the bench. Of course, I was a lot younger, and shooting 1,000 yard matches with iron sights 40 or so years ago was not a problem, either - not too sure I could do so well now! Might not be able to shoot to my old Master classification with that rig anymore. Reading this thread has me thinking, again, about buying a CMP M-1 and an M-1A, love those rifles. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

 

[W.E.G.]

Perceived recoil has way more to do with your shooting position, and the clothes you wear while shooting.

All things being equal, I perceive no difference between an M-1 and an M14 recoil.

I can tell you this, the FAL will beat the bejeezus out of you if you sling it up hard prone.
Way worse than the M1 or the M14.
I had a FAL that was "tricked out" for an adjustable Williams sight.
Figured I'd shoot it in an 800-aggregate 200-yard highpower rifle match.
Even through a proper shooting coat, that FAL gave me a whompin' to the point where my scores were a joke.
I was completely punch-drunk by the time I tried to shoot the slow-fire prone target.

That rifle was real accurate off the bench though.

 

[mkk41]

The M1 is a 9 1/2 pound rifle firing a 150 grain bullet at nearly 3,000 FPS

70's USGI M2 ammo clocks in the mid 2700s outta my Garands.

 

[Kinman]

I put a replacement rubber butt pad on my M1A and it reduced felt recoil enough to be able to shoot with a t-shirt on all day long. I've fired M1s with a number of different bullet weights, always thought it was a pleasure to shoot and recoiled very similar to the M1A with steel buttplate...stick a rubber butt pad on and feel the difference.