[Adam Helmer]

Jack,

We are of a like mind on the en-bloc clip matter. Even IF the "Army specified it", I suspect we would have had a better WWII rifle if a 10-round BAR-Type box magazine had been adopted as was issued on the Tokarev and G-43. Perhaps the Army should had put John Browning on the committee to develop the M1 Garand. After all, it was Browning who developed the M1911 .45 automatic and not the Army. Unfortunately, John Browning died in 1926, ten years before the Garand was adopted. As far as the "Army requesting it", all I can say IS: so much for "Military Intelligence."

My fellow serious military collectors meet weekly at the local gun shop to talk. All are veterans and several were issued the Garand and others had uncles and fathers who were issued the Garand in WWII and Korea. Many disliked the en-bloc clip of Mannlicher design never used in any contemporary arm adopted in 1936 or after. My main concern was the unnecessary expenditure of scarce metal resources in WWII to make billions of en-bloc clips that would have been unnecessary if the shorter BAR box magazine had been adopted for the Garand. How unnecessary. My 10th grade history teacher, Mr. Hepp was in the 101st at Bastonge in 1944. He told me how hard it was to refill Garand clips from MG belts and Springfield chargers.



Adam