Saturday, October 11, 2014

Garand Thumb

I always said Garand Thumb was a myth.  It's HARD to get your thumb jammed in the action when loading the rifle.  Even if you load it stupid.

Oh, but of course you gotta be careful closing the bolt when empty, no clip.  YesTHAT I can see. 

But it's hard to with a full clip.

So, myth half busted.

4 comments:

Murphy's Law said...

There are two kinds of Garand shooters: Those who have, and those who will.

azmountaintroll said...

The M1 Garand was before my time, but my father did Basic Training with it just before the changeover to the M14. He said that the only time he ever saw anyone get their thumb caught in the works was during in ranks rifle inspections.

Kristophr said...

If it gets loosened up, you can get the thumb, provided you load it improperly. ( And those chances go way up for a southpaw. )

To load a Garand properly, the right hand goes against the side of the receiver, blocking the charging handle back, while the thumb pushes the clip in.

Angus McThag said...

I knew two Korean war vets who would attest to it not being a myth; but both agree that you had to let your guard down for her to bite you.