Latest news with #M1Garand
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
A Marine swept the Corps' top marksmanship contest for first time since 1959
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Payton Garcia holds up an M1 Garand rifle presented to him at the Marine Corps Championships at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, April 18, 2025. Long before Marine Staff Sgt. Payton Garcia matched a 66-year-old Marine Corps marksmanship record last month, he was pretty sure he was a good shot. 'I did my first [Marine Corps marksmanship] match in 2021, and I did relatively well. I got a silver pistol badge on my first time,' Garcia told Task & Purpose. 'Then I went to a match on the civilian side, thinking that I was, like, 'The Shooter.' The best ever.' Advertisement He was not. 'I got beat by a 68-year-old man and a 12-year-old little boy,' Garcia remembers. 'And that's when it lit a fire, like, realizing that there's so much more to marksmanship. I was a Marine who thought that he was a really good marksman, and then getting humbled up in town made me realize how much we don't know about marksmanship.' Now a member of the Marine Corps Shooting Team, Garcia may still not be 'the best ever,' but his performance in April at the Marine Corps Championships — the top annual marksmanship competition for Marines across the service — was so dominant officials had trouble finding a historic equivalent. Shooting against 80 Marines and competitors from other services and nations, Garcia won both the rifle and pistol categories, a sweep that no shooter had pulled off since 1959. He also won the competition's multi-gun contest, an event added in recent years. Advertisement 'We were curious about that during the actual conduct of the match, and we dug through all of our history books and records,' said Capt. John Bodzoich, the shooting team commander. 'And what we found is, in the 124 years the team's been around, and since the establishment of all these matches, Sgt. Garcia is the second Marine in history to do a clean sweep of the championships. So of the thousands of Marines that have come through, he's the second one ever to win both high rifle, high pistol, and high overall [score].' Garcia's path to the top marksmanship awards in the Marine Corps, he said, traces directly back to getting smoked by a senior citizen and a grade schooler. 'One of the biggest things that went into my improvement was actually learning how to train,' Garcia said. 'Actually sitting down and deep-diving into the fundamentals of shooting.' Shooting against civilians and absorbing non-military training techniques, he said, was different than traditional Marine marksmanship training. Advertisement 'Just like any other sport, there are build-ups to each one of those fundamentals that you need to do,' he said. 'Structuralizing training and isolating skills that I've learned from those local matches, and realizing that it's not all just about shooting. There's a lot of mental aspects that go into shooting, where you're competing at any level, realizing that you need to be in the right headspace.' Trained as a fuel specialist rather than in combat arms like infantry, Garcia says he's often asked if competition-style shooting is applicable in the field. 'You ask me what my MOS is, and I answer, I'm a bulk fuel specialist,' he said. 'I don't know much about tactics, but I do know that putting rounds as accurately as possible on a target as quickly as possible will translate to the tactical world. ' The Marine Corps Shooting Team was established in 1899 to bring together top shots who would compete with elite shooters of all kinds, then share what they learned with Marines in the fleet. Based at Quantico, Virginia, the full-time team members spend about half their time training for and sponsoring competitions, and the other half training and working with marksmanship instructors and experts inside the Marines. Marine Staff Sgt. Payton Garcia moves towards a firing line at the Marine Corps Championships marksmanship competition in April 2025. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Daniela Chicas Torres. Garcia said his success demonstrates that marksmanship can be taught to almost anyone. Growing up in Lawrence, Kansas, he said, he had virtually no exposure to firearms beyond a few unsupervised moments that would probably terrify a Marine instructor. Advertisement 'Before I joined the Marines, I had just shot a pistol or a rifle into a dirt berm or the trash with no target,' he remembers. 'It was more for fun.' The annual Marine Corps Championships, held in Quantico, is a culminating event among shooters who advance through qualification competitions at major bases like Camp Pendleton in California and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Across 30 events, shooters face scenarios that the shooting team has dreamed up based on their experience in civilian practical shooting competitions. This year's stations included shooting lanes from boats, from a balance beam, and even with a mandatory bench press set before shooting. In one event, Garcia said, they created a shooting lane in which Marines had to shoot around a barricade while balancing on one leg with a 45-pound ruck on. In another, shooters arrived on a station that appeared to be a trash pit, with tires, ammo cans, pallets, wheels and other debris. From that, they had to build a barrier up to a preset level to shoot from. Advertisement They also shot a wide range of weapons. 'We were able to shoot the M1 Garand, the M1014,' Garcia said in a Marine Corps press release. 'We shot M16A2s, a lot of iron sights, and it was such a breath of fresh air.' The competition covered eight days. 'I went into this year with the expectation that I just wanted to make it difficult for someone else to win,' Garcia said. 'I'm going to shoot my match and support anybody that I can.' As the top shooter, Garcia was awarded a historic trophy: his own M-1 Garand rifle, the same kind used by Marines in World War II. He didn't keep it and instead gave the rifle to Sgt. Kai Byrom, the highest-scoring first-year competitor, a mortarman and marksmanship coach with Weapons and Field Training Battalion, Parris Island. Advertisement 'I thought it was more important to isolate and kind of award the next generation of Marines,' Garcia said. 'So I thought it was important to spread marksmanship knowledge and to light a fire under some of the newer guys by awarding or deferring the M1 to that Marine. It's more important for the next generation, and not about us.' The latest on Task & Purpose
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
7 companies you didn't know made firearms for the military
Today, legacy firearm manufacturing companies are well-established in the market. Names like Colt, Smith & Wesson, and Beretta are easily recognizable and their products known for military use. However, during times of war, it's not uncommon for companies that manufacture other goods to retool and produce military equipment in support of the war effort. Of course, this includes firearms. Here are seven companies that you may not have known made military firearms. It may come as a surprise to many customers that the same company that today offers computing software, cloud data services, and even artificial intelligence started in the early 20th century with analog punch card and sorting machines. Moreover, IBM was once in the firearms business with a contract to produce the M1 Carbine. Between August 1943 and May 1944, IBM made 346,500 carbines; this accounts for just under 6% of the 6,121,309 built during WWII. As a result of the short production run and recognizability of the brand, IBM M1 carbines are highly sought after by collectors and demand a premium over models made by the Inland Division of General Motors which produced over 2.6 million M1s. When country star and Army veteran Craig Morgan sang about his International Harvester, he was undoubtedly referring to a tractor. In addition to farm equipment, International Harvester is also known for its work trucks and construction equipment. Surprisingly, the company also produced one of the most iconic military firearms of all time: the M1 Garand rifle. During WWII, over 4 million M1s were produced by Springfield Armory in Massachusetts and Winchester nearby in Connecticut. Looking to disperse production in case of a nuclear strike against the United States, the Ordnance Department awarded a contract to International Harvester to produce rifles in Indiana. However, the manufacturing of firearms was different enough from vehicles that International Harvester M1s had glitches and flaws. As a result, Springfield and Harrington & Richardson supplied their own M1 parts to International Harvester. Beginning in 1951, International Harvester accepted contracts for a total of 418,443 rifles. However, the sale of the Indiana plant in 1955 forced the company to buy out the remainder of their contract; 337,623 International Harvester M1 Garands were actually produced. For reference, approximately 5.4 million M1s were produced in total. Jumping across the pond, Lines Bros was a well-known British toy manufacturer. In 1947, the company claimed to be the largest producer of toys in the world. Beginning with wooden toys in the early 20th century, Lines Bros eventually transitioned to metal toys like cars and trains. During WWII, children's toys were deemed non-essential. As a result, Lines Bros went from stamping metal toys to metal guns. The Sten Mk III submachine gun boasted a simple design with stamped metal components and minimal welding. This made it easy for companies like Lines Bros to produce. Stens were widely used by regular British forces and distributed extensively to resistance groups in occupied Europe. Lines Bros was the largest producer of the Mk III variant of the Sten with 876,886 made. Whirlpool is a staple brand in the home appliance market, specifically products like washers, dryers, refrigerators, and washing machines. While you won't find the Whirlpool name on a military-issued firearm, there is a connection that jumps from Europe back to North America. The Browning Hi-Power pistol design was started by John Moses Browning for FN Herstal. Following his death, the pistol was finished by Dieudonné Saive. While both Allied and Axis forces adopted the Hi-Power during WWII, the German occupation of Belgium restricted the supply of FN-produced pistols to the Allies. Before the FN plant fell into German hands, the Hi-Power design was brought to the UK and across the channel to Canada, where production was continued by John Inglis and Company in Toronto. In addition to the Hi-Power pistol, Inglis produced Bren machine guns and Polsten 20mm autocannons for British Commonwealth forces. After the war, Inglis returned to making home appliances and was eventually acquired by the Whirlpool Corporation in 1987. In 2001, Inglis was renamed to Whirlpool Canada, though the Inglis name lives on as a brand under the Whirlpool umbrella. The Singer Corporation is undoubtedly best-known for its sewing machines. However, prior to WWII, the company was given a production study by the U.S. government to prepare for the production of M1911A1 pistols in the event of war. Although Singer produced 500 pistols, their production rate fell short of the 100 guns per day required by the Ordnance Department. Still, the Singer pistols were well-made and the tooling was transferred to Remington Rand and the Ithaca Gun Company. About 1.75 million M1911A1s were produced during WWII making the Singer pistols extremely rare; one sold in 2017 for $414,000. During WWII, Singer supported the war effort by producing fire control systems for anti-aircraft guns. Speaking of Remington Rand, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this isn't an unusual company to produce firearms. After all, the Remington Model 700 rifle and 870 shotgun are two iconic military firearms from the company affectionately known as 'Big Green.' However, Remington Rand is not the same company. Founded in 1816, E. Remington and Sons was the manufacturer of the first commercial typewriter. The company later made revolvers and rifles for the military in the mid 19th century. In the late 19th century, E. Remington and Sons was split into Remington Arms, which continued the company's firearms line and later produced the aforementioned rifle and shotgun, and the Remington Typewriter Company. In 1927, the Remington Typewriter Company merged with the Rand Kardex Bureau to become Remington Rand. Known for making office equipment like typewriters, the company received a contract to produce the M1911A1 pistol during WWII. Remington Rand made 877,751 pistols during the war, exceeding the combined production of Colt and Ithaca. These pistols saw service through the 20th century and even into the Global War on Terror. As previously mentioned, GM's Inland Division produced M1 carbines. However, the Hydra-Matic Division is better connected to the automotive manufacturer with the first mass-produced, fully automatic transmission for passenger cars. Speaking of full-auto, Hydra-Matic was awarded a contract to produce the M16A1 rifle for the U.S. military during the Vietnam War to supplement production by Colt. The GM division previously manufactured M39 20mm cannons, but did not have experience with small arms. Still, Hydra-Matic rose to the challenge and shipped its 100,000th rifle to the government two months ahead of schedule. From 1968-1971 Hydra-Matic produced about 469,000 M16A1s.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court Ruling Shows Guns Not a Priority Under Trump 2.0
At a speech to National Rifle Association members in February 2024, Donald Trump promised he'd almost immediately roll back all of the gun rules implemented over the previous four years if elected. 'Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated my very first week back in office,' Trump told the crowd to cheers. But Trump's first week in office came and went without any action on guns. And while he has taken a few steps to undo parts of Biden-era gun policy since then, he has yet to take significant action on any rules imposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives (ATF) under Biden. Among the four rules Biden implemented was the ATF's ban on 'ghost gun' kits—unserialized, unfinished gun parts sold alongside tools for self-assembly. Gun-rights activists argue the ghost gun rule gives the ATF too much power to determine what is and isn't a gun. They say it infringes on Americans' right to build their own firearms for personal use. And now, the Supreme Court has upheld that ban. In a 7-2 ruling on March 26, the justices found there were at least some ways to enforce the ATF rule against ghost gun sales that are consistent with underlying federal law. They concluded that was enough to give the ban a green light. 'Yes, perhaps a half hour of work is required before anyone can fire a shot,' Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority in Bondi v. VanDerStok. 'But even as sold, the kit comes with all necessary components, and its intended function as instrument of combat is obvious. Really, the kit's name says it all: 'Buy Build Shoot.'' That the Trump administration decided not to intervene demonstrates how it views the issue as a low priority. It's not that nothing could be done, even though the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the case back in October, before the presidential election. The administration could have asked the Supreme Court to moot the case. It also could have submitted its own ATF rule change before going to the Supreme Court, which would have upped the odds of success. But it didn't do any of that, which fits with how it has approached gun policy to this point. President Trump didn't mention gun policy once in his marathon speech to Congress in early March. It was left out of the White House's literal priority list. He didn't issue any gun executive orders in his Day 1 blitz, and the one he has issued since is a plan to make a plan. This mirrors the campaign where he left guns out of his record-long RNC acceptance speech and deleted gun policy promises from the party platform. Still, there has been good news for gun-rights activists. The Trump administration eliminated the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which had been created by former President Biden. It deleted the 2024 surgeon general proclamation calling for new gun restrictions. And it reopened sales of military surplus firearms, like the collectible M1 Garand and 1911 pistol, through the Civilian Marksmanship Program. It also issued a new rule that looks to establish a new process for restoring gun rights to at least some former convicts. And it announced a civil rights investigation into Los Angeles County's long processing times and high fees for concealed carry permits. Perhaps most prominently, the Trump administration fired the ATF's chief counsel a few weeks back and recently hired Robert Leider, a Second Amendment scholar and gun-rights advocate, to replace her. In December, Leider—who is also a law professor at George Mason University—advocated for using the ATF's powers to enact pro-gun reforms. In addition to undoing other rules that haven't yet been considered by the Supreme Court, the ATF could still try to reverse or limit much of what's in the ghost gun rule. There's reason to think the Trump administration could eventually follow through on much of what the gun-rights activists want, even if it's not one of their top priorities. Of course, that also means they're likely to lose out whenever their wants conflict with something higher up the list. The risk of Trump turning on gun-rights activists remains as well. But that's mostly confined to what he might do in the aftermath of a major mass shooting. He endorsed red-flag laws after the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and reportedly considered backing an assault weapons ban in the wake of the El Paso Walmart shooting. He also went through with a ban on bump stocks—which help semiautomatic rifles fire more rapidly—in the wake of the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, but the Supreme Court struck that down last year, with Trump's own Supreme Court appointees joining the majority. In the meantime, it's likely gun rights advocates' priorities will take a back seat to everything else the administration is trying to do. That will probably still result in some movement they'll be happy with. But, as the Supreme Court ruling in Bondi v. VanDerStok demonstrates, it may not always end that way.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Over 40 World War II veterans sign historic rifle at The Highlands at Wyomissing
Andrew Biggio never met his great-uncle, but he's gotten to know him well. 'My uncle was killed in World War II — I'm named after him,' Biggio said. 'He didn't make it home from his war, and I did. I felt compelled to connect with him.' Biggio of Boston served as an Marine infantry rifleman in Iraq and Afghanistan. His uncle, also Andrew Biggio, died at 19 fighting in Italy during World War II. 'He wrote a letter home, how much he loved the M1 Garand Rifle,' Biggio said. 'So I bought this rifle, just from a regular gun store. I began to take it to World War II veterans to see what they remembered.' The rifle was standard issue for U.S. infantry during the war, but in the hands of the ex-soldiers, it may as well have been a time machine. 'By putting that rifle in their hands, it just unlocked so many happy memories, sad memories,' Biggio said. 'I realized I was holding something special.' He started recording their stories and took their signatures on the rifle. Seven years have passed since Biggio's first signature. The tales he captured from the hundreds of vets who signed the rifle — tales of resilience, survival and finding purpose after the war— birthed a pair of bestselling novels. 'It became a very therapeutic journey on how to live a successful life after combat, how to move on,' Biggio said. 'It's something I was able to learn a lot from and convey to a lot of younger veterans who were in my shoes.' The legacy of Biggio's rifle grew a bit more on Saturday. Over 40 veterans signed the weapon at an event honoring World War II veterans at the Highlands at Wyomissing. Andy Biggio, a Marine veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, displays the M1 Garand rifle that over 40 World War II veterans gathered Saturday at the Highlands in Wyomissing will add their signatures to before it will be sent to the Smithsonian Institution. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE) Albright College student Tyler Boland helped bring together a group of local World War II vets for the event. Boland, who majors in American history and business marketing, said he has been interviewing veterans as a passion project for the past few years. Like Biggio, Boland had relatives who fought in the war, and his interest in the subject was spurred by those connections. 'I had two great-grandfathers (in the war),' Boland said. 'I never met them so I was always kind of intrigued.' Boland has built steadfast friendships with many elder veterans over the years. He refers to the group fondly as 'my guys.' 'The World War II veterans just really stick out to me,' Boland said. 'I really enjoy that era of history.' Albright University student Tyler Boland helped gather 40 veterans to sign an M1 Garand rifle during a World War II memorial event at the Highlands at Wyomissing. (Courtesy of Tyler Boland) Saturday's event was the latest of several get-togethers for veterans that Boland has orchestrated. The goal, Biggio said, was to pass the 500-signature milestone. After that, Biggio plans to send the rifle to the Smithsonian or another museum, where he hopes it will help keep the memories of those who fought alive. 'We only have a couple years left with these guys who helped save the world,' Biggio said. 'The further we get away from World War II, it's almost like history repeats itself. World War II had hundreds and hundreds of sets of brothers killed, guys who were killed at age 18, 19 … guys whose names we'll never know, who gave everything for our way of life.' One of those men was Biggio's great-uncle, whose death still stirs strong emotions in him. 'Those guys never even got to start their life,' Biggio said. 'He (my uncle) probably never even got to have a serious girlfriend.' Norman Wilikofsky was among those fortunate enough to live a full life after the war. He was also one of the 40 veterans who signed Biggio's rifle Saturday. Wilikofsky was drafted in 1944 and served as an armorer on the B-29 bomber 'Rat Poison' in Okinawa, Japan. He served until 1946. Norman Wilikofsky holds an M1 Garand rifle that he signed during a World War II memorial event at The Highlands at Wyomissing. (Courtesy of Tyler Boland) 'I prepared the plane for combat,' Wilikofsky said. 'It was all very hectic. We were waiting for a win.' Wilikofsky said he remembered a time when it was uncommon for vets to share their experiences. 'Unfortunately, after the Vietnam War, people did not consider veterans until much later,' Wilikofsky said. '(During my service) I was 20 years old, still just a kid. We just wanted to get home and get on with our lives, which is what we did.' Biggio said one quality of World War II veterans was how well they hit the ground running post-service. 'When they got home they got jobs and hobbies, had families, went to school,' Biggio said. 'They always stayed busy and just kind of kept their mind off the negative.' Like the veterans whose stories he records, Biggio was also able to move on after the war. He still serves, only now as a police officer in Boston, a nonprofit founder and a father of two sons. 'I think that's one of the keys to success is not to sit and dwell on things, not to peak at your military service, peak after,' Biggio said. Wilikofsky said he appreciated the event Saturday. 'We were treated very much like human beings,' Wilikofsky said. Over 40 World War II veterans gathered on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at the Highlands in Wyomissing to add their signatures to an M1 Garand rifle that will be sent to the Smithsonian. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A gift from his dad saved this Marine's life in Fallujah
The Trijicon ACOG on an M16 rifle is to GWOT Marines what the M1 Garand is to WWII Marines: iconic. In fact, Trijicon has a quote by General James Mattis on the company website that reads, 'The ACOG® mounted on the M16 service rifle has proven to be the biggest improvement in lethality for the Marine infantryman since the introduction of the M1 Garand in World War Two.' Having trained to engage targets out to 500 yards with iron sights, Marines equipped with 4x scopes and Bullet Drop Compensator reticles became even more deadly. However, at the outbreak of the Iraq War, Marines were woefully under equipped. Some even had to purchase spare magazines privately because the arms rooms didn't have enough to go around. Luckily for Sgt. Todd B. Bowers, his father gifted him an ACOG two days before he left for Iraq. Bowers, assigned to the 4th Civil Affairs Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, mounted the scope on his issued M16A2 rifle. On September 17, 2004, Bowers and his unit conducted a patrol outside of Fallujah. The Marines engaged a force of enemy snipers and a firefight ensued. During the exchange of fire, Bowers' ACOG was struck by an enemy bullet and fragmentation peppered the left side of his face. 'It was about a four-hour firefight,' Bowers recounted in a Marine Corps new article. 'Bullets were flying everywhere, and as I returned fire, it felt like my weapon blew up.' A corpsman attended to Bowers, removing the fragmentation and applying pressure to his face. Although the corpsman began to call for a MEDEVAC, Bowers refused to be evacuated and rejoined the fight. 'Luckily, I had my ballistic goggles on to protect my eyes, without them I probably would not be able to see out of my left eye,' Bowers said. 'I didn't realize how lucky I was till later that day when I sat down to think about it.' The 7.62x54R bullet, likely from a Dragunov SVD rifle, remained lodged in the ACOG that his father gave him. John, the elder Bowers, served as a sergeant of Marines himself. He gifted his son the ACOG to ensure that Todd went into combat with a useful piece of gear. 'The ACOG was the best purchase I have ever made in my life,' John later told his son over the phone. In return for his father's lifesaving gift, Todd gave his father the Purple Heart that he was awarded for his wounds in Iraq. 'I always told my dad that he essentially gave me the gift of life twice,' Bowers said in a Trijicon community post, 'and to this day he still carries that Purple Heart in his pocket. It's been to Hadrian's Wall, the United Kingdom, New York City, Turkey, Greece, Sicily…all over the world.' Bowers remained in the Marine Corps, later deployed to Afghanistan, and is now a father himself. He still keeps the ACOG on his mantel as a reminder of how it saved his life.
