U.S. Marine Corps Weapons: 1940s and Today
U.S. Marine Corps Weapons: 1940s and Today
Brandon L. Newberry
ENG 121
Benjamin Daw
6/11/2012
U.S. Marine Corps Weapons: 1940s and Today A lot of men see the differences in generations within the military, but few can see that early military formed everything in to the way the military is today. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the Marine infantryman’s basic weapons of the 1940s and today, to include the rifle, machine guns and anti-tank weapons. In the 1940s every U.S. Marine was issued and carried with him where ever he went, a 9.5 lb, 43.5 inches, M1 Garand. The body of the weapon was made from a solid piece of wood and the barrel was fabricated from a solid piece of medal witch chambered a 7.62x51 millimeter round. The materials used varied as they used whatever was available during World War 2. The weapon itself was a great advancement for its time, as it was a clip fed, semi-automatic weapon, meaning it can fire a round then load a round with a pull of the trigger, which could hold eight rounds at a time. The M1 Garand was also quite an accurate weapon that could strike a target with deadly force out to 440 yards. The weapons sights consisted of a rear site aperture and the front site was a barleycorn-type site. The weapon did not have many optional attachments except for the bayonet and a sniper scope. The M1 Garand was later replaced by the M14 in 1963. U.S. Marines are currently being supplied with the M4, with a weight of 6.9 lbs loaded, and a length of 33 inch’s with the stock extended it is much more versatile than the M1 Garand. The M4 consists of the barrel assembly and the trigger assembly both made out of medal with small parts made out of plastics to cut on weight and chambers a 5.56x45 millimeter round. The M4 is a 30 round, magazine fed weapon that is selective fire, meaning that it can fire in semi-automatic, like the M1 Garand, or three round burst depending on what the shooter wanted. Although the M4 is a
Brandon L. Newberry
ENG 121
Benjamin Daw
6/11/2012
U.S. Marine Corps Weapons: 1940s and Today A lot of men see the differences in generations within the military, but few can see that early military formed everything in to the way the military is today. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the Marine infantryman’s basic weapons of the 1940s and today, to include the rifle, machine guns and anti-tank weapons. In the 1940s every U.S. Marine was issued and carried with him where ever he went, a 9.5 lb, 43.5 inches, M1 Garand. The body of the weapon was made from a solid piece of wood and the barrel was fabricated from a solid piece of medal witch chambered a 7.62x51 millimeter round. The materials used varied as they used whatever was available during World War 2. The weapon itself was a great advancement for its time, as it was a clip fed, semi-automatic weapon, meaning it can fire a round then load a round with a pull of the trigger, which could hold eight rounds at a time. The M1 Garand was also quite an accurate weapon that could strike a target with deadly force out to 440 yards. The weapons sights consisted of a rear site aperture and the front site was a barleycorn-type site. The weapon did not have many optional attachments except for the bayonet and a sniper scope. The M1 Garand was later replaced by the M14 in 1963. U.S. Marines are currently being supplied with the M4, with a weight of 6.9 lbs loaded, and a length of 33 inch’s with the stock extended it is much more versatile than the M1 Garand. The M4 consists of the barrel assembly and the trigger assembly both made out of medal with small parts made out of plastics to cut on weight and chambers a 5.56x45 millimeter round. The M4 is a 30 round, magazine fed weapon that is selective fire, meaning that it can fire in semi-automatic, like the M1 Garand, or three round burst depending on what the shooter wanted. Although the M4 is a