M1 Garand loading mechanism explained!

It’s unlikely that you would actually pinch your thumb doing this, but you should still understand how your weapon works so you can use it safely and effectively!

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[legocontinentalsoldier]

It's actually tiny men inside the gun that put the bullets in place and firing them when you pull the trigger ❤

[TheCoolCanaidian]

I believe there was a later variant of the M1 garand that did wait until the pressure was off of the clip but the majority of them didn't have that feature

[HalIOfFamer]

Buddy has the voice and looks of that one kid who said he's 18 to the recruiter but he's is definitely not 18 yet.

[shalashaska]

Dude is so good looking and knows his ww2...where you been my whole life

[malkcheese]

Like I said before, “Load is load, only load is load”.

[robertmosher]

You are correct, young sir. That is why they taught GIs to hold the op rod handle in place with the hard edge of the bottom of your hand created when keeping your four fingers extended and palm of your hand flexed while pushing down on the top round in the clip until it seats, then rotating your hand so that your thumb clears the action before the pressure of your hand eases enough to allow the bolt to slam forward.
However, some rifles, at times, will require the operator to give the operating handle a quick tap with the heal of their palm to release the bolt catch.

[eliasg.]

You are such a joy to look at and listen to.

[ewathoughts]

Everyone is an expert. If the timing is done correctly the bolt does not release until the clip is shoved in until the latch is set. At that time if you release your thumb pressure timidly the bolt will close and possibly drag your thumb towards the chamber. If you do it correctly - hear click - lift thumb rapidly - the bolt will delay and not drag your thumb forward. If the timing is off due to miss matched parts the release will be before the click, and timid users get a sore thumb. Blocking the OPROD handle is for mix master M1s. If you are timid with blocking the handle you can still get a sore thumb.

[MikeB]

Hey man, I like your content, and you do a lot of great things for military history, but I need to give a little feedback on this one:

You're using spent blanks for this video, which are way lighter, and obviously don't have a projectile. If you watch my video explaining how the action works, and why it's very difficult to get "garand thumb", you'll notice that even with no thumb pressure on the top round, the bolt doesn't slam forward because of the pressure of the projectile making contact with the feed ramps. I used live rounds for my video, and repeated the process multiple times with no issues. I've fired many M1 rifles, and reloaded them with the same results: 99% of the time, you manually need to ride the charging handle forward, and the other 1% it doesn't slam shut, it just rides forward, allowing ample time to get your thumb out of the way. If you're going to demonstrate like this, at least use dummy rounds with a projectile to show how the action operates with a projectile.

All of this being said, it's still good practice to "salute hand" on the charging handle, as I do it out of habit as well, so it's not a big deal. It was a decent attempt, but fell short in the presentation. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm trying to provide constructive criticism so you can continue to make quality content like you're known for. Thanks!

[victorpapillon]

Man I think you could be an actor, you have the look, never to late

[arnoldhoward]

I’ve had an M-1 thumb. I confidently thought it would never happen to me, and then it did. All it takes is a second of carelessness.

[picklerick]

My great grandad lost his thumb nail to that rifle

[gameofsy]

I think a lot of soldiers modified it to stay shut unless pulled back a little, or atleast we do it now, my m1 stays open until you pull it back a little

[mrenut]

I wonder how back then mid war the soldiers would feel they would’ve not cared about there thumb because probably they needed to advance or retreat as fast as possible I love thease videos and they so informed giveing❤

[jemkey]

My grandpa has a 6.5 rifle, loads much the same way. Having him yell and distract you during reloading was a real thumb smashing experience. He was teaching me about basic training during his time in the Marines.

[bhight]

Something is wrong with your Garand then, because yes, pressure on the Enbloc does hold the bolt back, that is a safety feature built into the Garand. I've tested it on mine.

[rolandnailo]

Nah my favorite is the type of people who claimed the original M4 had a button release on the bolt. There's this one guy on YT who keeps posting videos claiming that and yet while everyone in his comments tells him that's a more modern thing, he straight up says "Garand Thumb is just an urban legend no one could ever have the bolt close on their thumb unless they're holding the release". Man I'm glad I still got at least three brain cells

[OldManMontgomery]

Pedantic note: The 'clip" for the M1 Garand (the designer pronounced his name with the emphasis on the first syllable of his name - GHER-and, not ger-AND) is properly named an "en bloc loading device'.
The sheet metal 'thingie' is fully inserted in the arm and functionally becomes the walls and feed lips of the magazine for the time it's there.
This system predates the Garand. Mannlicher used this system in most of his rifles, both black and smokeless powder. It was also used in the Italian Carcano.
Having owned and used a Garand in target matches, the method described is quite useful, except one should keep the thumb stiff and parallel to the fingers, allow your forearm to rotate at the elbow and the charging handle will push your hand forward and out of the way of the rapidly closing bolt.

[dumberthandirt]

IDK about your M1 but after I insert the clip into mine I have to manually slam the bolt home.

[TikkaQrow]

And garand thumb happens from reloading in a stressful or panicking situation

Last thing on your mind when bullets are being yeeted at you is if your thumb is on the round or the clip