Quote:
Originally posted by Onthefield:
The design of a self loading rifle started as early as 1919 with several examples being produced in limited quantity.
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The first self-loading rifles were made in the 19th century, and several were used in WW1 (the Germans in particular used Mauser and Mondragon self-loaders as aircraft armament). The first army to officially adopt a self-loader as standard was (believe it or not) the Mexican army before WW1 which selected the Mondragon, although I'm not sure they ever received them as WW1 got in the way.
In WW2 the German and Russian armies both used large quantities of self-loaders. However, these were all reserved for special units as they were considered too complex, expensive and difficult to maintain for standard issue. The US Army was therefore the first major army to issue a self-loader as its standard infantry rifle. There was nothing very special or new about the Garand's design, but it was a well-thought out and reliable weapon.
Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition
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