Editor’s Note: The M1 Garand was the first standard-issue self-loading rifle adopted by the US. A simple but elegant design, the Garand uses a long-stroke gas piston that operates a rotating bolt. It is fed by an 8-round en-bloc clip that makes the distinctive "ping" sound once the clip is automatically ejected after all the rounds are spent. Chambered in the powerful 30-06 cartridge, the semi-automatic Garand gave US soldiers a huge edge over enemies and allies alike who were still using slower bolt-action rifles.