Excerpt from this Guide:
In my opinion, the M1 Rifle is the
greatest battle implement ever devised. LGEN George S. Patton, Jr.
The U.S. rifle caliber .30, M1 is an
air-cooled, gas-operated, clip-fed, semiautomatic shoulder weapon. This
means that the air cools the barrel; the power to cock the rifle and
chamber the succeeding round comes from the expanding gas of the round
fired previously; it is loaded by inserting a metal clip (containing a
maximum of eight rounds) into the receiver; and the rifle fires one
round each time the trigger is pulled.
Weight: 9.5 pounds Length: (over-all)
rifle only: 43.6 inches
Length of barrel: 24 inches
Type of mechanism: Gas operated, semi-automatic
Loading device: En-block clip
Sight radius: 27.9 inches at 100 yard range
Sights: Front: Fixed blade
Sights: Rear: Adjustable peep. One click of elevation or windage
moves the strike of the bullet 1 inch at 100 yards.
Trigger pull: Minimum 5 1/2 pounds - Maximum 7 1/2 pounds
Ammunition types: Ball, armor piercing, tracer, grenade
Muzzle velocity (M-2 ammunition) 2,800 feet/second
Maximum range: 3,200 meters (3,450 yards)
Maximum effective range: 500 yards.
Maximum effective range is the greatest distance at which a weapon my be
expected to fire accurately to inflict casualties or damage. Maximum
effective rate of fire 16 to 24 rounds per minute. Although there is no
prescribed maximum rate of fire, a trained rifleman can fire 16 to 24
aimed rounds per minute.
