Remembering the M1 Thumb

We are in the process of relocating to a new home, which is nearly half the size of our current house. This means we are in the painful process of downsizing. Meaningless “stuff” goes into the trash can, but my memorable treasures will go with me to find safe sanctuary in my new home on Sandy Hook Bay.

While carefully packing the treasures that would go with me, I came across a full clip of ammo for the M1 Garand, that beloved rifle I carried as an infantry soldier in the Seventh Army. Those were my Army years back in the early 1950s. Before leaving Germany, I grabbed a full M1 clip and buried it in my duffel bag. It came home with me, and it will also go with me to my new home. It may now become a paperweight on my desk. A photo of that 8-round M1 clip accompanies this column.

If you’re on the young side of 40 or 50, you may not know much about the M1 Garand, one of the rifles that won World War II. The .30/06 ammo came in an 8-round “clip,” a far cry from some of the fancy magazines we see today. But more about this clip later.

My M1 Garand clip that I still treasure today as a reminder of my Army days.

I’ve always been a gun nut, and I was always the first to volunteer to shoot any extra ammo in my M1 Garand back in those Army days. We had required regular trips to the rifle range. When we had extra ammo, I was always the first one to stay behind and shoot up a storm with the extra ammo.

In a recent article in one of my gun magazines, the author says Garands are pretty hot right now. If you can find one, it would probably cost you $1,200 to $1,400. I just might start shopping for one.

The M1 Garand was chambered for the .30/06 cartridge, my all-time favorite caliber for big game. I’ve successfully hunted everything from whitetails to elk to caribou with my .30/06. Yes, I know; it’s not one of the new hotshot calibers that can hit a target at 1000 yards. Admittedly, it might be fun to shoot at paper targets or gong silhouettes at 1000 yards, but no hunter should ever attempt to take game at that range. That is not hunting.

Younger shooters may not know about the M1 Thumb. I experienced it once, and once is enough. You learn fast. To load the M1 Garand, you push the 8-round clip down into the receiver with your thumb, which slams to bolt shut. If you don’t get your thumb out of the way fast enough, the bolt will close on your thumb. This is akin to someone closing a car door on your fingers. You learn very quickly to hold the bolt back with the palm of your hand and get your thumb out the way before the bolt closes.

There were times when my nearly 10-pound M1 Garand was too much to lug around. On occasion, I could also carry the M1 Carbine, which only weighed 7.5 pounds. It was chambered for the .30 caliber cartridge. Not nearly as powerful as the M1 Garand, it effectively eliminated the M1 Thumb and could be loaded with up to 30-round magazines. Whenever possible, I loved carrying the much lighter and trim M1 Carbine.

The M1 Carbine became so popular that my late friend Bill Ruger was perspective enough to produce his still-popular Ruger 10/22 Carbine, designed as a lookalike M1 Carbine. Just the sight of this Ruger brings back my Army days.

As some readers know, I’ve never been a big fan of some of the clunky AR rifles that I see today, but at least you no longer have to worry about the M1 Thumb.

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