World War II Living History group

Contact Recruiting Office

United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 The M1 Garand was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. In 1936, it officially replaced the bolt-action M1903 Springfield as the standard service rifle of the United States Armed Forces. Designer: John C. Garand (was designed in 1932). Weight: 9.5 lb (4.31 kg) to 13.2 lb (6.0 kg) Length: 43.6 in (1,107.4 mm) Barrel length: 24 in (609.6 mm) Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield Action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt Muzzle velocity: 2,800 ft/s (853 m/s) Effective range: 500 yd (457 m) Feed system: 8-round "en bloc" clip internal magazine United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1903 The Springfield M1903 is bolt-action rifle used primarily during the first half of the 20th century. It was officially adopted as a United States military service rifle on June 19th 1903, and saw service in World War I. It was officially replaced as the standard infantry rifle by the faster-firing, semi-automatic M1 Garand, starting in 1936. However, the M1903 Springfield remained in service as a standard issue infantry rifle during World War II. Designer: Springfield Armory (designed 1900). Weight: 8.65 lb (3.9 kg) depending on wood density Length: 44.9 in (1,140 mm) Barrel length: 24 in (610 mm) Cartridge: .30-03 Springfield; .30-06 Springfield Action: Bolt-action Muzzle velocity: 2,800 ft/s (853 m/s) Effective range: xxxxx Feed system: 5-round, 25-round (Air Service variant) stripper clip, internal box magazine United States Rifle, Caliber .30, Automatic, Browning, M1918A2 The BAR (short for Browning Automatic Rifle) is a family of 7.62 mm automatic rifles (or machine rifles) and light machine guns used by the United States and numerous other countries during the 20th century. The primary variant of the BAR series is the M1918, chambered for the .30-06 Springfield (7.62x63mm) rifle cartridge and designed by John Browning in 1917 for the U.S. Expeditionary Corps in Europe as a replacement for (and improvement on) the French-made Chauchat and Hotchkiss M1909 machine guns. Weight: 8.8 kg (19 lb) Length: 1,215 mm (47.8 in) Barrel length: 610 mm (24.0 in) Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield (7.62x63mm) Action: Gas-operated, tilting breech block Muzzle velocity: 860 m/s (2,822 ft/s) Effective range: 100–1,500 yd Feed system: 20-round detachable box magazine United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M1A1 Thompson submachine gun is a submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919. The Thompson was favored by soldiers for its compactness, large .45 ACP cartridge, and high volume of automatic fire. Weight: 10.6 lb (4.8 kg) empty Length: 32 in (813 mm) Cartridge: .45 ACP (11.43 x 23 mm) Action: Blowback Muzzle velocity: 920 ft/s (280 m/s) Rate of fire: 600-1200 rpm, depending upon model Feed system: 20 or 30-round detachable box magazine Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol (handgun) chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It was designed by John M. Browning, and was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces. Its formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original Model of 1911 or Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1, adopted in 1924. Weight: 2.437 lb (1,105 g) empty, w/ magazine Length: 8.25 in (210 mm) Cartridge: .45 ACP (11.43 x 23 mm) Action: Short recoil operation Muzzle velocity: 830 ft/s (253 m/s) Feed system: 7 rounds (standard-capacity magazine), + 1 in chamber Gun, Machine, Caliber .30, Browning, M1919A4 The M1919 was an air-cooled development of the standard U.S. machine gun of World War I, the Browning M1917, as designed by John M. Browning. The weapon originally fired the .30-06 M1, and later the M2 ball cartridge contained in woven cloth or metallic link belts, feeding from left to right. As a company or battalion support weapon, the M1919 required at least a two-man machine gun team, but in practice, four men were normally involved; the gunner (who fired the gun), the assistant gunner (who helped feed the gun and carried either the gun or the tripod), and two ammunition carriers. Weight: 31 lb (14 kg) Length: 37.94 in (964 mm) Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield Action: Recoil-operated/short-recoil operation Muzzle velocity: 2,800 ft/s (853.6 m/s) Rate of fire: 400-600 rpm Feed system: 250-round belt Launcher, Rocket, Antitank, M-9 Series A bazooka is one of a series ("M9 series" variants) of anti-armor and anti-bunker, man-portable rocket launchers. Technically named as the M9 Anti-tank Rocket Launcher, it was also called "stovepipe" and used to deliver high explosives into machine gun nests and hardened bunkers in all WWII theaters. It was one of the primary infantry anti-tank weapons used by the United States Armed Forces, and was based on the principle of the high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shell.