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The M1C, MC-1, and M1D Variations of the Garand Rifle by Dick Culver Graphic Illustrations by: Paul E. Neudeck (Originally published in the April Edition of the CMP Newsletter The First Shot) General: General: General: A certain breed of the American Fighting Man is cut from the mold of Alvin York or Carlos Hathcock. Once the war was going our way in European Theater, there came a cry for a Sniper Version of the M1 Rifle. Springfield Armory’s development efforts eventually resulted in two variations of optically sighted M1s by late 1944. The 1st version was known as the M1C and utilized the M82 (and later the M84) telescopic sight held in place by Griffin and Howe Mounts. The results never gave gilt edged accuracy, but at close range the combination was deadly. A different mounting method was devised to avoid drilling and tapping the receiver and used a barrel collar which accepted a scope mount that attached utilizing a knurled knob on the mounting collar. Neither sniper version of the M1 saw any significant use in W.W.II. The M1Cs and M1Ds were produced in some numbers during the Korean Police Action and saw considerable action in the de-facto stalemated struggle for position on the frozen hill masses in the latter stages of the war. The M1C:The M1C:: The first sniper version was the M1C, which started out life
with the experimental designation of M1E7. The M1E7 utilized a "rail system" of
mounting the telescopic sight with a Griffin and Howe (lever) telescope mount. Initially
the receivers were shipped to Griffin and Howe
The M1D: In an effort to short circuit the heat treatment problems associated with drilling and tapping the M1 receivers, a second approach to scope mounting was taken. The solution was the so-called M1E8. This model utilized a machine base fitted to the rear of the barrel with a pin. The scope was to be mounted to the barrel base with a knurled screw capable of being tightened by hand. This fix avoided the necessity of shipping the receivers off to be drilled and tapped, and then returned to Springfield for heat treatment. The scope was enshrouded in a metal clamp-like device that surrounded the scope and acted as one large scope ring. Rifles already built were capable of being so modified by simply utilizing a shortened rear handguard on the rifle. The M1E8 was designated the M1D and adopted as a "substitute standard" in September 1944. Virtually no M1Ds were produced during W.W.II. Since all M1Ds (with the exception of the tool room models) fall into the category of "rebuilds" there is no serial number range generally associated with this version of the M1 sniper rifle. The Marine Corps M1 Sniper Rifle; The USMC M1952 or MC-1: The Marine Corps M1 Sniper Rifle; The USMC M1952 or MC-1: The Marines, always interested in long range marksmanship, began to look for a replacement for the USMC Model of 1941 1903 Springfield. The M1941 had done yeoman service in W.W.II, but was beginning to get a bit "long of tooth"
although still in use in Korea (even Capt. Bill Brophy of the U.S. Army is pictured using
one of these super accurate 1903s during the Korean War). The supply of National Match
1903s (on which the M1941 was based) was now essentially non existent, and replacement
parts becoming difficult if not impossible to find. The Corps took a look at the
Army’s W.W.II efforts on the M1Cs and Ds and began to experiment with the M1C version
utilizing the Griffin and Howe scope mounts. The Marines weren’t in love with the M82
or M84 scopes and finally found what they considered to be a better "piece of
glass". The USMC choice was the Stith-Kollmorgen 4X scope with one-minute (audible)
click adjustments. Because of the more robust (translate heavier) nature of the Kollmorgen
Scope (and a different scope tube diameter), Griffin and Howe designed a different and
more heavily constructed scope mount for the Marine Corps. At least some of the MC-1s were
constructed on the original Springfield manufactured M1Cs, substituting the new mount and
scope on the original Griffin and Howe mounting rail. These rifles were restocked and
fitted with the Marine Corps version of the M2 flash hider (delineated below under
"Scope
Mounts & Flash Hiders"). Many pictures of Marines with sniper rifles in Korea
depict them utilizing the M1941 Springfield and the Army version of the M1C. It is
probable that none of the MC-1s ever reached Korea in time for the hostilities, but were
in use in the Marine Corps up through the mid 1960s. The Marine Corps’ adoption of
the M40 Remington Sniper Rifle in 1966 spelled the end of the scoped M1 as an operational
sniper gun within the Corps.
Scope Mounts & Flash
Hiders:Scope Mounts & Flash
Hiders: Since the scopes on both the C and D
versions of the M1s are offset to the left, a leather cheek pad was  developed to compensate for the offset and approved
in October of 1944. A cone flash hider (designated the M2) was adopted in early 1945 and
was designed to eliminate the telltale ball of fire at the muzzle. Unfortunately, the bell
type flash hider fit so loosely on the muzzle that it often degraded the accuracy of the
rifle. The Marine Corps developed their own bell flash hider for the Marine Corps version
of the M1C (the USMC M1952 better known as the MC-1). The USMC flash hider was made
from a grenade launcher allowing the user to tighten the "bell" onto the muzzle
by hand (utilizing a coarsely threaded bell that screwed into the lever locking base of
the hider). Hand tightening the "bell" actually helped to stabilize the gas
cylinder when the flash hider was tightened down. A later (Army) version of the flash
hider, the T37, was adopted in January 1953. While both the M1C and M1D were approved with
the T37, usually only the late models of the M1D are usually seen with the
"prong" suppressor. The T37 replaces the gas cylinder lock and somewhat
resembles a cross between the flash suppressor of the M14 and the early suppressor on the
M16. This so-called "prong" flash hider (or suppressor) is very effective and is
usually quite accurate assuming that the rifle itself will shoot well.
The Korean Era "Ds": The smart money says that virtually no M1Ds were produced for distribution during W.W.II, but were converted from service rifles in the early 1950s for use in the "Korean Unpleasantness". To add credence to this, all Springfield Armory records list the M1Ds as "rebuilds" with the last rifle "rebuild" supposedly taking place during June of 1953. The total number of M1Ds built is said to have been 28,240 as opposed to a supposed total production of the M1Cs of 7,981. These figures are somewhat "iffy" as Springfield Armory often rebuilt weapons of all types more than once, and the numbers sometimes became immersed in the mists of time. While the original Telescopic Sight approved for both the "Cs" and "Ds" was the M82, things were simply overcome by events and later technological developments. Most (if not all) the weapons now seen are fitted with the later M84 scope, although an occasional M82 does surface. Impractical Mounting System: If you have fired an M1C, MC-1, or M1D you have no doubt found that the rather inconvenient method of mounting the scope off to the left side of the axis of the bore creates some practical sighting in problems. It is possible to sight the rifle in "dead on" at 200 yds. for instance, but if the next target is at 230 yds., your shot group will be off to the left. If you will plot it out on a sheet of paper, you will find that geometry demands it! Unfortunately the heyday of the M1Cs and M1Ds took place before the service teams had really learned to accurize the M1. They would no doubt have been considerably more effective if they had been developed, say about 1960… Historical Perspective: Although they don't compare in accuracy to modern military sniper rifles (such as the Marine Corps M40A1), the M1C, MC-1, and M1D are all proud pieces of American Military History. They were a great "fix" developed under wartime conditions and illustrate the ingenious nature of the American Arms Designers. |
to drill and tap the receiver before heat-treating. It was originally to be
used with a Lyman Alaskan Scope (designated militarily as the M81). A tapered post was
deigned to be more suitable by the ordnance folks and the scope was so modified. The Lyman
Alaskan with the tapered post reticule was designated as the M82. The M1C rifle was
adopted as the standard M1 Sniper Rifle on the 27th of July 1944. The heat treating
process associated with drilling and tapping the receiver (for the Griffin and Howe
system) delayed production (along with slow delivery of telescopic sights) so that
essentially no significant number of M1Cs were delivered for combat service during W.W.II.
The M1C would have to wait one more war for its place in the sun.Some authorities maintain
that the M1Cs usually fall into the 3,100,000 - 3,800,000 serial number range, although
that is not necessarily carved in stone.
