Garand "Ping" and Inability to "Top Off" a Clip

[Shooter5]

Thanks. What about the ping and it being heard by the enemy during combat? Seems to me that everyone's ears would be ringing all the time from the sound of the firing. .

In my experience, my ears never 'rang' till much later when things quieted down. Oddly enough, this includes having LMG's nearby and...Ma Duece. Which is quite odd to me since whenever its fired by me/near me in 'training/peacetime' its so loud it makes my teeth hurt-literally- the noise is massive...and thats from just one or a few guns.
Without ear protection on (which is often encouraged nowadays...maybe by those who don't get shot at alot-BTW I always found the few times I gave in just to try it that I couldnt hear squat much less have the ability to discern I was being shot at and worse its much harder to impossible to determine direction of fire) I still found that I could hear just fine despite the noise of fire going on around. Go figure.

[Guamsst]

I think the Garand ping is closely related to the tremendous noise of the buffer spring in the M-16/AR-15. I know that to me the spring rattling around sounds like someone dropped a load of scrap metal on my head but no one else can hear it. I am sure that in combat, the ping telling you that your gun is temporarily a club is deafeningly loud.

[John Sukey]

The odd part is Garand designed the M1 to use a box magazine, but the army didn't want that.

[ripsaw]

The odd part is Garand designed the M1 to use a box magazine, but the army didn't want that.

Yep, and he also had it ready for full auto capability, see the museum piece. But they didn't want that either. Enter the M14 later, and John C. Garand looks the genius he truly was.

You may defy and or deny this "rumor" about the ping from the clip causing concerns for combat infantry troops, but it was real. The high pitched ping generated is very easy to discern amongst all the lower range sounds of gunfire and deeper base tones of artillery. My father served in WWII and has related several instances to me, in which he and his companions had baited enemy in the pacific island campaigns. They also feigned surrender on several occassions to bait them into the open. All is fair in love and war. He actually got into a fist fight with another soldier for doing this. The new recruit that had not seen any battle or lost any of his close buddies, chastized them for acting like surrendering, then gunning the enemy down when they showed themselves. Weeks later, the new recruit was doing anything and everything he could, to kill as many enemy as possible. They both made it through, and years later, remained the best of friends back in the states. I had an opportunity to get to know him as well, and he relayed the same stories to me that my Father had. So this is straight from the horses mouth, so to speak.

[PhillipM]

I think it's an over exaggeration. At the range we did a Garand tribute for V-E day, like we need an excuse to shoot an M1. Here are 21 Garands firing eight rounds slow fire, 21 clips eject, stuff in another and fired eight more rapid, and 21 more clips eject. The camera was all of 15' off to the side and in front and I cannot hear one ping in the video out of 42 clip ejects. Like the comment about the buffer tube spring in an AR, I think the sound doesn't carry past the rifleman and there's no way in heck an enemy could hear it past arms length.

[Herschel]

I am thankful that I never had to experience combat with the M1 but from personal experience of firing on rifle ranges I can assure you that even with ear protection and up to 100 guns firing rapid fire on the line, you can hear the ping of clips ejecting two or three points on either side of you. That served me as a warning that I better get off any rounds left as time was running out.

[rayg]

Of course they are but a few feet from you but I wonder just how far away you would still be able to hear the sound, Ray

[Rick B]

Of course they are but a few feet from you but I wonder just how far away you would still be able to hear the sound, Ray

Them firing 8MM and you firing 30-06,,,,, Not at all would they hear you and anyone who feels you can really needs to think about it. Besides your partner would still be firing so I still don't know when they are going to stand up and charge let alone hear a ping? Rick B

[John Sukey]

Just a point, the "ping" comes when the clip is ejected, NOT when it hits the ground, so throwing an empty clip on the ground in hope the bad guys will stand up is ridiculous. Also the rest of the squad,platoon, company, will NOT all empty their rifles at the same time. However that "myth" has even been perpetrated on one TV show about guns by one commentatror who probably has NEVER fired an M1!!!

[PhillipM]

Just a point, the "ping" comes when the clip is ejected, NOT when it hits the ground, so throwing an empty clip on the ground in hope the bad guys will stand up is ridiculous. Also the rest of the squad,platoon, company, will NOT all empty their rifles at the same time. However that "myth" has even been perpetrated on one TV show about guns by one commentatror who probably has NEVER fired an M1!!!

I saw the fat guy the history channel used to have on that was the head of the small arms museum for the Army perpetuate it.