Posted on 05/28/2007 12:08:28 PM PDT by holymoly
Wounded veterans got some recognition Saturday, and vintage rifle enthusiasts got some competition at the same time.
The Howell Gun Club in Marion Township hosted an event for M1s for Vets, a nationwide group that donates World War II-era M1 Garand rifles to veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq who were wounded in action.
Rain may have dampened turnout, but about a dozen shooters — protected from the rain by a shelter — took aim at paper targets at a distance of 100 yards.
Steve Larson, a veteran of the Air Force, came all the way from Marne, west of Grand Rapids, for the event. He said he appreciated the historical value of the rifles, and was passionate about the opportunity to honor wounded soldiers.
"Knowing that this very rifle could have been at the Battle of the Bulge or at Normandy ... there's a historical and nostalgic import to it," he said.
"Other than my wife and child, M1s for Vets is the most important thing in my life," Larson added. The rifles are "a tangible token of appreciation for those who have sacrificed."
The group — which has three chapters in Michigan — has given 91 rifles to wounded veterans who expressed an interest in shooting. Dave Dieball, who helped organize the event, said the recipients are screened so that only those with an interest receive them.
Joshua Sparling, a Port Huron man wounded in Iraq, was set to receive an M1 on Saturday that Dieball had purchased and restored himself.
Dieball, a Vietnam-era veteran himself, said he took the gun completely apart in order to restore it to like-new condition. He said he got involved in M1s for Vets to prevent the negativity that some veterans experienced after returning from Vietnam.
"It's a small token," he said. "We understand how important it is for someone to say, 'Hey, thank you.'"
He said he spent "lots and lots of hours" restoring the gun.
The M1 is a semi-automatic gun, meaning that it can fire eight shots without reloading. That distinguished it from the guns issued to German infantrymen in World War II, which had to be reloaded after every shot. The M1's rapid-fire capabilities has been credited with helping the Allies win the war.
At nearly 10 pounds, it is also heavier than today's weapons, making it more challenging to aim. That didn't seem to be a problem for Larson, whose shots zeroed in on the middle of the targets.
Larson was planning to go to Jackson later in the weekend to present another M1 to another vet, and has traveled as far as Wisconsin and Virginia for similar events. Not only are the guns a symbol of appreciation, wounded vets can also get some therapeutic benefits from shooting them if they already had an interest, he said.
"It's recognized as a kind of therapy for soldiers who like to shoot," Larson said.
M1s can be purchased by civilians through the federal Civilian Marksmanship Program.
Contact Daily Press & Argus reporter Dan Meisler at (517) 552-2857 or dmeisler@gannett.com.
Bwahahahaha. What an imbecile.
I’d consider reciving a M1 Garand as Therapeutic therapy myself. What say Ye all?
Well, they could be if there were any left to buy. At the present, the CMP can't sell what they don't have.
I hate the dem party for cutting the funding from the program.
holymoly said: Bwahahahaha. What an imbecile.
Yep, the media is very conversant with firearms! I am sure the germans would be interested in knowing that they had to reload after very shot!
Automatic and semi-automatic rifles
Main cartridges: Kurz 7.92x33 7.92x57
7.92 mm - Vollmer Selbstladegewehr 29 Projected in 1929, not adopted by the Reichswehr
7.92 mm - Gewehr 35 Developed by Mauser as a private venture in 1935, not accepted for service. Two versions S and M
7.92 mm - Maschinenkarabiner M35 Vollmer Developed also as private venture in 1935, version Typ A 35/II follows in 1938 and Typ A 35/III in 1939
7.92 mm - Gewehr 41 (W)Walther self-loading rifle adopted as standard in 1942
7.92 mm - Gewehr 41 (M) Mauser design tested in 1941, not accepted for service *
7.92 mm - Gewehr 43 Modification of G 41 (W) to gas-operated , later renamed Karabiner 43
7.92 mm - MaschinenKarabiner 42 (H) Designed by Hugo Schmeisser. Accepted after troop trials in 1943, about 8000 produced, served as prototype to MP 43.
7.92 mm - Maschinenkarabiner 42 (W) After combat trials not accepted for service
7.92 mm - Maschinenpistole 43 Evolved from Mkb 42 (H) First series completed in July 43, First combat use in Eastern Front.
7.92 mm - Maschinenpistole 43/1 Variant of MP 43 with provision for a screw-on rifle grenade launcher
7.92 mm - Maschinenpistole 44 Name of MP 43 altered in the spring of 1944
7.92 mm - Sturmgewehr 44 New name for the MP 44, no changes in design
7.92 mm - Gerät 06 (H) Mauser Developed as private venture in 1942-43
7.92 mm - Sturmgewehr 45 Experimental lightweight selective-fire weapon, with roller-locked retarded blowback system, also known as MP 45 (M) only prototypes built prior to end of war. Forefunner of the Spanish CETME 58.
7.92 mm - Volkssturmgewehr 1-5 Intended as a cheap and mass produced self-loading weapon. First series completed in late 44.
7.92 mm - Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 Developed by Rheinmetall from a Luftwaffe requirement. Accepted for service in 1942.
7.92 mm - Selbstlader-Karabiner Mauser Made (WWI only)
7 mm - Flieger-Selbstlader-Karabiner 15 (Mondragon) Former Mondragon rifles built in Switzerland (WWI only)
Captured
7.62 mm - Selbstladegewehr 257 (r) Former Russian AVS-36
7.62 mm - Selbstladegewehr 258 (r) Former Russian SVT-38
7.62 mm - Selbstladegewehr 259 (r) Former Russian SVT-40
7.62 mm - Selbstladegewehr 251 (a) Former American Rifle, caliber.30, M1 (Garand)
7.62 mm - Selbstladegewehr 310 (f) Former French Fusil Mitrailleur RSC Mle 1918
7.62 mm - Selbstladekarabiner 455 (a) Former American Carbine, Caliber.30,
Not to mention bolt action. The writer ought to have to sit through about 48 hours of war movies, starting with the Longest Day.
Hey, we’re lucky they mention firearms favorably at all... though the writer IS an ignoramus, it appears... but that is a correctable condition, unlike stupidity, which is almost invariably fatal, mostly after the stupid person does grave damage to those around him.
They prove they are idiots every time they speak of “assault weapons”.
Bad English maybe, but walking into WW-II with Mausers was basically stupid, and not something I’d anticipate from a master race or anything like that.
A heavy rifle has a few advantages. Less felt recoil is primary. The extra mass of the rifle can also improve accuracy by limiting the affect of the moving mass of the hammer between the time the sear releases and the hammer strikes the firing pin. The down side is that you really don't want to carry a real heavy rifle in the field for hunting. There is always a trade-off between a felt recoil and weight.
Yes, if you stay away from liberal/conservative issues, there is a lot of acceptable quick-reference stuff available there. And with the Google-Wikipedia conspiracy, it will generally pop to the top of a search.
Didn’t expect much when I clicked the link, but they came through with flying colors.
In the case of human targets nobody worries about finishing shots. The thing the semiauto buys you is time to the next target.
I got mine from CMP for $165 about 15 years ago. Know how the government sent it to me? U.S. Mail.
You must have bought your’s about the same time as I bought mine. I would buy another when the urge hit. The last one I bought was overpriced and really looked like it went through a war. I said no more.
I’m still waiting for that M1 CArbine. I think I bought just under the wire but I haven’t heard anything since they ran out.
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