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The M1 Garand in movies


ka bar
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Hello to you all

 

I have a question...

 

In movies such as The Thin Red Line and Band of Brothers....

 

When a trooper sees an enemy from a distance, he clicks something a few times on his sight before he aims like a wheel or a disc

 

Is it something to do with adjusting his sight?

 

How does this improve aim?

 

Or is it a Hollywood thing?

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Turning the wheel raises or lowers the rear sight thus allowing the firer to adjust his aim according to distance.

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I think its really more of a movie thing. I'm a Garand guy. My battle zero is set for 300 yards. Which means with out adjustments I should be able to hit a man size target out to 300 yards without adjusting the rear sight for elevation. Seeing a man size target and hitting it is another story if they are moving and blending in to the background.

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Oh, I see...

 

So the sight maybe "set" at a certain distance

 

Then if the trooper needs to shoot an enemy either further or closer, he makes adjustments if needed...

 

Got it...

 

So, does one click equal what...50 yards, 100yards?

 

Then I suppose the soldier needs to be a pretty good judge of distance

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I think most soldiers in a battle situation would have the sight set at a certain distance and make individual guesstimated corrections for any other distance when aiming, rather then adjusting the sight itself.

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There's the regulation firing-range way of doing it, under the eyes of the instructor....and the purely practical way when you're actually involved in a firefight!

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Oh, I see...

 

So the sight maybe "set" at a certain distance

 

Then if the trooper needs to shoot an enemy either further or closer, he makes adjustments if needed...

 

Got it...

 

So, does one click equal what...50 yards, 100yards?

 

Then I suppose the soldier needs to be a pretty good judge of distance

 

The rear sight can indeed be set for any distance, but as M1Ashooter mentioned, with a battle zero set at 300 yards, a GI could hit a man-sized target out to 300 yards by holding center of mass. So, he does not really need to be a good judge of distance. You must remember that hundreds of thousands of GI's who were drafted had never shot a rifle before. The M1 Garand was, by design, a very effective killing tool even in the hands of inexperience soldiers. Point and shoot, if you will.

 

Also, the WWII Garands had lock-bar rear sights. To adjust the sight a soldier had to first loosen a locking bar that kept the sight locked in place, then adjust the site, then re-lock the locking bar. This would not have happened in combat like you see in the movies.

 

1 click equals 1 inch at 100 yards.

 

My brother and I shoot Garands quite a bit at the range, and we play a game much like HORSE in basketball. I'll call a shot…"300 yards, prone, battle zero set at 300" and take it…if I make it he has to take it and gets an H if he misses and so on. Things get fun when we start messing with the ranges and battle zero…"100 yards, kneeling, battle zero set for 300."

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Beautiful photos sabrejet, many thanks

 

Thanks for the great answer bigschuss and everyone else

 

Geez, I would love to own a M1 Garand...

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