popcorn Posted January 30, 2015 Share #1 Posted January 30, 2015 Hi. Just wanted to get your opinions on what you feel is the most iconic US military rifle. For me when I was growing up, the popular movies were Apocalypse Now, the Rambo series, Platoon, etc. so it's the AR15-M16. I imagine now with the more recent shows and movies focusing on WW2 the M1 Garand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teufelhunde.ret Posted January 30, 2015 Share #2 Posted January 30, 2015 The USMC M1903-A1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M7bayonet Posted January 30, 2015 Share #3 Posted January 30, 2015 I liked the M-14, but the M-16A1 was what I carried most of my tour and I liked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warcollect1942 Posted January 30, 2015 Share #4 Posted January 30, 2015 For me the Garand is the most iconic. We have not won a war since the AR15-M16 came around. My favorite movies would be The Big Red One and Saving Private Ryan. The Big Red One had a lot of patches. Patton is my hero. Finest battle implement ever devised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
268th C.A. Posted January 30, 2015 Share #5 Posted January 30, 2015 I like the 1903 but I'd have to say M-1 Garand is the best combat rifle. My Dad preferred to carry a 1903 a3 during the war. He said he loved the sights & could hit anything with it. He qualified expert. If you have ever watched the movie "The Thin Red Line" there is a segment in the beginning where these large condors are flying, circling overhead, long story short. My Dad in the Philippine's was sitting around, one of the guys said Hey your such a good shot hit that bird circling up there, Dad took the fifty cent bet, lead him a little and squeezed off the shot. The bird dropped like a rock. My Dad was courts marshaled for discharging a rifle in camp. No kidding! He was busted and lost his stripe. It is in his army records. I have them. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1SG_1st_Cav Posted January 30, 2015 Share #6 Posted January 30, 2015 I liked shooting with the M-1 as it is the weapon I qualified with in Basic Training at Ft Knox. I carried an M-16 for my first 8 months in Vietnam along with a .45. I switched units and was given a M-14 with full-auto selector switch. One of my LTs who was an Artillery Air Observer traded his .45 and an M-79 Grenade Launcher for my M-14. He was fearful that if he got shot down he wanted more firepower. The M-1 was great to shoot, but the M-14 had better firepower, and it shot well. In order of precedent: 1: M-14 2: M-1 3: M-16 Just my opinion. Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorin6 Posted January 31, 2015 Share #7 Posted January 31, 2015 The most iconic battle rifle IMHO is the M1 Garand (first US Army semi-auto battle rifle). The second is the Krag (first US Army bolt action rifle). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popcorn Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted January 31, 2015 For me the Garand is the most iconic. We have not won a war since the AR15-M16 came around. My favorite movies would be The Big Red One and Saving Private Ryan. The Big Red One had a lot of patches. Patton is my hero. Finest battle implement ever devised. Great Feedback!! let's not forget while in Nam we may have not won the war as we wanted but we won every major battle and it's pretty much impossible to help a population that sympathises with the enemy no matter which rifle was issued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichiesRelics Posted January 31, 2015 Share #9 Posted January 31, 2015 Hands down AR15/M16. When I think U.S. military firearms that is one of the first things that comes to mind. There are many variants and rifles based on the AR15 design and they have been in service for decades and probably well be in service for many more years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted January 31, 2015 Share #10 Posted January 31, 2015 Sometimes it's easy to confuse 'iconic' with popular or favorite. If this were 1980, I'd feel the M1 rifle would be the iconic rifle. However I feel that the M-16 pattern rifle is the most iconic US rifle now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popcorn Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share #11 Posted January 31, 2015 Sometimes it's easy to confuse 'iconic' with popular or favorite. If this were 1980, I'd feel the M1 rifle would be the iconic rifle. However I feel that the M-16 pattern rifle is the most iconic US rifle now. Hi. By iconic I mean basically what comes to mind when you picture a GI. In the 80's in the media the M16 was the one I usually had seen. In fact I remember a buddy of mine that had a Rambo T-shirt. It had a picture of a M16 in a circle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted January 31, 2015 Share #12 Posted January 31, 2015 Looking at the responses, it almost looks generational. Basically what you're exposed to growing up. I grew up in the 50s,& 60s. My vision of iconic rifles were M1s, M1 Carbines. That was what was seen on TV, and movies. Was in the army from 1970-1991, carried M16A1s, and M16A2s. Never really fell in love with the weapon, just nice and easy to carry. AIT infantry at Ft Jackson we got to learn about the M14, and qualified with it. Fell in love with it! In Special Forces I could get my hands on about anything we wanted to shoot. M14s, M1s, Carbines, BARs, submachineguns, you name it. Still loved the M14, but also the M1. To me it's a tie M1-M14, love them both. Accurate, and deadly. M14 just had a little more fire power, than the M1. Anyway, I think it depends on what you've been exposed to. My opinion. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popcorn Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share #13 Posted January 31, 2015 Looking at the responses, it almost looks generational. Basically what you're exposed to growing up. I grew up in the 50s,& 60s. My vision of iconic rifles were M1s, M1 Carbines. That was what was seen on TV, and movies. Was in the army from 1970-1991, carried M16A1s, and M16A2s. Never really fell in love with the weapon, just nice and easy to carry. AIT infantry at Ft Jackson we got to learn about the M14, and qualified with it. Fell in love with it! In Special Forces I could get my hands on about anything we wanted to shoot. M14s, M1s, Carbines, BARs, submachineguns, you name it. Still loved the M14, but also the M1. To me it's a tie M1-M14, love them both. Accurate, and deadly. M14 just had a little more fire power, than the M1. Anyway, I think it depends on what you've been exposed to. My opinion. SKIP Yup you nailed it. It is what you're exposed to/what you grew up seeing. For myself growing up during the cold war era, the M16 and Ak47 for the "bad guys" almost seemed to become symbols of that period. I think though now with the entertainment media focus on WW2 it will change although it's hard to say with M16 variants still in use. I'm really digging all the responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turmanator Posted January 31, 2015 Share #14 Posted January 31, 2015 M1 but of course I'm older. The younger guys definetly the M16. And of course an American point of view! If I were Brit no doubt the Enfield SMLE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatic Posted January 31, 2015 Share #15 Posted January 31, 2015 I would say M16, but I'm younger. My little brothers would say the M4 (they're super young!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
45ACP Posted February 4, 2015 Share #16 Posted February 4, 2015 I agree with SKIPH & Popcorn growing up in the 50s & 60s I actually saw troops firing M1. And watched "Combat" on TV it has to be the M1. W M1903 a close second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry K. Posted February 4, 2015 Share #17 Posted February 4, 2015 M-14 hands down it's a up dated M-1, AK any model. AR then I guess. I love WW2 Japanese. rifles and Mausers, plus almost any military weapon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagjetta Posted February 4, 2015 Share #18 Posted February 4, 2015 I would humbly suggest the Model 1855 Rifle-Musket With this weapon, the US Army placed the accuracy of rifled weapon in the hands of every member of a Regiment (as opposed to a couple of rifle companies in each Infantry regiment). The Model 1855 (and subsequent 1861 and 1863 models), changed the way Americans conducted warfare, albeit a slow reaction! Whereas later rifles would improve the accuracy and speed with which bullets could be delivered down-range, none have as drastically changed the way we conduct warfare more than the Model 1855 rifle-musket. Just an opinion tossed out for consideration. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKYLINE DRIVE Posted February 5, 2015 Share #19 Posted February 5, 2015 My favorite is hands down the M1 Garand! It is still machined out of full steel, has wooden furniture, not some alloys and plastics and it played a big part in winning the war of the wars! It shoots like a tack driver, it's reliable and well balanced. The more it's not too heavy, at least not for real men. And it looks damn sexy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Walker Posted February 6, 2015 Share #20 Posted February 6, 2015 The 1903 Springfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Walker Posted February 6, 2015 Share #21 Posted February 6, 2015 Here is one photo that I think I've managed to reduce in size while keeping the sharpness of it. Anyway, 1903's, whether Rock Island Arsenal or Springfield Armory are what I grew up with knowledge of. I guess because my grandpa, a World War I vet, always spoke very highly of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMoose Posted February 7, 2015 Share #22 Posted February 7, 2015 I just got one of each gen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilgarvan Posted February 10, 2015 Share #23 Posted February 10, 2015 I can't decide!! M1 is up there for sure....and the Krag carbine in the hands of Theodore Roosevelt's men on San Juan Hill...BUT, what about the era before "rifles"? So....for me the assortment of muskets of the American Revolution are the most iconic! It is clearly a flint lock chosen to be on the combat infantry badge and looks to either be the French made "Charleville" musket or our first...all American made production musket, the 1795 Springfield used in the War of 1812! Great thread and great options! Keep them coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popcorn Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share #24 Posted February 13, 2015 Good point about muskets as they were the fore runners of the modern rifle and iconic. I should have titled the thread rifles/muskets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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