The M1 was what I was issued when I joined the Marine Corps in 1959, and a Nationsl Match M1 was what I was shooting when I earned my first "leg" on my Distinguished Rifleman badge in 1965. It has a beautifully designed buttstock, which makes it ideal for snap shooting and a reliably adjustable, repeatable rear sight which has stood the test of time on both it and the M14.

As a military weapon, it has its shortcomings: the 8 round (originally 10 round)en bloc clip, the unnecessarily powerful .30-'06 cartridge, rather than the .276 Pedersen cartridge it was designed around, the long operating rod, the gas system, which bled gas off close to the muzzle, and the use of wood in the upper handguard and the length of the barrel are all negatives which, with the exception of the cartridge, its succesor the M14 corrected. Despite its caliber, the M14 remains the premier battle rifle of all time, in my opinion. The only improvement required would be to chamber it for the British .280/.30 cartridge, which the US Army Ordnance foolishly rejected.

Out of curiosity, I once had an M1A built in caliber .280/.30, and it was one honey of a rifle. The cartridge duplicates the .30-'06 ballistics out to 1000 yards (as did the .276 Pedersen) and proved superbly accurate. A sensible military would revive it.