How long is the American M1 rifle?

The American M1 rifle, also known as the M1 Garand, is approximately 43.6 inches (110.5 cm) in total length.

The M1 Garand was the standard service rifle for the United States armed forces during World War II and the Korean War and was also used to a lesser extent in the Vietnam War. It was named after its designer, John Garand. It is a semi-automatic rifle, which means it fires one round each time the trigger is pulled, without the need to manually operate a bolt or other mechanism to load the next round. This was a significant advantage over the bolt-action rifles of the time, which required the shooter to manually cycle the action after each shot.

The M1 rifle is chambered for the .30-06 Springfield cartridge, a powerful round capable of long-range accuracy and significant stopping power. The rifle itself has an 8-round en bloc clip system that automatically ejects after the last round is fired and allows for relatively fast reloading, especially in comparison with other standard-issue rifles of that era.

The rifle's overall length gave it stability and accuracy at long ranges, but it was also somewhat ponderous in close combat or for highly mobile troops. After World War II, more compact and lightweight assault rifles began to emerge, which combined the portability of a submachine gun with the power and range of a full-size rifle. Despite its eventual replacement by the M14 and later the M16, the M1 Garand remains an iconic weapon in the U.S. military history, often praised with the quote attributed to General George S. Patton: "The greatest battle implement ever devised."