U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1: FM 23-5. The M1 Garand

The U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 field manual is an official United States War Department training publication issued during the opening years of the Second World War, providing soldiers and instructors with detailed guidance on the operation, maintenance, marksmanship, and tactical employment of the M1 Garand rifle, the primary U.S. service rifle of the conflict.

Prepared under the direction of the Chief of Infantry and published by the U.S. Government Printing Office, this manual covers mechanical training, disassembly and assembly, cleaning and lubrication, immediate action and stoppage correction, ammunition, known-distance and combat marksmanship, moving ground targets, air targets, and field firing exercises. It also includes period photographs, diagrams, and instructional tables that reflect the training doctrine used to prepare American infantry forces for combat in Europe and the Pacific.

Beyond its practical value as a technical reference, this manual offers a direct window into how the U.S. Army trained its riflemen at a pivotal moment in military history. The procedures, terminology, and tactical assumptions preserved in these pages document the transition to modern semi-automatic infantry weapons and the growing emphasis on standardized training and battlefield efficiency.

This volume is part of Milstar Books’ expanding WWII Special Collection, dedicated to preserving rare and historically significant military manuals from the Second World War.

This professionally restored reprint is ideal for military historians, collectors of original field manuals, firearms researchers, reenactors, instructors, and readers seeking an authentic primary source from the era that shaped modern infantry warfare.