The end result offers Information Age function and design along with Old World parkerized steel and stained walnut.
However, todays M1A Tanker has some remarkably deep roots.
Around this time engineers began experimenting with a shortened Garand for use by airborne troops and the like.
That initial effort was marked M1E5 but classified as the M1A3.
However, it fared poorly.
This new gun incorporated a folding steel pantograph stock that was both unwieldy and uncomfortable.
Additionally, the sluggish powders used in wartime .30-06 ammunition lit up the countryside unduly when fired after dark.
They eventually produced 150 handmade samples before running out of steam.
Two of these homebrewed weapons were shipped back to the United States for evaluation.
This rejuvenated the previous project and catalyzed yet another updated prototype designated the T26.
The T26 had its barrel shortened from 24 to 18 inches and sported a pruned forearm to match.
Soon this endeavor was overshadowed by such stuff as the island-hopping juggernaut and atomic bombing.
As a result the T26 project got canned as well.
The military is hard on its toys, so most of those prototype rifles were ground up during testing.
The sheer novelty of the things makes them unimaginably valuable to a dedicated Garand nerd.
As a result, enterprising folk sold gobs of military surplus guns.
The Army didnt cling to its Grease Guns through the First Gulf War because they were awesome.
We kept using the Grease Gun because it was small.
So clearly, compact size was an important feature.
There are just better places to keep your cat.
However, there yet remains a persistent need for a handier version of a full-sized .30-caliber rifle.
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