![](media/image1.jpeg){width="8.253472222222221in"
height="1.207638888888889in"}

**Fact Sheet #4**

**POST-WWII RIFLE DEVELOPMENT**

During World War II, wartime experience with the M1 Rifle showed the
need for a lighter rifle with a larger magazine capacity and
\"selective\" fire (full or semi-automatic) capability. The search for
these sometimes incompatible goals dominated the history of Springfield
Armory during its final two decades.

Experiments to improve the Ml, designated the M1E series, began as early
as December 1942. Modifications, such as the White, Ljungman, and short
tappet systems, and the M1E5 \"carbine\" followed. All \"E\" series
rifles were semi-automatic and retained the 8-round, Ml-type clip feed
system. John Garand completed the T20 in October 1944. The first of the
\"T\" series, it was equipped with a B.A.R.-style magazine and a
\"lengthened\" Ml receiver and had selective fire capabilities. The
T20E1 and T20E2 followed with further variations. In 1945, procurement
of 100,000 T20E2\'s was ordered, but the atomic bombs brought an
unexpectedly quick end to the war before any of the improved rifles were
purchased.

Concurrently with Garand\'s T20, a competitive contract was awarded to
Remington Arms Co. Remington\'s prototypes, T22E1, T22E2, T22E3 and the
T27, were designed around a standard Ml receiver, with as little
modification as possible. Like the T20, the T22\'s used a B.A.R.-style
20-round magazine.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="5.997222222222222in" height="1.3625in"}

**T27 rifle**

The T23 and T24 rifles were merely Ml\'s converted to selective fire,
but retaining the 8 round capacity. These were the last of the \"T\"
series to use the .30-06 cartridge.

German developments in late WWII with smaller cartridges and American
advances in propellant technology allowed a shorter cartridge to be
developed with about the same range and ballistics as the .30-06. As a
result, the U.S. adopted a new cartridge, designated the T65. Earle
Harvey\'s T25 was the first rifle designed around the new cartridge.
Shorter and less powerful cartridges opened up additional design
possibilities. Studies of WWII German weapons led to the development of
the T28 chambered for the T65 round. This weapon used low-cost
fabrication methods. The prototypes were tested by late 1948, but the
design was discarded as a result of poor reliability in the 1950
Aberdeen and Fort Benning trials.

Following World War II, the Clarke Arms Co. of Boston, Mass., produced
the T33 series. The design was rejected due to lack of reliability and
the Clarke Arms Co. was dissolved in 1954.

In his last major project before retiring, John Garand developed the
innovative T31. Using the T65 cartridge and having selective fire
capability, the T31 project had been suspended by the time of Garand\'s
retirement in 1953. The T31 magazine, however, was retained and
eventually used in the T44 program.

Meanwhile, experiments were done to convert M1 rifles and B.A.R.\'s to
the new T65 cartridge. The first Ml\'s were converted in 1948 and
designated T35, followed by the B.A.R. conversions, designated T34.
While Ordnance officials continued to favor the Harvey T25 rifle, the
T20 series, derived from Garand\'s Ml, was retained\--possibly as a
backup in case the T25 fell through. In its final form (October 1951)
the Harvey rifle evolved into the T47. As problems persisted with the
T47, the Garand types were given a new lease on life. The long receiver
T20E2\'s were converted to the now-standard T65 cartridge around 1949
and designated the T36 and T37 series. These\
led to the T44.

Trials held at Fort Benning in 1952 showed continuing trouble with the
T47, and it was dropped the following year. Attention now shifted to the
Belgian FN and the early T44, both of which had outperformed the T47 at
Fort Benning.

The Summer of 1953 nearly brought an end to the T44 program. Tests
conducted at Fort Benning revealed problems with the magazine design and
the T20E2 receiver of the early T44\'s. By August it was recommended
that the T44 be dropped and development of the FN continued. Later,
these recommendations were modified only to permit the T44 to go to the
Arctic tests later that year. Col. Roy Rayle, the new commander of
Springfield\'s R&D division, viewed this as the last chance to save the
Springfield design. Lacking time and funding to redesign the receiver,
technicians at Springfield fine tuned the existing T44\'s and submitted
them for the trials beginning Dec. 8, 1953, near Fairbanks, Alaska.

Unexpectedly severe problems with the FN during the Alaska tests granted
the T44 a stay of execution. Nevertheless, by 1954, U.S. acceptance of
the FN seemed almost assured. The Army decided to produce an
\"American\" FN to test production methods. The High Standard Co. of New
Haven, Conn., was given the task of converting the metric drawings to
inch dimensions, making suggested changes, and producing the first 12
rifles from the drawings. Later, Harrington & Richardson was awarded the
contract to produce 500 of these rifles, designated the T48.

Concurrently with the T48 project, the Army decided to produce 500 of
the redesigned T44 (designated T44E4). In further rounds of testing, the
T44E4 performed at least as well as the T48. Overriding objections of
the NATO allies, the Secretary of the Army announced on May 1, 1957 that
the T44E4 had been approved. Designated the M14, this weapon was slated
to replace the M1 rifle, M2 carbine, and M3A1 submachine gun. Production
did not begin until 1959.

Studies from combat injuries in several wars indicated that a wound is
more likely to be inflicted by a piece of shrapnel or a stray bullet
than from aimed rifle fire. Based on these findings, Project \"Salvo\",
begun in 1952, for a rifle that would spray a deluge of small caliber,
high velocity projectiles from multiple barrels. This project was
underway at the same time the more conventional T44 and FN were
competing.

Developed too late to be a competitor to the T44 and T48, the AR10,
designed by Eugene Stoner, suffered from insufficient testing before
being submitted. Withdrawn from trials in 1956 after a barrel blew up,
it nevertheless impressed Gen. William G. Wyman, commanding officer of
the Continental Army Command (CONARC). During 1957-58, working for the
Armalite Division of Fairchild, Stoner began development of the AR15 to
CONARC specifications. By scaling down the AR10 to .223 caliber, Stoner
developed the prototype AR15 in less than nine months and turned it over
to the Army for testing. Armalite\'s lack of a large engineering and
test staff caused its prototypes to show poorly in testing in 1958. It
was this rifle that later evolved into the M16.

**Text & images: Springfield Armory NHS, US NPS**