The M1 Garand was superior to any other rifle in service during WWII.

In this round I will move to illustrate how the points my opponent has made are not substantial in the scope of this debate. While the points of accuracy, power, ruggedness and timeless my opponents has made are undeniable valid, they do not further the argument as it pertains in this debate. In each I will explain how the StG 44 remains the best rifle of World War 2. Accuracy: Accuracy is the product of 3 forces. The user, the rifle and the round. The user being an obvious source of error, can indeed be aided by more refined sighting systems. A rifleman using a 10x magnification scope has an overpowering advantage over someone using the same rifle but limited t iron sight. A rifle with a long, properly seated barrel contributes to the accuracy of a shot. The longer the barrel the more time the gases have to impart their energy upon the bullet, providing higher muzzle velocity and higher speed. The Garand has a barrel length of 24 inches, while the StG 44 only has a barrel length of 16.5 inches, a significant difference. Lastly, the weight and shape of a bullet will determine it's external ballistic profile. A heavy bullet will be less motivated by wind, and spitzer or boat tail features can reduce the aerodynamic drag of the round. For comparison, the M1 Garand fires a 174-grain (11.3 g) round while the StG 44 fires a 125-grain (8.1 g) round. Yet despite these figures falling into the Garand's favor, it does not yield the title of superior rifle. While the StG 44 fired a lighter bullet out of a shorter barrel, it was still accurate enough to hit a man sized target out to 300 yards. With most battles falling between the 200 and 300 yard marks, a rifle accurate out to 800 yards offers no significant advantage to the realities it must face. If a rifle were measured based on it's long range accuracy alone,armies would be fielded armed only with .50 BMG sniper rifles, well known for their abilities to hit targets a mile away. While the M1 Garand was unarguable better at long range, it was not expected to be a support weapon. It was designed to be a front lines battle rifle, a theater that stripped it of any significant value. In terms of actual combat, the M1 Garand and StG 44 were just as accurate as one another. Power: Again, publicly available data will indicate that the M1 Garand, with a heavier bullet and much larger charge producing a powerful muzzle velocity will undoubtedly impart more energy onto its unlucky target. However again, this argument avoids a key facet of reality. Once a target is killed, killing it more offers no advantage in the battlefield. As my opponent has said multiple times, the powerful .30-06 round has the power to pas through it's target and retain enough energy to do it again twice over. While a chilling testament to it's effectiveness at column formations, it also illustrates how unnecessary it is. As with all combat ammunition issued to today's military, the 7.92ï¿½33mm Kurz round is described as an intermediate cartridge, in that it falls between the two extremes of full sized rifle ammunition, like the .30-06, and handgun ammunition, like the 9x19 parabellum round used by popular handguns and submachine guns today. These rounds offered manslaying power out to the ranges they were expected to perform, 200-300 yards, and no more. This practical limitation allowed for ammunition to be no lager than necessary, giving more capacity in weapons and more spare magazines in battle. Ruggedness: The rigors of combat have shifted dramatically since the time of the First World War. Rifles were expected to perform as spears to dismount infantry, and long fought battles offered realistic opportunities to have both sides depleted of ammunition. Weapons of this era are unquestionably better suited to be used as clubs and spears, with quite literally swords mounted on the front. However, the technological leaps of the Second World War saw that these forms of combat diminish in the importance. Modern weapons can't hold a candle to the melee potential of American Civil War rifles, yet no one will argue that a Kentucky Rifle can defeat a M16A4 in combat. Among other weapons fabricated from stamped steel construction is the AK-47, quite arguable the most rugged rifle every made, despite any denting risks. Timelessness: While no doubt the M1 Garand is a wartime classic, fetching lofty prices by collectors and forever ingrained in the minds of Americans, a great deal of this can be attributed to the Allied victory of World War 2. After the war the German military was dissolved and all progress the could have been was split between the emerging superpowers to be employed in their coming Cold War. The M1 Garand went on to be the M14, still used today as a Designated Marksman Rifle in Afghanistan by US forces. However, seized stocks of StG 44 rifles after the war were distributed to many north African and Middle East nations at the time, and examples have been found in the hands of the Vietcong during the Vietnam War, and even as recently as insurgent forces in Iraq. Despite being rare collector's items, these weapons remain functional combat rifles in the hands of militia groups around the world. To conclude, the points my opponent has made are no doubt valid, they do not impact the core of this argument, which is to be the most effective battle implement. Thank you. -DS