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

For this round, I would like to focus on four points as rebuttal to my opponent's presentation of the StG 44: accuracy, power, ruggedness and timelessness. ACCURACY:We have a saying when it comes to rifle marksmanship instruction… "You can't ever miss fast enough. " I believe that my opponent would be wise to keep this adage in mind when comparing the M1 Garand to the StG 44. The standard issue M1 Garand featured an aperture-style rear sight [1], while the StG 44 featured an open, or notch, rear sight [2]. This gives the M1 Garand the advantage for several reasons: Open sights are imprecise, slow to align and are the most difficult type of sight for the human eye to use. [3,4,5]The M1 Garand also provides a sight radius that is almost double that of the StG 44. While this doesn't inherently make the M1 Garand more accurate, it does provide the shooter with the ability to extract more accuracy from the rifle. Minor inaccuracies in sight alignment are exaggerated at your target. A longer sight radius minimizes the effect of those alignment inaccuracies. The difference in the sight radius of each rifle could very easily mean the difference of hit or a miss at longer ranges. [6]The precision and ease of adjustment on the M1 Garand battle sights allows a trained rifleman to quickly make adjustments to zero their rifle for shots at different distances. As stated in my opening argument, a shooter that knows his "come-ups" can, in just moments, adjust their rifle sights to shoot accurately at any distance between 25 and 500 yards without having to make adjustments using "Kentucky Windage". [7]In the event that the shooter did not have the time to estimate range and make a sight adjustment, they could easily bottom out their sights to what is known as "Battlesight Zero". This allows a rifleman to simply aim center-mass and make a hit on a man-sized target anywhere from appx. 35 yards out to 300 yards. [8]POWER:As any Dungeons & Dragons player knows, your first step may be hitting your target, but your second step is doing the damage. All the accuracy in the world won't do a shooter any good unless he has the ability to destroy what he hits. Fortunately, not only does the M1 Garand provide the ability to place a round right where you want it, that 30-06 round provides a punch that is unmatched by the StG 44's 7.92x33. A simple comparison of numbers gives us clear evidence of the superior stopping power of the M1 Garand's 30-06 round:A standard 173gr 30-06 round would have a muzzle velocity of approximately 2,700 ft/s and a muzzle energy of approximately 2,900 ft-lbf. [9] A standard 125gr 7.92x33 round would have a muzzle velocity of approximately 2,250 ft/s with a muzzle energy of only approximately 1,408 ft-lbf. [10] To explain further, muzzle velocity is the speed at which the bullet leaves the muzzle of the rifle. [11] Muzzle energy is the kinetic energy of the bullet as it leaves the muzzle of the rifle. Muzzle energy is an indication of the destructive potential of any given round. [12] Not only is the speed of the 30-06 round greater, but because of its greater mass, the destructive potential is increased to twice that of the 7.92x33. More anecdotal information also gives us an indication as to the power of the 30-06 round. It has been known to penetrate through barriers such as trees and still strike an enemy with deadly force. [13] In fact, as I stated in my opening argument, the penetration power of the round, when used in closer combat, would allow an infantryman to kill up to three enemy combatants with one shot. [14]RUGGEDNESS:I don't imagine that anyone would argue that the rigors of battle place great stress on both the infantryman as well as his equipment. It is important, then, that the infantryman's equipment be manufactured to stand up under these stresses. The StG 44 receiver was built from stamped steel[2] while the M1 Garand was made from forged steel[15]. A forged steel part has the advantage of being stronger than an equivalent stamped part. [16] This provided the M1 Garand with a distinct advantage in durability when the time came for bayonets instead of bullets. Additionally, because the stamped steel dents more easily, the StG 44 is more subject to jamming [17]The British officers who came across the StG 44 during and after the War were unimpressed by the rifle's construction, saying about the StG 44 "… those I saw were poorly made throughout, and bore little resemblance to the excellent craftsmanlike jobs we had come to expect from Jerry at the beginning of the War. " [18]TIMELESSNESS:My opponent states "With all the modern features implemented into a single rifle so early in history, it is clear that the StG 44 is the superior rifle. " While selectable fire and a high-capacity magazine are both impressive features, the M1 Garand can also be considered a rifle ahead of it's time. Aperture sights similar to the Garand battle sights, are still used on rifles, such as the M16, today. [19] Additionally, the most commonly used rifle in the world, the AK-47, which is rumored to have been partially inspired by the SkG 44, actually draws equally from the M1 Garand [20], borrowing features such as it's double-locking lugs, unlocking raceway and trigger mechanism. [21] The M1 Garand has truly withstood the test of time and numbers of these battle rifles are still used in competition today. In conclusion, due to its increased ability to shoot accurately, the incredible stopping power of its 30-06 round, its rugged construction and its timeless value, the M1 Garand proves itself to be the superior rifle. ---------------------------------------------------------REFERENCES:[1] "U. S. Department of the Army Technical Manual No. 9-1005-222-12"[2] en. wikipedia. org/wiki/StG_44[3] . http://www.chuckhawks.com...[4] . http://dougkerr.net...[5] . http://dougkerr.net...[6] . http://www.shootingillustrated.com...[7] . http://becomingriflemen.wordpress.com...[8] . http://cheaperthandirt.com...[9] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[10] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[11] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[12] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[13] . http://military.discovery.com...[14] George, John (Lt. Col. ). (1948). Shots Fired In Anger. The Samworth Press. ISBN 0-935998-42-X[15] . http://www.nps.gov...[16] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[17] Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 57, April 1945[18] With British Snipers to the Reich by Captain C. Shore[19] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[20] . http://militaryhistory.about.com...[21] . http://www.manions.com...