Though famous for its Second World War service, this design was the first widely-issued self-loading rifle adopted for military service anywhere in the world.

It was manufactured for the U.S. War Department from 1936 by four different companies, remaining in service until replaced by the select-fire M14 (itself an M1 derivative) in 1957 – the same year that the British army finally adopted its own Self-Loading Rifle.

The rifle is loaded via ‘en-bloc’ clips of eight .30 calibre rounds. The clip makes a distinctive ‘ping’ when ejected after the last round has been fired. Another quirk involves the bolt, which slams forward as soon as the user lets go of the clip; beware ‘M1 thumb’!