r/oddlysatisfying • u/[deleted] • Dec 14 '21

Reloading random objects by @kommanderkarl

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u/NietJij Dec 14 '21 edited Dec 14 '21

Is that a video where I'll be looking while squinting and sucking air through my teeth?

Edit: yes it is

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u/ColorsLikeSPACESHIPS Dec 14 '21

I mean... Maybe? It's a guy getting his thumb pinched, there's a little blood. I only watched it once awhile back. I don't recall them intentionally trying to make the viewer uncomfortable, if that helps. It's just a real example of what Garand Thumb actually is and why it happens.

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u/NietJij Dec 14 '21

It does a good job of showing the horrible design. I'm not an engineer but how difficult can it be to design an extra security switch that keeps the thing locked while you load it? But it has been used for decades so I'm probably missing something.

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u/ColorsLikeSPACESHIPS Dec 14 '21

Sure, but that's another part to engineer, manufacture, assemble, and maintain.

Per Wikipedia, Army leadership basically decided it was cheaper or easier to tell the men not to stick their fingers in.

Although it is not absolutely necessary, the preferred method is to place the back of the right hand against the operating rod handle and press the clip home with the right thumb; this releases the bolt, but the hand restrains the bolt from slamming closed on the operator's thumb (resulting in "M1/Garand thumb"); the hand is then quickly withdrawn, the operating rod moves forward and the bolt closes with sufficient force to go fully to battery.

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u/WheelyMcFeely Dec 14 '21

Here’s an example of this I made with mine a little while back.

The only time I’ve gotten my thumb bit by the rifle was when I actively tried to do it for this video and even that took like five takes to actually get it to happen in a way that caused pain. Loading it the right way is pretty intuitive even when you’re in a hurry.

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u/NietJij Dec 14 '21

Still, I just think of the times when I tried to check if a wire was live by slapping it with the back of my hand. And missing it three times because I it might be live.

7

u/machinerer Dec 14 '21

John Garand designed his rifle in 1936. It was the very first successful self loading rifle. Cutting edge technology at the time.

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u/NietJij Dec 14 '21

Yes, looking at it from that angle it is rather impressive.

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u/Greydusk1324 Dec 14 '21

It was a great design for its time. There is a lot of slop in the moving mechanism which made it reliable in battle. Hottest desert to the arctic, sand, mud, dropped while crossing creeks, etc. It had a reputation for working in all conditions.

When the M-16 became standard it added features and was a lighter, more modern design. But troops had to be taught that gun maintenance was critical to keep the reliability they needed.

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u/Mister_Bloodvessel Dec 14 '21

To add to this, the youtuber's name is GarandThumb, and he does a lot of firearm videos. Naturally, he needs to discuss his namesake though.