The Last Garand—-The T-31 Prototype
the T-31 Garand was the last design of gun designer John Garand, famous for the legendary M-1 Garand. Believe it or not his last design was a bullpup rifle. It was chambered for .30-06 and could fire fully automatically at a rate of 600 rounds per minute. What is most interesting about it was its gas recoil system. The handguard is actually a gas tube. When fired the muzzle brake directed gas into the tube which created a shockwave that actuacted a piston, which worked the bolt. Unfortunatly the gas system was fragile and any amount of dirt or gunpowder residue in the gas tube could cause malfunctions.
John Garand intended to perfect his design, but retired in 1953. The T-31 project was ended shortly thereafter.
The T-31 Prototype can be found on display at the Springfield Army National Historic Site in Springfield, MA.
Plus a lot of history too.
