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Incredibly Rare Experimental.22-06 Chambered U.S. Springfield M1 Garand Rifle
LOT 1498
Extremely Rare U.S. Springfield Armory Experimental 22-06 Single Caliber M1 Garand Semi-Automatic Rifle - Serial no. 5342851, 22-06 Single cal., 24 inch round bbl., parkerized finish, walnut stock. Developed in the late 1950s, the 22-06 Single cartridge was part of a series of experiments intended to improve the hit probability of the American infantryman in combat. The 22-06 is a child cartridge of the then-
standard 30-06, necked down to take a 22 caliber loading, with the Single taking one bullet, and the Duplex and Triplex taking a stacked set of 2 and 3 projectiles, respectively. The Single, powered by a full charge originally intended for a 150-grain M2 ball round
at about 2700 feet per second and loaded into a specially prepared M1 Garand rifle, could drive a 50-grain projectile at around 3500 feet per second, exceeding the velocity of most later 5.56mm NATO loadings by a broad margin. If deployed, this combination
would have preserved the manual of arms and most of the parts inventory of the Garand, while greatly increasing the “point blank” range of the weapon. The 22-06 cartridges, like
many novel works to come out of Project SALVO and similar Cold War endeavors, never achieved wide deployment, and conventional loadings of 7.62mm and 5.56mm still remain
the de-facto standard. These cartridges are shown and discussed on pages 646 and 647 of “The M1 Garand Rifle” by Canfield. Weapons configured to take these extremely specialized cartridges are rare sights outside of especially advanced museums, and represent some
of the scarcest artifacts of 20th century arms
development. Aside from the barrel profile and
markings, the exterior appearance of this rifle is very
typical for a post-WWII Garand, with a set of blade
front and notch rear sights, a “DoD eagle” stamped
stock, and standard controls. Between the forearm and the front sight
the barrel shows a distinctive, sharp taper, with a significantly reduced inner
diameter at the muzzle and evidence of chrome bore lining. Additional tapering is present under the wood, with the profile expanding back out to standard 30-06 profile to preserve compatibility with the standard M1 furniture and fittings. The right side of the chamber bears a faint set of Springfield 1958 date/drawing number markings, with “CAL 22-06 SINGLE 1-12” below, denoting the variant and the twist rate. Rounding out the rifle is a “SA” bolt, trigger housing, hammer and cut operating rod, and an “MXR” safety.
CONDITION: Excellent, with 98% plus original parkerized finish, showing some light handling/cycling wear overall. The stock is very fine, with contrasting color between the handguard and buttstock, along with mild storage dings and scratches overall. Mechanically very good.
Estimate: 10,000 - 20,000