Quote:
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Simply put, those in charge at the time decided the advantages of the .276 were outweighed by the disadvantage of the cost to produce and convert to it.
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Incorrect.
As Hatcher documents in his
Book of the Garand, the final chambering decision wasn't a collective one. Every General and other rank seated on the Ordinance Board had long endorsed and recommended the .276 Garand rifle in its 10-rd, clip-fed form for the reasons given in my post you quoted.
Only MacArthur's last-minute veto nixed the adoption of the chambering, and JCG was directed to 're-do' the M1 as a clip-fed 30-06 rifle.
The 'cost' argument aside, the 'mixed calibers' and supply-lines argument is largely self-rebutting when you consider that during Vietnam the U.S. did
exactly that, fielding
numerous cartridges for various U.S. weapons, pistols, rifles and machine guns, ranging from the .30 carbine, 5.56, 30-06, 7.62mm, .45acp, .38Special Ed (in S&W revolvers for pilots), and likely several other cartridges I'm forgetting.
MacArthur's veto was more about personal ego and less about the economics of the supplying the military services.