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The M1 Garand is officially designated as United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 and was the first gas-operated semi-automatic "en-bloc" clip-fed rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S. Patton, the Garand officially replaced the bolt-action M1903 Springfield as the standard service rifle of the United States Armed Forces in 1936 and was subsequently replaced by the selective fire M14 in 1957.