This is the ‘greatest rifle ever made’ according to R. Lee Ermey

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly characterized the operating system and capacity of the M1. It is a gas operated rifle that has an eight-round capacity.

This is his rifle. There are many like it, but "Ginger Dinger" is his.

That was the name 'Gunny' R. Lee Ermey gave his beloved M1 Garand rifle. It's been heralded by General George S. Patton as "the greatest battle implement ever devised."

In an era of lever-action or bolt-action rifles, nothing can compare the speed and accuracy of a semi-automatic that uses the high-pressured gas from the cartridge being fired to do all the work for you. All troops had to do was just pull the trigger, the spent shell is ejected, the next round is chambered, and you're ready to fire again. At the time of it's creation in 1936, this was an absolute game changer.

Once you pop in a eight round en-bloc clip of .30-06, the M1 Garand becomes one of the most reliable weapons any service member has been issued. It was issued to the U.S. Army in 1938 and has seen service in World War II, Korean War, and selectively used in a sniper variation for the Vietnam War.

Currently, it is still available for civilian ownership and is widely praised by collectors and marksmanship competitors.

The U.S. Military still uses the M1 Garand for ceremonial purposes by drill teams. It's said that they are also very well balanced, spin easily, and present well.

Also, both pronunciations are widely accepted. As in it's either "Gahr-rund," as if it rhymed with 'errand,' or "gur-rand," as if Tony the Tiger was trying to say 'grand.'

Check out the video down below if you want to watch R. Lee Ermey sh*t talk during a shooting competition with British Rifle Expert Gary Archer in his show "Lock 'N Load with R. Lee Ermey."

Related: This is the military branch R. Lee Ermey says Marines made fun of the most

*Writer's Note: At first I mistakenly attributed the M1 Garand as a recoil operated rifle with a five round clip. This is not the case and I own up to my mistakes. Thank you to everyone in the comment section.