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Title:	RIFLE, MILITARY -  U.S. RIFLE T25 .30 SN# 17
Maker/Manufacturer:	HARVEY, EARLE M.
Date of Manufacture:	1949-1951
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 2261
Measurements:	OL:109.8CM 43 1/4" BL: 55.8CM 22"

Object Description:

U.S. RIFLE T25 .30 SN# 17
Manufactured by Springfield Armory, Springfield, Ma. - Experimental select-fire weapon. Gas-tappet system, laminated in-line stock, 20-round detachable box magazine feed. This weapon was used in function test of .30 (T104) to see if fouling would occur at 95 degrees F and 92% humidity. Weapon performed satisfactorily and malfunctions were not due to ammunition. Piston removed from weapon after firing 720 rounds.

Markings:
Receiver: RIFLE, CALIBER .30 T-25/U.S. PROPERTY. (Top): 17.
Barrel: 3.

Weapon transferred to the Museum on 26 January 1959.

Exhibit label: "T25 - German experience with smaller cartridges showed that a small sacrifice in range and power produced greater weapon control and versatility. At the same time, American advances in propellant technology allowed shorter cartridges to give approximately the same range and ballistics as the .30-06 cartridge adopted in 1906."

HISTORICAL SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES:
2SEP45 - 30JUN51 - "As the result (Ordnance Committee Meetings 29132-S, 20 September 1945) a program was initiated in September 1945 for the design and development of a Cal..30 Lightweight Rifle, two experimental rifles had evolved by June 1951, the T-44 and the T-47. In the development of these weapons, stopping or wounding power was considered of paramount importance along with the weight and the selective semi and full-automatic requirements.
The background of the development of a selective fire semi and full automatic lightweight weapon had its beginning during World War II when reports from the combat theatres and from personnel returning from overseas stressed the need for efficient automatic weapons of light weight. The cal. .30 Browning Automatic Rifle, a comparatively heavy weapon, had proven itself to be both efficient and effective. The BAR which is usually carried as a squad or section weapon, is gas-operated, air-cooled, and has a magazine capacity of 20 rounds. Its rate of fire is approximately 300 to 350 rounds per minute at a slow rate, and at fast rate approximately 500 to 600 rounds per minute. It was originally designed as a shoulder-operated rifle, but it had many modifications which have increased its length and weight. In like manner the standard shoulder arm, the Cal..30, M1 had also proven itself superior to any of the semiautomatic weapons used by either our Allies or enemies. The M1, however, weighs 9 3/4 lbs. and is limited in magazine capacity to eight rounds.
In the light of the above considerations the Army Ground Forces, stated in September 1944 that a requirement existed for a weapon that would be similar in size, weight, and efficiency to the M1 rifle, and also lighter in weight that the BAR, the weapon to be fired either as a semiautomatic or full automatic rifle by the use of a change lever. The requirement further requested that the proposed weapon include the modification of the semiautomatic to M1 to include the selective semi or full automatic features to enable the operator to fire either way at will. The automatic fire was to be as effective as the standard BAR as far as dispersion, cone of fire, and ballistic characteristics. The proposed weapon was to include, also, a suitable 20 round magazine.
As a result of this requirement, the Armory was instructed to change the original specifications on a weapon under development, which was designated as the T-20. This cal..30 rifle was the first full modification of the M1 incorporating both semi and full automatic fire. Also, along with the development of this T-20 Rifle, investigations and designs had been undertaken by commercial manufacturers in an attempt to solve various development problems connected with it.
The first model of the T-20, which had been designed with features in mind that would require a minimum change in the parts and tooling of the M1, was delivered to the Aberdeen Proving Ground early in November 1940. The results of the Aberdeen tests indicated that both the performance and the basic principle of operation were satisfactory. However, the need for an iThese interim models, while incorporating semi and full automatic fire and having the feature of the utilization of some of the M1 parts and tooling, were not lightweight weapons in view of latter requirements. The requirement of a lightweight rifle was 7 pounds was stated in May 1946. However, work on a weapon to meet the desired military objectives was actually begun in March 1945 in the Office of the Chief of Ordnance Washington. The rifle under development at the O.C.O. was designed to meet the following desired military specifications: it was to be a cal..30 selective semi and automatic weapon, weighing 7 pounds was stated in May 1946. However, work on a weapon to meet the desired military objectives was actually begun in March 1945 in the Office of the Chief of Ordnance Washington. The rifle under development at the O.C.O. was designed to meet the following desired military specifications: it was to be a cal..30 selective semi and automatic weapon, weighing 7 pounds with an overall length of 42", having a magazine capacity of 20 rounds and sacrificing none of the efficiency and effectiveness of the M1. The result of the effort to meet these specifications was the weapon known as the Rifle, Caliber .30, T25, the prototype of the lightweight rifle designated the T-47. In 1947 this lightweight project which was begun in the O.C.O. was transferred to the Armory.
The T-25 Rifle was a light compact shoulder weapon, weighing about 7 pounds and 41 inches long, which delivered both full and semiautomatic fire, selectively. It was gas-operated, fed by a magazine of 20-round capacity, and accommodated both the straight and conventional stock.
The operational power of the T-25 was derived from the Gas Cutoff and Expansion System, which had been given a practical form in this rifle. Briefly, this system utilizes powder gases in much the same way as steam is utilized in a uniflow steam engine. A metered quantity of gas is bled from the barrel, trapped, and allowed to expand in a unique gas cylinder and piston arrangement. Applied power may be regulated as to magnitude, duration, and rate of application. Forces of relatively low order act over a relatively long distance, thus producing operating energy equivalent to that produced by the Gas Impingement System in which the gas piston gives a very short impulse of high intensity. The lowered accelerations and velocity of the moving parts in the Gas-Cutoff and Expansion System are considered to diminish magnitude of stress and impact values.
The results of the tests of the T-25 indicated that it had above average qualities in performance, effectiveness and accuracy. Although it proved to be incredibly strong, withstanding pressures in head space, and even withstood pressures up to 150,000 pounds without breakage of parts. Nevertheless, its basic weight of approximately 7 pounds proved to be too light for full automatic fire. The requirement for a 7 pound rifle employing the selective automatic feature, with the stopping power and stability of the M1 presented a most difficult problem considering the ballistics, weapon, and operator. The maximum weight requirement was finally determined to be virtually irreconcilable with the other features involved, and the weight specification was allowed to be slightly increased in the model which followed the T-25.
Subsequent to the development of the T-25 Rifle, work was undertaken at the Armory on the development of a lightweight rifle which could utilize some of It was fitted with a drop stock, was 41.25 inches long, weighed 8 pounds, and fired approximately 750 rounds per minute.
The T-37 Rifle evolved into the present T-44 Rifle, whose pilot model appeared in June 1951. In this model a change was made from the Gas Impingement to that of the Gas Cutoff and Expansion System. With lightweight box-construction magazine of 20 rounds, the weight of the T-44 is approximately 8 1/4 pounds; and, as in all previous versions of the lightweight rifle, it incorporates the feature of selective semi and full automatic fire. In the design of this model, which has a bolt action similar to that of the M1, consideration was given to the utilization of tooling which is used in the manufacture of the standard M1 rifle.
The T-25 Rifle, following the transfer of the project from the Office of Chief of Ordnance in 1947, was improved upon and is now designated the T-47 Rifle. Numerous mechanical refinements were made in the T-25 Rifle, and the present version facilitates quick filed stripping, assembly, and rapid removal of the 20-round magazine. In the redesign of the T-25 advantage was taken of a slight increase in the maximum weight specification which was allowed to produce a more stable weapon in full automatic fire. (The areas in which weight was saved in redesign included the magazine catch system and the stock clamp system, thus giving more latitude for incorporating more weight in other areas for a more rugged rifle.) The T-47 weighs approximately 8 1/4 pounds, features a conventional stock and has a straight bolt action.
The T-44 and the T-47 were equipped with bayonet, flash-hider, recoil check, grenade launcher, and bipod.
In the design and development of the lightweight rifle stopping or wounding power was considered of paramount importance with weight and selective automatic features. With the concurrent development of the new T-25 type cartridge, which was undertaken at Frankfurt Arsenal, the new light rifles are considered to have a stopping power equal to or superior to that of the standard military rifle. The T-65 cartridge is approximately one-half inch shorter than the standard M2 ammunition. It is the smallest-size round which is available for an armor piercing projectile and has the advantage of a flat trajectory which increases the probability of a 'hit' in firing at a target of estimated range. The T-65 projectile is presently available in ball, armor-piercing, and armor-piercing incendiary types. This new round can be used not only in the machine gun and in the lightweight rifles but also in the BAR, M1919A4 and six other models by minor conversions of these weapons. Other added features of this shorter and lighter ammunition are the saving in space during transportation and lessened weight to the user.
The foregoing is a brief summary of the evolution and Armory's participation in the development of the new lightweight rifle, two versions of which have been undergoing tests and consideration as possible successors of the standard shoulder arm, the M1. A detailed account of the efforts and contributions of private industrial corporations in this account has been omitted, but it should be pointed out that their facilities and talent have been enlisted when considered expedient."
1JUL51 - 31DEC1951 - "During the period specified, Production Engineering made a complete study of the T-25 Rifle (current designation T-
Notes: Experimental rifle designed by Earle Harvey over a three-year period. Designed for the lightweight T65 round. The first four prototypes were made by Bennel Machine Co. of Brooklyn, N.Y. Serial number 5 made partly by Bennel. The others were made at the Springfield Armory.

DISPOSITION OF OTHER T25s THAT WERE IN THE MUSEUM COLLECTION:
Army# 7065 - T25 SN# 20 - Transferred to Chief of Military History on 11/8/62.
Army# 7072 - T25E1 SN# 47 - Transferred to Aberdeen on 8/7/84.
Army# 8338 - T25E1 SN# 42 - Transferred to Watervliet on 5/18/72.

References:
Stevens, Blake. U.S. RIFLE M14 FROM JOHN GARAND TO THE M21. 2nd Ed. Collector Grade Publications. Toronto, Canada. 1991.

See, SA-MR20-2119 - Function Test of Cartridges, Ball, Cal.30, T104, Conditioned and Fired at 95 degrees F. and 92 Per Cent Relative Humidity. 10 October 1950.

SA-NM11-2030. Notes on Development Type Materiel for the Rifle, Caliber .30, T25, by H. Hawthorne. Springfield, Ma., December 29, 1948.