As the title says, wondering where I might find one, thought you guys might have a lead. I'm not that deep into long arms, but have been thinking a long time on picking up an M1. Advice appreciated.
Thanks.

Depends upon your definition of a reasonable price. And there is a wide range of manufacturers of the .30 Carbine, and the relative rarity will sometimes affect the value greatly. Additionally, about any absolutely original and unmodified WWII-era carbine will be much more desirable than a carbine which was rebuilt and modified at government arsenals after WWII, as most were. Many of those will have mixed parts. You might want to do some research on carbines to be familiar with all of the variables influencing value, and there are lots of them. ALWAYS know EXACTLY what you are buying before you write the check. Go to gun shows and watch the listings on GunBroker.com.

About the best you can do today for a price on a purely shooter carbine in any workable condition will be at least $500, and could easily go up to $1000 or more. An all-original WWII carbine in excellent collector-grade condition, especially from certain manufacturers, maybe double that.

Been following the recent frenzy at the CMP.....They got in 2000 carbines from the Army.....Put 25 in each store for sale Feb. 4th........People camped out ALL NIGHT long in line........Rest went to mail order(all around $675.00)......5000 nail orders received at CMP on Feb 1st........Sooo you see they are still in demand.......So I started looking on the action sites....Most USGI M1's were selling at around $675-$800+........Your best bet is gun shows/gun shops/WTB adds & internet. Thankfully I got the ones I have years ago when they were plentiful....In fact shot my Quality Hardware carbine yesterday........There were 9 carbine manufactures that made over 6 millon carbines for & during WW11.........Most of the carbines & M1's are over 50 years old and C&R eligible.......Hope this has been some help.

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S&W Accumulator

It does, all input is appreciated. I checked on GB and saw Saginaw's were running around $2k....ouch. I'd like a clean shooter, would prefer Korean War vintage, we'll see....

The CMP just received a batch of M1 carbines and sold all of them in less than a day, last Monday. They were selling at $685.00. I have been keeping watch of M1 Carbine selling prices, because I want to sell mine at the going rate. The selling prices on the CMP forum have been starting at $850.00 for a USGI common rebuilt one. The people that bought the $685.00 Carbines will be selling them for more than they paid. Many CMP forum members buy from the CMP and turn around and flip the item within a month on the forum for a nice profit. The people that didn't make the cutoff for the limited items, buy them from the flippers on the same CMP forum-it's crazy.

There were actually two Saginaw variations. The earlier one is more desirable. But $2k for a good Saginaw is to be expected. About 5 years ago, I had a friend who found a completely original WWII Saginaw, and paid $1300 for it. That was a good price even then. Those made by Winchester are always very desirable and bring a premium.

I could look it up (LOL!) but I'm condemned to laziness by my Irish DNA, tell me about the "lesser" Saginaw...

All the Korean M1 carbines were of WWII vintage, just updated after the war with a click-adjustable rear sight and a bayonet stud, often rebuilt with new stocks. With few exceptions, the M1 carbines used in Vietnam were the same retreads from WWII. There are also some civilian carbines out there made by other manufacturers, and if you want a shooter, you might be better off finding one of those at a lower price, as there is lesser collector interest in them.

I believe Welcome to Culver's Shooting Page is the sight I went to years ago to study mil-surp rifles. The people there were like at this site; knowledgeable, friendly, helpful.

A USGI M1 .30 carbine is a handy, fun little gun. A AR type rifle would be far more useful.

It's pretty complicated, and I'm not sure I should get into it. The earlier Saginaw production was taken over from Irwin-Pederson's contract, and also took over the I-P assigned SN block(s). I also think there were two locations, Saginaw and Grand Rapids. Saginaw-made receivers use Saginaw S.G. and Grand Rapids used Saginaw S'G' markings on the receiver. Basically, there are those carbines in the I-P SN block, and those SNs assigned directly to Saginaw. There are some references which go into much greater detail than this, and you would be better off consulting them.

If you want a GI carbine, you are going to pay. If you just need something that shoots the 30 carbine round, then you can get a commercial Universal for a lot less.

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Release the Kraken

At our local gun shows WW2/Korea era M1 carbines have about 1,000$ asking price on them. New Universals less, but I understand quality is some good some bad.

New repo carbines are available from Khar Arms/James River/Auto Ordinance & The "new" Inland Manufacturing Co............STAY AWAY from those manufactured by Iver Johnson/Plainfield & Universal......Most are junk and parts will NOT interchange with USGI carbines.

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S&W Accumulator

So just get the right parts for the right gun. Not seeing the issue.

M1CarbinesInc.com

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Release the Kraken

Iver Johnson carbines often used GI parts and would interchange. Some variants of the Universal were problematic. A lightlu used Auto Ordanance with two mags is $569 locally.

But for most people....Just get an AR, Mini 14, AK, what not. Unless you just want one for a sense of history.

Plainfield made carbines for military sale, and quite a few of them ended up in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War (I think those were made for the ARVN), as well as used by other countries. I haven't heard anything bad about the Plainfield carbines, only those from Universal, but I know nothing about Universal's products. IJ later took over Plainfield. I wouldn't turn down a Plainfield carbine if I ran across one, as there is some interesting history surrounding them.

I am in the distinct minority on this, but if I had to make a choice between an AR and a .30 Carbine for serious defensive use, I'd take a good carbine every time.

I suppose everyone knows what gun was used on Bugsy Siegel?

I have many a reason, historical interest primarily.

That, and frankly, the whole black rifle thing has grown extremely wearisome to me. Sure AR's function well, but good Heavens above, I am just about sick to death of 'em and the apparent 'bloodlusting' mindset that seems to go with them at times. Especially annoying is the "Tactical!! Tactical!! Tactical!!!" mantra...not everyone wants a 1913 rail, three attachable lights, zombie squad stickers, electronic optics, lasers, 100 round drum mags, a skull head cerakote job or tribal tattoo etchings....geez.

The M1 is probably the first (I hope) of many Mil-surp rifles in my safe. The history and character of those weapons makes them far more interesting to me than the latest 'plastic fantastic' 5.56 NATO ray gun.....

Take a look at the Mini 14 if you dislike ARs and decide you want a semi auto rifle that is more traditional in appearance.With an Accustrut and a straight 20rd magazine you get a miniaturized M14 replica.

If you do not mind that it is not actual issue, the A O carbines seem well made and functional.

I recently inherited a Universal M1 carbine. There doesn't seem to be much love for them. I haven't shot the gun or even really inspected it. Is there some significant problem with them? Are they safe to shoot? Anything in particular I should inspect before firing? I knew these guns were not highly regarded, and have been considering selling it and buying an AO to keep. I have a mini 14 and an AR, but I like the weight and handling of the little M1.

Universal carbines are in no way unsafe, but the workmanship and parts interchangeability may not be the finest. Best to shoot it and find out for yourself before talking about dumping it. Your opinion is the only one that counts.

You might want to watch the CMP forum. They have a classified section and like here, most guys sell them at a fair price.

Good information above. There are several very good books on the M1 Carbine, and a low dollar investment in research may save you big dollars when shopping. Especially if you spot an original, unaltered one at an estate or garage sale for $250 .

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I did a little further reading on them. Seems they were in business for a long time and made nearly a half million guns. Couldn't have been too bad. Apparently the early guns were "Mil-Spec", but as the parts supply dried up there were some redesigns of some of the parts. I don't plan on interchanging any parts, and the quality of fit and finish on this one seems acceptable. Since I'm interested in a shooter rather than a collector piece, it will probably be just fine.

I see your over in Austin.
Hit some of the local gun shows.
Your town San Antonio and smaller
area shows.

They are there.
Normally $850.00-1100.00 based on condition.
I picked up an decent Underwood with stock pouch/USGI carry
case and three mags and bayonet about 2-3 years ago.
$600.00 IIRC.

That's a good price...

I had one, bought it when my Dept transitioned to the M4, it was a circa 1980 model that hadn't been fired maybe, oh I don't know....200 times? Was in mint condition. Then money got tight. Then I sold it. Then I regretted it. Then I really, really regretted it.

They're great, but I get on History kicks for certain era's and lately the Korean Conflict is on my mind. A reconditioned M1 from that era would be a cool shooter....

Best to buy some of the books put out by Larry Ruth and others. Before you go actually start laying down some serious money. I paid $500 for a Blue Sky when they let the surplus M1 carbines and M1 Garands back into the country back about the mid 89's. My carbine has the stamped adjustable rear sight Sg receiver and winchester barrel. The M1 Garand cost me a whopping $250 and OTD. The carbine had an excellent bore and so did the Garand and the Garand even had a national Match op rod. I walked in the door and it looked like a herd of beavers watching the guys opening up those long boxes checking out the Garands. My Garand had a loose stock so my buddy who owned the place had a bunch of stocks in the back. 20 minutes swapping stocks I got a tight one. No flies on the Garand as it shoots very well. Last show I went to carbines were all over the place regarding prices. Cheapest one I saw with distressed stock wood was about $650 the better grades up to 1K or more. So it pays to shop around. Frank

My advice is if your going to own one, get an original GI contract one and stay away from the aftermarkets, especially Universal.
I've been collecting them for most of my life.
The original contractors were Inland, Winchester, Underwood, Rock-Ola, Quality Hardware, Irwin Peterson, Saginaw S.G., Saginaw Gear, National Postal Meter, Standard Products and IBM.
Quantities varied from each contractor and will dictate price.
I would recommend the book "US M-1 Carbines by Craig Riesch for about about $20 and read it. It is the simplest book that I have found and breaks it down into layman's terms.
Original Carbines (no bayo lugs/all matching) can be well over a $1,000 or much higher depending on contractor.
Government rebuilds will be under a $1,000 but can go higher depending on contractor.
Import stamped ones are not as much and many have had their stocks sanded and refinished by owners which hurts values.
Learn them before you purchase and it will save you money and frustration.
I'm lucky to be from the Detroit area as the NRA and CMP sold tons of them to the Detroit area police departments during the 1967 Detroit Riots for use as a patrol rifle. They were sold to individual officers and this part of the state is "rich" in them but has been drying out as time goes on.
Take your time and good luck, and keep us posted when you get one.

New Jersey has a special deal on M1 Carbines.

Get one at any price and they will throw in three hots and a cot for free.

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Does anyone know the breakdown of which current production carbine mags work and which do not? Originals are no longer common and inexpensive.

The Korean ones that I bought from the CMP in the foil/paper wrapper work great.......Plus the follower has a machined notch in it that will hold the bolt open on the last shot.

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S&W Accumulator

Indeed they are getting pricey. I am happy I have a dozen or so of the originals. There are even those who collect carbine mags.