I have a Universal M1 Carbine clone. Gunbroker prices are all over. This one is near new, has 2 mags, and an ammo can full of milsurp ammo. Ballpark value?

Depending upon condition (as that is in the eye of the beholder) of the carbine, I've seen them for sale locally $475-$600 and they seem to move at those prices. The prices on all carbines GI and Civilian seem to be moving ever upwards. With the ammo addition you might be looking at $850-$900?

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Depending on the vintage and era of Universal, and if it functions 100%, the value will vary some. Not sure how many rounds in the can you have but I would guess $400-500 for the gun, maybe a little more if it has earlier features (wood handguard, etc.)

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

There were at least 2 versions of the Universal Carbine I believe the earlier version being the more desirable. The first generation Universal M1 Carbine mainly used USGI parts, including a USGI bolt locking mechanism. IIRC

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It is the Indian not the arrow

I suspect this is an early version. It was bought new maybe mid ‘70’s, maybe a little earlier. Hasn’t been shot more than a couple of magazines worth. Functioned fine. It does have a wood hand guard.

Early versions are almost all GI... also Plainfield carbines (My home town) were all GI sans the receiver. 600.00 in exc shape.

Save your money and find a US GI issue carbine. Much better off in the long run.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

C'mon...
He HAS this rifle and is looking for a value/price range.

Sorry, misunderstood. Still stand by my statement.

1.) Carbine = $350
2.) 2 mags =$40
3.) Ammo can full of ammo = $200 depending on how much ammo in can.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

A quick and easy way to distinguish the later Universals from the early ones is the operating slide asm. The early guns used a GI part, later they re-designed the gun (often thought to be due to GI parts becoming harder and/or more expensive to obtain). The new slide asm was a stamped and welded part with a cutout above the handle that allowed you to see the bolt lug in it's track. I have seen wooden hand guards on both early and late guns so the slide asm is the best way to identify which it is. From old ads I believe the new versions first appeared in the late 60's though they may have had enough stock to continue selling older versions into the early 70's.

They also re-designed a lot of the internal parts, dual recoil springs, cheaper bolt construction, reworked trigger group. These changes really didn't make it a better gun and, at least among many M1 Carbine fans, affect the pricing. The later guns usually sell for a good bit less than the early ones or other commercial Carbines which stayed true to the original design. Original GI Carbines seem to be starting at $800 and up around here with the low end reserved for well worn and/or import marked pieces. Nice commercial guns like the early Universals, Plainfields etc that I've seen are usually $500 and up. The later guns don't seem to sell unless they are cheaper though I'm sure some are bought by buyers who simply don't understand the difference

My old Buddy got $395 for an early one three weeks ago at a gun show. two mags with it. With milsurp ammo count .20 per round.

I’m not familiar enough with these guns to tell what I’ve got. I opened the bolt and looked but I didn’t see anything that looked like a stamped or welded part. This gun is in near new condition. Has a total of four mags, and at least 200 rounds of factory hollow points as well as another couple of hundred rounds of ball ammo. It’s so slick handling that I almost hate to part with it. But, I have a late model Mini 14 that’s undoubtedly more accurate and hard hitting. It’s also heavier. At my age, heavy is not a good thing. Maybe I should dump the Mini and keep the M1 C.
Can anyone post a picture of an old and new version or just one of them that I could compare?

pictures of the receiver and bolt would help
here are a few resources;

Universal Firearms

Universal M1 Carbine Production History

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It is the Indian not the arrow

I'd say $450-$500 for the package.

You can search Ginbroker for completed sales (and see if they were of similar guns to yours if there are enough detailed photos). But a nice example with the GI parts, four magazines and 400 rounds of ammo (the latter two totals about $200 to me) - I still think $500-600 to the right buyer.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I would test the two back to back to see which one is more accurate.The early Mini 14s are notorious for not being very accurate.

If it was me, I would choose the carbine over the mini 14 if the carbine was an older one and in good shape. You can always get another mini 14 and the new ones are supposed to be far better accuracy wise.

It also depends on what you are doing with them. If just an occasional range round then keep the carbine. If it's going to be hunted with or possibly beat up keep the 14.

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1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

The Mini is a newer one with the heavy barrel. I’ve never bothered to shoot it for groups. Pretty confident it’s more accurate than the carbine. BUT, for its size, it’s mighty damn heavy. I have a couple of AR’s for serious social issues. Decisions decisions.

Stay away from Mi Carbine "Clones" !

Ok. I think this is a new one. Essentially if the serial no. is over 100,000, and/or it has a patent number, it’s a new one. The old ones say “M1 Carbine. The newer ones are “Universal Carbines”.

A Universal M-1 was one of the first new guns I bought in 1974. $170 OTD. It was junk and the magazine retaining latch and mag well were junk pot metal that became so sloppy that mags would fall out while firing! I had it at a gunsmith's shop for repair and all the guns there got stolen. He bought me a brand new replacement Universal. I never fired it and replaced it with one of the 2 IBM's I have now!

I also had a number of old model mini-14's in blue and stainless. They shot terrible!!! Any AR-15 that was assembled half way correct will out shoot them all day long!

Unsolicited advice: Sell the Universal and the mini, for as mush as you can and still make a sale! Keep the AR's and the M-1 ammo and find a GI or mil-spec M-1! You didn't say what size your mags are, most any 15 round mag will function until damaged, after-market 30 round mags are junk from day one!

Ivan

You certainly aren’t alone in your assessment of the Universal brand. I do wonder though, if they are such complete junk how did they manage to sell nearly half a million of them?

A lot of people really poo poo the civilian manufacturers. My father in law bought a universal (which I had advised him against after reading all the internet banter) but honestly it shot well and worked just fine! I probably would have bought one myself eventually if I hadn't found two nice GI's for $600 a piece. Dont stress over the hate, half the people responding didn't even read the original post!Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

I noticed that myself. That’s true of a lot of hate threads like locks and MIM.

I don't want to call people out it is just a trend I've noticed since lurking these boards. I can't help myself from laughing out loud sometimes.Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

When the early M1 carbine clones, like Universal, were first out on the market it was hard to come by real USGI M1 carbines. In 1964 the DCM (precursor to the CMP) released about 140,000 USGI M1 carbines for sale to NRA members but that low quantity hardly even wet the appetite for those wanting a real M1 carbine.

Seeing an obvious market opportunity they started making the clones, in many cases using surplus USGI parts that was plentiful and dirt cheap at the time. The receiver was the hard part and they weren't available, so they had to make their own. The reason people bought the clones was because there just weren't hardly any USGI carbines available outside of the small number released to NRA members.

That all changed in the late 1980's and early 1990's when import laws were changed and a flood of USGI M1 carbines were imported back in the country that had originally been provided to allied countries like South Korea and Israel. Re-imported USGI M1 carbines were plentiful and reasonable and it just about killed the carbine clone market. Universal sold to Iver Johnson and Iver Johnson eventually went out of business.

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- Change it back -

I’m not calling anyone out either. I just find it amusing that folks are so eager to express their negative opinion of XXX, that they fail to actually answer the question being asked. As I previously noted, this seems to be most prevalent when “hate” issues are involved.

I was off a bit in the value. This just sold last weekend on Gunbroker https://www.gunbroker.com/item/785821835

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

No one has mention that the trigger on the Carbine leaves much to be desired and can not really be improved much if at all.

And I have heard shooters say that it takes a certain amount of practice to become proficient with this rifle. Even experienced rifle users have problems with the M1. I have less than 150 rounds through mine. Next, the rear sights are okay for 18 year old eyes but can be a challenge for older fellows.

I do not have a Mimi 14 so can't speak about them . However I do have a 1943 Gov issued M1 Carbine which had been through the armory inspection procedures. I has the bayonet lug added to the barrel.

I do enjoy shooting my M1 and the lighter weight is a big part of the reason for that.

I value the fact that the gun is a legitimate WWII military weapon. It could have been used in combat but the excellent quality of the stock makes me think that at best it might have been in a combat zone but not fired.

Hope this helps.