Universal M1 Carbine
- Thread starter Jessie
- Start date
Priced about right. Lots of parts do not interchange with military parts and considered a low end copy.
F75gunslinger
Member
Do a bit of online research...they made decent ones and some that needed some tlc to run right. I don't remember the serial number ranges to tell you which ones are good vs. ones that might give you trouble.
I had one, sold it. Bought it from a friend who thought it was Springfield. I sold it for what I paid for it, so no big deal. I did not like the quality at all.
If you just want it for the heck of it, go for it. I decided to save up and get a 'real' one later on down the road.
If you just want it for the heck of it, go for it. I decided to save up and get a 'real' one later on down the road.
Universal M1 carbines have a bad reputation - but they are not all created equal.
There were over 450,000 of them made from 1961 through 1986 and the design varied a lot over that period of time.
The early Universal carbines had 100% parts commonality with GI M1 Carbines. They were essentially a Universal manufactured receiver with surplus GI parts used for the balance of the carbine.
The first major change (in about 1963) was the switch from GI trigger housings to an aluminum trigger housing using the same shape and profile (narrow around the trigger guard, wider around the magazine well). Universal only used this design for about a year before they introduced a second design with a constant width from trigger guard to mag well. These trigger housings were no longer compatible with GI stocks unless they were inletted to fit the wider housing. They started showing up around SN 18,xxx and the conversion continued to around SN 44,5xx and it's rare to find a GI style housing beyond that number.
A second minor change was a change from the GI front sight retained with a key to a sight retained with an allen screw.
The major change occurred at SN 100,000, in part due to GI parts starting to dry up. As Universal incorporated more and more commercially made parts, they started having problems with the compatibility of GI slides with their receivers, as well as issues with using GI gas piston nuts in the gas chambers on their barrels . The result was Universal redesigning the barrel, gas system, recoil system, and receiver on their carbine, making it no longer an M1 Carbine, but rather a new design that looked like an M1 Carbine.
Externally, the most obvious visual difference is the open/skeletonized operating rod/slide assembly where the lug on the bolt is visible in the cut out in the operating rod.
These slide/operating rods actually come in two flavors - those designed for round barrel and those designed for square barrels. Other internal differences are a two piece gas piston and dual recoil springs.
In the mid 1970s around SN 196,xxx Universal switched to their own bolt design. This was a good news / bad news change. The good news is that it used a u shaped recess on the back of the bolt to prevent firing pin contact until the bolt had rotated fully into battery, which resolved the problems with improperly machined commercial receiver bridges that did not always prevent the hammer from contacting the firing pin until the bolt was fully locked. The bad news is that Universal didn't harden the front and rear of the bolts quite enough so they wore faster than GI bolts. Those are areas you want to carefully inspect on a Universal Carbine.
Universal also added a slide lock about the same time, which is a small lever on the right side of the rear of the receiver.
-----
A larger issue with the Universal carbines is the way they may have been maintained over the years. Many people and more than a few gunsmiths may have tried to make repairs with GI parts or other commercial parts that are not compatible with the Universal parts, or they may have used Universal parts from different eras of the Universal Carbine's design evolution.
They can be exceptionally good deals, and once Universal worked out the bugs on the design changes, they produced some decent shooting carbines. But you have to evaluate them carefully for mechanical correctness as well as for wear on the commercial parts.
But if you can find an early low serial number Universal carbine with the GI style trigger housing, it's worth snapping up as the number of commercial parts are small and they are essentially interchangeable with GI carbines.
There are some other gems out there as well. Between 1975 and 1979, Universal made carbines for police departments that specified GI parts. They were called the Model 1000 GI Style M1 Carbine. The appear sporadically between about 308,xxx and 398,xxx. They vary a bit by agency specification from completely GI compatible to not quite 100% compatible but they are great carbines.
If you find one marked like this:
snap it up as that mark indicates 100% GI compatibility.
There were over 450,000 of them made from 1961 through 1986 and the design varied a lot over that period of time.
The early Universal carbines had 100% parts commonality with GI M1 Carbines. They were essentially a Universal manufactured receiver with surplus GI parts used for the balance of the carbine.
The first major change (in about 1963) was the switch from GI trigger housings to an aluminum trigger housing using the same shape and profile (narrow around the trigger guard, wider around the magazine well). Universal only used this design for about a year before they introduced a second design with a constant width from trigger guard to mag well. These trigger housings were no longer compatible with GI stocks unless they were inletted to fit the wider housing. They started showing up around SN 18,xxx and the conversion continued to around SN 44,5xx and it's rare to find a GI style housing beyond that number.
A second minor change was a change from the GI front sight retained with a key to a sight retained with an allen screw.
The major change occurred at SN 100,000, in part due to GI parts starting to dry up. As Universal incorporated more and more commercially made parts, they started having problems with the compatibility of GI slides with their receivers, as well as issues with using GI gas piston nuts in the gas chambers on their barrels . The result was Universal redesigning the barrel, gas system, recoil system, and receiver on their carbine, making it no longer an M1 Carbine, but rather a new design that looked like an M1 Carbine.
Externally, the most obvious visual difference is the open/skeletonized operating rod/slide assembly where the lug on the bolt is visible in the cut out in the operating rod.
These slide/operating rods actually come in two flavors - those designed for round barrel and those designed for square barrels. Other internal differences are a two piece gas piston and dual recoil springs.
In the mid 1970s around SN 196,xxx Universal switched to their own bolt design. This was a good news / bad news change. The good news is that it used a u shaped recess on the back of the bolt to prevent firing pin contact until the bolt had rotated fully into battery, which resolved the problems with improperly machined commercial receiver bridges that did not always prevent the hammer from contacting the firing pin until the bolt was fully locked. The bad news is that Universal didn't harden the front and rear of the bolts quite enough so they wore faster than GI bolts. Those are areas you want to carefully inspect on a Universal Carbine.
Universal also added a slide lock about the same time, which is a small lever on the right side of the rear of the receiver.
-----
A larger issue with the Universal carbines is the way they may have been maintained over the years. Many people and more than a few gunsmiths may have tried to make repairs with GI parts or other commercial parts that are not compatible with the Universal parts, or they may have used Universal parts from different eras of the Universal Carbine's design evolution.
They can be exceptionally good deals, and once Universal worked out the bugs on the design changes, they produced some decent shooting carbines. But you have to evaluate them carefully for mechanical correctness as well as for wear on the commercial parts.
But if you can find an early low serial number Universal carbine with the GI style trigger housing, it's worth snapping up as the number of commercial parts are small and they are essentially interchangeable with GI carbines.
There are some other gems out there as well. Between 1975 and 1979, Universal made carbines for police departments that specified GI parts. They were called the Model 1000 GI Style M1 Carbine. The appear sporadically between about 308,xxx and 398,xxx. They vary a bit by agency specification from completely GI compatible to not quite 100% compatible but they are great carbines.
If you find one marked like this:
snap it up as that mark indicates 100% GI compatibility.
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canoeguy
US Veteran
In the 1980's, a big box sporting goods retailer near my house had Universal M1 carbines on sale, less than $250 as I remember. I bought one, it failed miserably the first time I had it out. As I remember, the firing pin broke or something similarly fatal. Took it back to the store, they replaced it with a new one.
It failed, something also disastrous. Returned it, they gave me another...
The third one was also a piece of, well, it was not optimum. So, it was returned as well.
The clerk at the gun counter had gotten tired or taking in returned Universal M1 carbines, and suggested I take another rifle instead of the Universal. I took a Remington 788 in .223 caliber instead, it was a much better rifle, and one I used for years.
I took from this, in M1 Carbines accept only the original G.I. rifles, and you won't be disappointed
It failed, something also disastrous. Returned it, they gave me another...
The third one was also a piece of, well, it was not optimum. So, it was returned as well.
The clerk at the gun counter had gotten tired or taking in returned Universal M1 carbines, and suggested I take another rifle instead of the Universal. I took a Remington 788 in .223 caliber instead, it was a much better rifle, and one I used for years.
I took from this, in M1 Carbines accept only the original G.I. rifles, and you won't be disappointed
Budnjax
Absent Comrade
stay away
you'll be lucky if you get one that works and even luckier if you ever get your money out of it.
you'll be lucky if you get one that works and even luckier if you ever get your money out of it.
RUN AWAY!!!!!!!!! Junk and you'll never get your money back if you try to sell it. Khar and James River both make new carbines if you can't find an original. I wouldn't take one if it was free......
cgt4570
SWCA Member
I had one with a nice walnut stock. Only sold it because I got a nice Inland original that filled the bill. The Uni always cycled. Accurate. No complaints.
Ivan the Butcher
Member
I bought one new in 75 or 76. Always functioned. Pot metal trigger guard/mag well suffered excessive wear and would retain 15 or 30 round mags. I took it to a gunsmith, and it was corrected by being stolen from his shop. He replaced it with a brand new in the box Universal. I sold it to a gunshop 2 days later, and have stayed with GI ever snice. Ivan
Davinman
Member
i had one w/the under folding stock,bought it in like 1995 for 125 bucks. looked great, but functioned pretty crummy, could never ever get it to cycle more than about 5 rounds before it would jam up, so i traded it for a BLR in 358 win. almost my best deal ever. lolol
eveled
Member
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Thanks for the great post. How do you identify the model 1000 "gems"? Mine fits into that serial number range, but is not marked with the US stamping.
Alpo
Member
Even-up trade, or the gun and some (a lot) "boot"?
Tex1001
Member
I bought one new in 1964 while in high school. It had a 12 groove micro groove barrel. I put a Lyman receiver sight on it and it would roll a tin can at a measured 100 yards.
Mine was mil spec except for that trigger guard. I replaced it with a steel one and it was perfect. So I sold it!
Too soon old and too late smart.
_______________________
I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.
Pogo84
Member
They had a bad reputation (the GI ones) in Korea, they wouldn't shoot through the quilted clothing the Chinese wore and do the trick.
I know, Audie Murphy used one, but his were all head shots.
Even though I knew better, I bought one through the NRA back in the late '60's I think for about $17. A friend just HAD to have a semi-auto so I traded it to him for a nice Remington M700, 7 Mag. Best trade I ever made.
mitch
I know, Audie Murphy used one, but his were all head shots.
Even though I knew better, I bought one through the NRA back in the late '60's I think for about $17. A friend just HAD to have a semi-auto so I traded it to him for a nice Remington M700, 7 Mag. Best trade I ever made.
mitch
Aluminum, not pot metal. Universal painted them rather than anodizing them and with age and some surface oxidation of the aluminum they do look a bit like zinc.
Currently only have the GI but in the past, both the Universal and Plainfield seemed to function ok but never got shot much either.
First, I'm pretty sure not all Audie's shots were head shots, nor dis he exclusively use an M1 Carbine.
Second, it was a combination of the padded cotton and the ice covering it in winter that supposedly, led to the M1 carbine round being ineffective. The argument is that the 30 carbine could not penetrate it. That's however a totally false claim and the reality is that it was just used as a poorly thought out theory to explain the M1 carbine round's small diameter and low velocity, resulting in poor stopping power for an FMJ round.
The M1 Carbine was after all designed to replace the 1911, providing soldiers carrying it a longer ranged, more accurate and easier to shoot alternative. In that regard it was entirely successful.
The other reality is that the M1 and M2 Carbines, while not the perfect man stoppers, were very useful against Chinese human wave attacks given the 30 round magazine, and high rate of fire (selective full auto capability in the case of the M2).
