M-1 Carbine, best new one out there?

6string said:
If you want the best M1 “new production” Carbine, then I’d go with the Fulton Armory “CMP Match”:

Fulton Armory CMP M1 Match Carbine *

Exacting standards to historical specs, match grade accuracy, and best grade materials for newly fabricated parts such as the receiver.
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The OP said he was looking for the “best” out there, and to save wear and tear on an original.

This is an important consideration: The Fulton Armory carbine will retain its value or appreciate. They are always in demand.
All the others are like used cars….once you take them “off the lot” you lose half of your money through depreciation, even if you don’t fire a single shot through them!

Think about it!
 
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AJ said:
The originals were "Minute of Chest" what more do you need? The M1 Carbine was never meant for shooting matches.
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Neither was the Garand, the 1903, the 1911 pistol, the M14, the M16, the M9 pistol, etc, etc…..
BUT(!) there are specific matches for ALL of the above!
The CMP holds service rifle matches for the M1 Carbine.

Yes, you can buy a nice WWII original for the price of the Fulton Armory CMP Match. But, you won’t win any matches with one!

Fulton Armory: “ Built to comply with CMP Rule 5.2.1, our M1 Carbines dominate the CMP Games year after year”

To me, that pretty much defines “the best”.

(Notice with the other brands mentioned here, the back and forth discussion involving some level of mistrust concerning the quality of each?)
 
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I acquired my humble assembly of USGI carbines in the golden era when they were plentiful and inexpensive. They way they have gone up in price I consider them to be part of my retirement portfolio.

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6string said:
Neither was the Garand, the 1903, the 1911 pistol, the M14, the M16, the M9 pistol, etc, etc…..
BUT(!) there are specific matches for ALL of the above!
The CMP holds service rifle matches for the M1 Carbine.
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I was referring to the actual military weapons, not civilian matches. Spent 24 years on active duty and never saw a M1 Carbine Match firearm. Saw plenty of M1's, 14's & 16's and M1911A1's & M9's, but never a carbine.
 
Faulkner said:
I acquired my humble assembly of USGI carbines in the golden era when they were plentiful and inexpensive. They way they have gone up in price I consider them to be part of my retirement portfolio.

attachment.php
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Got an Irwin Pederson? I never saw or held one in all of the hundreds I looked at when collecting. Then a year ago a friend found one in a small western Pa. gun show, less that 50 tables! Cost him $3500.00.
 
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Accurizing

There is a reasonably inexpensive and relatively effective technique to accurize the M1 Carbine, which involves glass bedding at the recoil plate and at the barrel band. Also, there should be a precise tension flex of the barrel between those two points. I do not pretend to know how to do all this, but I can say when it is correctly done, it makes the carbine accurate enough for a shooter to participate in a practical shooting contest. Maybe that is the kind of "match" that was meant.

My gunsmith did not glass bed mine, but he did use some wood filler and some carving/repair of the stock at the recoil plate and did confirm the proper barrel flex, which tightened the 50-yard groups. I dash about from tree to tree shooting at 50-yard (max) milk jugs which have a little paper four-inch circle taped on them. The accuracy is plenty good enough.

The problem is mag changes which are awfully inefficient, especially the kind of mags with followers that "hold open" after the last shot. Every other carbine in the contest is going to have faster more reliable mag changes. Did you ever hear of anyone winning a PPC match with one of these?

Furthermore, after extensive research on the subject, I am now sure that nobody, including present company has any idea how to make this carbine as reliable shot after shot and mag after mag as every other carbine at the match.

Kind Regards!
BrianD
 
Bullet Bob said:
"match grade accuracy"

What kind of match?!? Being from the Missouri part of NC, I'm going to have to see one of those shoot.

And what the heck is an "AO"? Adjustable Objective?
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Every year at Camp Perry.
 

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Everyone who is giving advice about original carbines always going up in price, keep in mind that they will only go up as long as someone is interested in it. Try selling an old original thumb print 1873 Winchester. As soon as the baby boomers are gone and the gen Xers are on the way out, the old gun market is going to tank.
Everyone complains about gun shows, it’s because the only interest in guns that the later generations have is driven by video games and movies. They have no sense of history. My buddy was just remarking at work the other day that his 27 year old son, that still lives at and works from home, couldn’t tell him who fought in WW I.
I have never bought a gun thinking it was an investment, those days are over.
You want a M1 carbine to shoot and have fun with, buy a reproduction, you want to invest in something, buy gold or land.
 
I have friends who each have a new production carbine; one an Inland, the other an Auto Ordinance. Both appear to function well and seem to be accurate. Obviously, accuracy can mean many things to different people. Not saying these two brands are the best, but they are more or less one half the price of a similar condition surplus U.S. M1 carbine and do come with some warranty.
 
AJ said:
Got an Irwin Pederson? I never saw or held one in all of the hundreds I looked at when collecting. Then a year ago a friend found one in a small western Pa. gun show, less that 50 tables! Cost him $3500.00.
Click to expand...

I've often wondered about the Irwin Pedersen carbines since the government never accepted any of them and the firm went belly up. Saginaw took over their operations and used some IP parts during their startup, but where did any whole IP carbines come from?
 
Bullet Bob said:
"match grade accuracy"

What kind of match?!? Being from the Missouri part of NC, I'm going to have to see one of those shoot.

And what the heck is an "AO"? Adjustable Objective?
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There are no match grade accuracy standards for an M1 carbine, The standard for carbines produced in the 40's is 4 MOA. they were tested by government employees at the plants and rejected if over 4 MOA.

I have one that shoots 3 MOA with a Win barrel that measures 1.0 using a ME gauge. That's as good as it gets. They aren't tack drivers. None of them.

AO is Auto Ordnance probably.
 
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LostintheOzone said:
There are no match grade accuracy standards for an M1 carbine, The standard for carbines produced in the 40's is 4 MOA. they were tested by government employees at the plants and rejected if over 4 MOA.

I have one that shoots 3 MOA with a Win barrel that measures 1.0 using a ME gauge. That's as good as it gets. They aren't tack drivers. None of them.
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IBM rebuilt by Fulton armory. 100yds offhand.
 

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Faulkner said:
I've often wondered about the Irwin Pedersen carbines since the government never accepted any of them and the firm went belly up. Saginaw took over their operations and used some IP parts during their startup, but where did any whole IP carbines come from?
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There some whole ones manufactured, but not accepted for service. Then SG took them over and assembled them on IP receivers. It is rather convoluted, and as they are rare they are sought after for big money.
 
Marshal tom said:
I would like to obtain one. I'd love to have a really nice old one but the prices are pretty crazy! Which of the currently manufactured ones is the best quality?
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The OP's original question was about "best quality", not accuracy. As far as newly manufactured carbines, "you pays your dime, you takes your chance" as the saying goes. If the new ones will hold up as well as the originals, only time will tell.
 
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target tech said:
Everyone who is giving advice about original carbines always going up in price, keep in mind that they will only go up as long as someone is interested in it. Try selling an old original thumb print 1873 Winchester. As soon as the baby boomers are gone and the gen Xers are on the way out, the old gun market is going to tank.
Everyone complains about gun shows, it’s because the only interest in guns that the later generations have is driven by video games and movies. They have no sense of history. My buddy was just remarking at work the other day that his 27 year old son, that still lives at and works from home, couldn’t tell him who fought in WW I.
I have never bought a gun thinking it was an investment, those days are over.
You want a M1 carbine to shoot and have fun with, buy a reproduction, you want to invest in something, buy gold or land.
Click to expand...

Firearms aren't a good investment. Everyone knows that. I don't think the OP is talking about investments. He wants a shooter carbine.

Look here.
Just a moment...
Ask for a barrel ME gauge pic. <2.0 is a shooter. Parts are available to rebuild if you need them.
 
Irwin-Peterson

In past research on the Irwin-Peterson Carbine I had for many years, they had only made 2000 some complete weapons, but were not accepted because of Rockwell hardness test of the metal. Their contract was given to Saginaw along with 50,000 receivers and parts which sounds like a lot. You can research forever and get dozens of answers, but of the 6.2 million carbines made by 11 manufactures, the Irwin-Petersons are the rarest. The one I had, had the bayonet lug, lever safety, and micro rear sight, so that gun was made some time after 1943. I still have an early Rockola Carbine with the flip rear sight, push button safety, and no bayonet lug that came back during the War.That Carbine has killed a big bunch of Coyotes.
 
Echo40 said:
... They're almost as annoying as the "It ain't a Colt, then it ain't no 1911/AR-15!" or "If it ain't select fire, then it ain't no M4!" Brigade.
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Funny, when I served we referred to our M1911A1’s as our “‘45’s” and our M16A1’s as our “rifles”. No one ever cared what company built them.
 
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