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M-1 Carbine, best new one out there?

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Marshal tom

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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?
 
I don’t understand the insane prices either. It’s not like there were only fifty manufactured. They’re not scarce or rare so why the insane prices. I bought a half dozen really nice ones in the early 90’s for $99 each and bought a collector grade Inland paratrooper all original for $400. Same goes for 1911’s. Hundreds of thousands are out there but the prices are nuts. Again in the early 90’s I bought a 1917 Colt US Army issue in near new condition and a Remington 1944 Government marked for a small fraction of what they run now.

Interesting side note, I sold my collection several years ago and forgot I had the DCM paperwork on one of the 1911’s. I still have it and should sell it to a collector but the price the original civilian buyer paid was $25.
 
I have handled a Kahr and heard of the Inland (brand name, not WW II manufacturer) carbines but have not shot either.

With either at or near MSRP, careful shopping 'may' find you a WW II example, but probably a mis-matched arsenal rebuild or a re-import that will still be fully functional.
 
I have one of the "new manufactured" Inlands. I picked mine up while I was running a gun shop for a friend. I bought it to save wear and tear on my 2 originals (Winchester and Saginaw Gear). I have not shot it nearly as much as I would like, other things have taken precedence. My "new" Inland is slightly more accurate than either of my originals. (Supposedly the "new" Inland barrel bores are held to tighter specs.) The "new" Inland shot well with some old Winchester White Box ammo but the Aquila ammo was dirty, with an erratic ejection pattern and barely acceptable accuracy. The "new" Inland is manufactured from castings and the action is not quite as smooth as a forged original. I did have to take a file and sand paper to the stock sling cutout as it was too tight but that was only 30 minutes of work and a touch up with Tung oil. I also changed out the supplied push button safety for a rotating safety lever after I accidently dislodged the magazine when I meant to push the safety off. (Same issue the US military ran into originally.)
Bottom line I am happy with my "new" Inland but I haven't tried one of the Kahr productions.
 
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Fulton Armory

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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I know that Chiappa makes some really nice ones, but they are chambered .22LR or 9mm rather than .30 Carbine, so that might not be what you're looking for.

LVSteve said:
In before the 'If it isn't GI, it's not an M1 carbine' brigade.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
Click to expand...
$2,799!!!!
Fainting from sticker shock.
 
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.
Click to expand...

$2799.95 . . . that's a lot of money even for an original USGI. That's a whole lot of money for a USGI receiver only rebuild.
 
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.
Click to expand...

Can buy a very nice WW II for what the Fulton Costs.
 
I have an AO M1 carbine with an aftermarket para-stock. My opinion, of the commercial M1 Carbines, the AO is probably the better bet. The AO is made to mil-spec so just about any USGI parts will fit and work, least way on mine. The full walnut stock it came with was very nice with fit to metal very good. I put the para-stock on mine cause I wanted to. It’s ok not great aftermarket stock, looks good but has a wobbly wire stock. A small wood screw in the pistol grip solves that. The AO shots well, about a minute of barn door at 50 yards. Twenty five yards is much better but still produces a pattern vice grouping. Honestly, it’s still a fun piece to shoot. As others here have said, for a bit more, and with some looking about, you could probably get a genuine USGI M1 for a little more then the AO price tag.
 
Echo40 said:
I know that Chiappa makes some really nice ones, but they are chambered .22LR or 9mm rather than .30 Carbine, so that might not be what you're looking for.



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.
Click to expand...

That shouldn't be annoying. Certainly nothing wrong with originals. They generally hold value better than copies and are more desirable at resale time, should it come to that. Facsimiles may, in fact, be better than originals in some ways, but they will always be replicas.
 
rockquarry said:
That shouldn't be annoying. Certainly nothing wrong with originals. They generally hold value better than copies and are more desirable at resale time, should it come to that. Facsimiles may, in fact, be better than originals in some ways, but they will always be replicas.
Click to expand...

Have to agree with what he says. Originals vs replica's..........originals alway win for value. Originals go up almost as soon as you buy one, the replica's go down. Just sayin'!
 
"AO" is Auto Ordnance, a brand owned at one point by Numrich. They also made 1911s. but the contour of the front of the magazine well was weird. Kahr bought AO and manufactures their products under that brand. Kahr recently sold Thompson-Center back to an earlier owner. No idea about parts interchange, but Kahr's production almost has to be better than under the Numrich ownership. Possibly better than some wartime examples.

The design intent of the M1 Carbine, was a replacement for the 1911 for some troops-like artillery crews. Much better hit probability. My personal experience with genuine mil spec versions was minute of standing man at 100 yards.
 
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