M-1 Carbines

[Grayfox]

My Zombie rifle.

Standard Products M1 Carbine with a few modifications.

I also have a stock as issued Inland. I love these little rifles.

 

[bettis1]

In my lifetime the "utility rifle" (I'm talking here of the 'always with you' rifle that rides in working ranch pickups throughout Texas.) has evolved from a M94 .30/30 Winchester to an M1 .30 Carbine, to a Ruger Mini-14 .223 to an AR-15 .223. I don't have any statistics to back it up but that is my perception. Frankly, I am still very comfortable with any of those selections in that role.

Bob

 

[reddogge]

Since it was designed to be an alternative or replacement to the 1911 pistol it wasn't a main battle rifle, rather a lightweight back up weapon carried by officers and non coms. In that function it served well. It was never designed to be competition to the M1 Garand.

I have a 1944 with all of its original parts. Great little rifle.

 

[jag312]

An M1 is nice, but this is the one everyone really wants.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Here's a fairly rare M1 carbine from my collection. It's a Standard Products carbine, in its original configuration with all original parts, including the magazine. It has escaped being upgraded with sights, bayonet lug, rotary safety, improved mag catch, etc. It's just as most M1 carbines were issued during WWII. I get so annoyed when I see movies on WWII where they are using later furniture on the M1 carbines used in the movie about an earlier era - very few carbines used in the war had the upgrades, and then only late in the war.

This one is just the way it was. It was made in early 1944.

 

[bummer]

An M1 is nice, but this is the one everyone really wants.

I wish I had one with the Happy Lever. Mine is a NPM u marked receiver with a Springfield Armory 1951 barrel. Man I miss the 80's when they were imported buy the boatload

 

[Marshall 357]

I have always wanted a M-1, but I too bought a Mini-14 because .223 ammo is easier to find. Iam not a big fan of the small .223 but with 2, 40 round mags filled with Hollow Points I think it will get the job done.

 

[GatorFarmer]

I have always wanted a M-1, but I too bought a Mini-14 because .223 ammo is easier to find. Iam not a big fan of the small .223 but with 2, 40 round mags filled with Hollow Points I think it will get the job done.

If you're using 40rd mags in a Mini, make sure that you have PMI mags. Those are the only 40s for that gun that I'm aware of that have a good reputation for working consistently.

 

[Muley Gil]

I've shot a bunch of M1 carbines. They are fun guns.

Back in the '70s, I was a deputy sheriff and the department armorer. The chief deputy had an M2 carbine and had me clean it. I made sure it was REAL DIRTY first!

 

[lackejd]

M1 Documentation

My dad got an M1 carbine in November of 1965 through some type of NRA program. It is a Quality Mfg version. The gun is in outstanding shape. I think he probably has put a grand total of about 50 rounds through it. It has the sling, oiler, and all the goodies with it. We were having a discussion several years ago, and I told him that of all his worldly possessions, there were only two things that I really wanted to inherit, his M1 carbine and an old beat-up 16 gauge Winchester Model 12 that he bought new. That 16 gauge has probably had several truck bed-fulls of shells shot through it. Thankfully, he is still alive and doing well, but he surprised me one day by giving me the M1 and accessories. Anyway, sorry for the long story, but I found some really neat documents where he bought the gun. I attempted to take a few pics of the documents. Look at the price that he paid for it.

 

[m1gunner]

Those prices from the 60s will tend to fool you. Don't forget an ounce of gold was $36. The $400 carbine the CMP is now selling is less than that 17 buck one the NRA sold

When adjusted for inflation, surplus guns are as cheap or cheaper than they were in the 60s.

 

[lackejd]

I'm really not being fooled, as I am aware of the effects of inflation. With that being said, I bet there are not too many people with a receipt where their pops bought one in 1965. Not trying to start a debate over which purchase would be the better deal, I was just sharing what I considered to be a neat piece of documentation associated with the gun that I currently own.

 

[K.38]

The M1 Carbines are nice rifles to be sure. I got a CMP Winchester SG a month ago and I happened to mention it at work one day. A couple of the guys spouted off at how useless they were and that a M1 couldn't kill and commie if it had to.

An old Korean War Vet happened to be standing close by. He said to think about this, 110 grains going @2000 fps is in the realm of a .357. Then he asked to 2 guys there how many commies they had shot. Neither had shot any or been in combat (not sure if they had even been in the military). He then said if the shots were less than about a 150 yards and with good shot placement the commies he met were no more. He said in his opinion the main cause for carbine failure was poor shot placement and trying to shoot to far. It was designed to be a replacement for the .45 not the Garand after all.

 

[NE450No2]

Take a look at the Cor Bon 30 Carbine DPX ammo.

Kinda pricey, but I have heard it is good stuff for serious use.

 

[FHBrumb]

I have a gold plated one from Universal. folks have warned me that some of them were known to fire out of battery. Mine is of an older generation when many GI parts were used, and less likely to do so. But it's still hard to trust it...

I'd LOVE a good (and trustworthy) M1 Carbine. It's an exce;;ent up close rifle. It's light and hits as hard as a 357 Magnum, with good loads. Corbon has a DPX for it now, and Gold Dot has a load out too.

 

[swamprat]

Neat little rifles and they love cast bullets.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Although I've loaded cast bullets for the M1 carbine, I'm reluctant to shoot a lot of them. When you think about it, minute amounts of lead will get into the floating piston chamber and over time, foul it up. Then it's going to be a b*tch to unstake the retaining nut and un-foul it. Not worth the trouble. BTW, the reason all GI M1 carbine ammo has been non-corrosive from the start is that it's too much trouble to unstake the retaining nut when the floating piston fouls up from corrosion. Same deal with lead bullets. I've shot them; they work great, but you're going to pay the price sooner or later.

 

[mkk41]

About 5 years ago , the CMP was selling genuine USGI Lake City M1 carbine ammo for around $5 for a box of 50. Sealed spam cans of 600rds were about $45.

 

[Snotwad]

Great guns, shoot up a lot of GI ammo and reload with half jacket soft and/or hollow points. It works.

 

[dant]

well my 2 year,5 month old Grandson, Colin, discovered the "fine" attributes of the M-1 carbine this morning, he's holding a late 1944 Postal Meter built by Union Switch & Signal................