USGI M1 Carbine acquisition - Quality Hardware

DWalt said:
I have seen a few mentions made of carbines being used by the Railroad cops. Some rail yards can be very dangerous places.

"Carbine" Williams is often attributed with being the inventor of the M1 Carbine. Some years ago there was a fairly lengthy article in the American Rifleman about the Carbine's history which stated that Williams had very little to do with it, aside from his patented short stroke piston that it used. He was on Winchester's carbine design team for awhile, but he was so obnoxious no one else wanted to be around him, and he was much more a distraction than a contributor.
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Typical Hollywood. The true story of "Carbine" Williams' contribution to the development of Winchester's M1 carbine, as you note, is so different than reality. The carbine project manager for Winchester, Edwin Pugsley, was so put out with Williams and his childish, self centered attitude, that he wanted to fire him.

As there is always some truth to the fictional story, Williams deserves credit for his small contribution to the design, the short stroke piston, but the other 85% of the carbine's design was done by the small development team in spite of him.

I find the entire story of the development, manufacture, and distribution very fascinating. After being designed in a short time frame. Ten primary contractors and dozens of subcontractors established manufacturing facilities, tooled up, and produced over six million M1 carbines from 1942 to mid 1945. These contractors were scattered all over the northeast, without computers or fax machines or email or interstate travel, and all the parts had to interchange between the guns made by all these contractors and sub contractors. Frankly, I don't know that over so many could be made in such a short time in the USA today.
 
Some may be familiar withe Remington Model 550-1 .22 semiauto rifle. I have owned one of them since my teen-age years, and consider it the best .22 semiauto rifle design ever made. One of its features is that it will work with .22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle ammunition interchangeably. Mine also functions well even with .22 Short standard velocity ammunition, allowing semiauto fire very quietly, not much louder than a pellet rifle. That is because it uses the Williams floating chamber, a variation of the short stroke piston. I believe that one of the Colt .22 pistols (sort of a clone of the M1911) also does. It is either the Ace or Service Ace, not sure which. I have read there was a .22 training conversion of one of the Browning MGs which also worked on the Williams short stroke piston principle. I have never seen one of those, but would like to.
 
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AJ said:
The LGS here just sold a U.S. M1 Carbine from the DCM in 1966. They had the original shipping box and original receipt. The total was $20.00, IIRC the carbine was $17.50 with $2.50 shipping. Here is the link: Attention Required! | Cloudflare
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I just took a look at that one . . . that's a lot of money for nothing special with a bunch of mixed up parts, and the stock is pretty well messed up with that hunk missing out of it. I guess old DCM boxes are expensive.
 
AJ said:
Maybe you ought to watch the CMP Auction Website. Civilian Marksmanship Program - Promoting firearms safety training! When they have them the carbines are quite pricey.
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I look at the site from time to time. The carbines are all auction items now as you indicated. They haven't had any rack sales in a several years. There are still Garands available as I just talked to an individual at my range that just purchased one. I think the 1911 program has ended. At least there hasn't been anything on the website about applications for future sales. I got a pretty nice RR/Colt at the tail end of the first sale.
 
LostintheOzone said:
I look at the site from time to time. The carbines are all auction items now as you indicated. They haven't had any rack sales in a several years. There are still Garands available as I just talked to an individual at my range that just purchased one. I think the 1911 program has ended. At least there hasn't been anything on the website about applications for future sales. I got a pretty nice RR/Colt at the tail end of the first sale.
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For the better part of 20 years a friend and I went to the CMP North Store. We bought a couple of Garand's and whatever they had we could buy. It has been a long time since I saw a Carbine in a rack there. I was a member of The Carbine Club and was able to buy three carbines before they were offered to the public.
I believe M1911A1's are still being shipped. Maybe they will offer another batch for sale. I have a feeling they will go on the auction page as they will make more money that way.
 
Igiveup said:
I purchased mine in 1965 after I turned 18. From the DCM, $17.50 plus $2.50 for Railway Express. It is a Quality Hardware with the Underwood barrel. I shot it a bunch thru the years, not since the mid-eighties to qualify to buy a DCM M-1 for $165 plus freight.
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I have a DCM carbine that my Uncle bought about 1966. It is the last of the Mohicans, as I have sold off all the others that I had.
 
In the "good ol days" we used to make a yearly trip to CMP in Anniston , Alabama. We would always come back with M1 Carbines, M1 Garands/22 ammo by the case(s). 30/06 HXP by the crate(3-4 50 rd ammo cans full in a wooden box). 22 rifles, bayonets/slings and other goodies.
I once bought a Garand barreled action and built a complete Garand at home that night from parts on hand. My H&R Garand looks factory new. Like it was never issued.
Still have some cases of .22 ball ammo(std velocity) that they were selling for $92 a case.
Only have 3 carbines. A Quality Hardware. An IBM and a Underwood Elliot Fisher marked Bavarian Forestry Police. I also shoot cast bullets in the carbines and Garands. Never clogged a gas port and never will. That's an old wive's tale.
My friend has more carbines and an original folding stock Inland that we shoot some time. Years ago got to shoot an M2 carbine.....That was fun!
 
Mike said:
In the "good ol days" we used to make a yearly trip to CMP in Anniston , Alabama. We would always come back with M1 Carbines, M1 Garands/22 ammo by the case(s). 30/06 HXP by the crate(3-4 50 rd ammo cans full in a wooden box). 22 rifles, bayonets/slings and other goodies.
I once bought a Garand barreled action and built a complete Garand at home that night from parts on hand. My H&R Garand looks factory new. Like it was never issued.
Still have some cases of .22 ball ammo(std velocity) that they were selling for $92 a case.
Only have 3 carbines. A Quality Hardware. An IBM and a Underwood Elliot Fisher marked Bavarian Forestry Police. I also shoot cast bullets in the carbines and Garands. Never clogged a gas port and never will. That's an old wive's tale.
My friend has more carbines and an original folding stock Inland that we shoot some time. Years ago got to shoot an M2 carbine.....That was fun!
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This was part of the Mohicans, before I sold them off to help fund other projects. Pictured is one of every manufacturer and two original M1A1's.
 

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The M-1 Carbine is one of those firearms I wish I could go back in time and buy up a few, along with a nice supply of magazines, back when they were plentiful and not all that expensive because now it is a far different story on locating them and then the asking prices...

I remember gun shows in the 1980s when you can find them plentiful at gun shows, in nice condition, which inflated for prices and taking into account the manufacturers the asking prices would now be $600 - $800. Not buying remorse, but back then that payment would have been a monthly car or rent payment and then wondering what would I use a .30 carbine cartridge for other than fun. Get older and that strictly for fun value does go way up.
 
I keep all sorts of stuff, including Invoices. Pictured below is an invoice from CMP for three carbines at $350.00 a piece. Forgot it had been in 2003. A lot of collectors that were not in The Carbine Club were very irritated with CMP that we got first dibs on those carbines. Have the invoice for another from 2009 for $419.00. Prices sure have escalated.
 

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My first M1 was from the CMP for about $20 bucks. - shipped to my house.

I was young and ignorant and let my wife trade it to my BIL for a piece of furniture she wanted.

My current spouse heard M-1's were first made in June 1942 (her birth month)!

She had to have one so I WENT LOOKING AND FOUND A 11,000 serial number. She has it on the wall in the living room.

In the end it will increase in value.
 
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