Breaking my handgun addiction, or how I gave an old soldier a new home on the Fourth.

[Grayfox]

Congratulations OP. You're gonna love it!
I got my first M1 Carbine back in 2006. Its a 3/43 Standard Products. Then picked up another from CMP when they had them for sale. That one is a 5/43 Inland.
I consider the M1 Carbine to be the ideal urban home defense rifle. Light, accurate and very fast handling. Its got plenty of stopping power without having to worry about blowing through your neighbor's house as well.
The Inland is just as Uncle Sam issued. The Standard Products now sits in a Choate folding stock with an Eotech 512 on top. This is the one I keep handy around the house.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I bought my first "M-1 Carbine" in 1978, it was the non M-1 but look alike, Universal ($99 OTD). It had a pot medal magazine well, that wouldn't retain a mag by the second summer I owned it. It was stole from the gunsmith while in for a replacement! He replaced it with a brand new Universal, which I dumped immediately! I have probably owned 20 different ones one or two at a time. I currently have a rebuilt Underwood (undated barrel) and a rebuilt IBM with a (as of 20 years ago, functioning) T-3 Night Scope attached.

I believe these are one of the most disparaged home defense weapons out there. If you buy junk foreign FMJ ammo, you should expect the poor results you get. I happened onto 8 (50round) boxes of Winchester 110 gr soft hollow pointed ammo. It shoots just fine (before my eyesight went south it did 2" at 100 from sandbags).

My wife has upper body strength issues like many women. She cannot offhand a full size 20" AR or a full size Mini-14, but she can handle a M-1 Carbine just fine.

Years ago at a gun show I bought an old wooden ammo crate of 99 M-1 Carbine 15 round mags for $3 each, I have kept several for myself and long ago sold the rest at $10 each. While both of my Carbines have bayonet lugs I never bothered with a bayonet (we prefer good field knives instead) I believe in using the oil bottle for both oil and the sling retainer!

Ivan

I once had a never rebuilt, but very used up IBM, imported from Korea. It had big white Korean characters on the buttstock. Nobody would pay $85 for it. I used Goof-off and removed the house paint Korean. Raised the price to $150 at the next show and sold it in the first 10 minutes. Turns out "The American Rifleman" that came the day before, but I hadn't read, had a very nice article about M-1 Carbines! I have never seen one for sale at less than $200 from that minute on! (circa late 80's)
ITB

 

[TeamPB]

Well a lot of what we all saw turned out to be true. It is a keeper and it's name is Duc Jr. Duc was the best dog I ever had and is also a 1943 SG CMP Garand, yep, I name my U.S. milsurps after my pets, so this little guy looks like a Jr. to me. Marilyn is also a keeper and she shoots CMP John C. Garand matches (not this year). She does not care for my Standard Products Carbine, but she looks forward to competing with the new to us Underwood (she likes it). Photos: 1)MK with the Underwood, 2)MK with Toro,3) BK playing with rapid fire at 75 yards.

 

[Gene L]

I kinda wanted one, but not seriously, I guess. Back when they were $125 all day long I didn't have $125 to spend on one and ammo was problematical. All available was FMJ and was essentially plinking ammo. No one thought about using one for a home defense weapon back in those simpler times.

Forgotten Weapons has a couple of episodes on the M1 Carbine. More of these were made in WW 2 than M1 rifles, which I found interesting. The story of their development was informative. Short-time development for a military gun. And very effective.

According to Ian, magazines were the problem with the carbines...they stuck way down and could easily get bent. Probably not a problem if you are not in combat. But if you can get extra mags reasonably, wouldn't be a bad idea.

They were very popular because they were lightweight and accurate enough at combat ranges...but they are a carbine, nothing like the power of a rifle round. I believe they weighed 5.1 pounds. I read a book, "The Last Stand of Fox Company," a Korean War book where Marines first came in contact with Red Chinese troops. A LOT of Chinese troops. The Marines felt like it took a head shot with a carbine to stop the Chinese, whose uniforms were frozen, so the story went. The .30 Carbine round from a long gun has as much energy at 100 yards as .357 at the muzzle, so it's a performer. Definitely would penetrate a frozen Chinese uniform and a Chinaman inside it.

 

[31FordA]

Two M1 carbines I'd love to own; 1- a Rock-Ola made, and 2- one of the paratrooper carbines with the metal folding stock. Did Rock-Ola make any of those? That would cut my number to one.

I didn't know until recently that Rock-Ola was really the company owner's real last name, without the hyphen. I always thought it was named that because it made juke boxes, but some historians think the name gave rock and roll its name.

A very fine collection of carbines you have there.

All the M1A1 paratrooper carbines were made by Inland. You'll run across other manufacturers that have been put in paratrooper stocks, but only the Inlands are authentic.

 

[AJ]

All the M1A1 paratrooper carbines were made by Inland. You'll run across other manufacturers that have been put in paratrooper stocks, but only the Inlands are authentic.

You are correct that only Inland made the M1A1 model. However, they were only made in certain blocks of months, not certain serial number blocks.

There are some real good books out there that will tell you more than you want to know.

1.) War Baby! by Ruth
2.) War baby Comes Home! by Ruth
3.) U.S.M1 Carbines Wartime Production by Craig Reisch
4.)A Collector's Guide to the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine by Bruce Canfield

Have them all from a misspent youth of collecting both models
The Carbine Club and the The Garand Collector's Association are very informative also.

 

[kaaskop49]

Back in the late 60s, a friend's dad had a Winchester carbine he bought from the DCM in 1963, IIRC. Price was $20, also IIRC! Can someone confirm? He treasured that gun. Every time we went to the range, he would put 5 or 10 rounds through it.

As to effectiveness, NYPD gunfighter Jim Cirillo wrote that his unit would keep any M-1 carbine taken 'off the street.' He said it was effective with HP ammo. Not a bad recommendation.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[AJ]

Back in the late 60s, a friend's dad had a Winchester carbine he bought from the DCM in 1963, IIRC. Price was $20, also IIRC! Can someone confirm? He treasured that gun. Every time we went to the range, he would put 5 or 10 rounds through it.

As to effectiveness, NYPD gunfighter Jim Cirillo wrote that his unit would keep any M-1 carbine taken 'off the street.' He said it was effective with HP ammo. Not a bad recommendation.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I have an Inland that my Uncle bought in the 1960's and he hunted wild pigs with it. After he died my Aunt found out I collected Carbines and she gave it to me. Yes, the price was $20.00 in the '60's. Found this on another board.
The M1 carbines sold through the DCM in 1963 were "unserviceable-unclassified, safe to fire". Which meant they could be any condition, new, used, or re-built . They were not classified by condition. They were shipped with no magazine, sling, or oiler. But they were well worth the $20.00, including shipping, that they cost. About 300,00 were sold to N.R.A. members back then. All sales were recorded at R.I.A. and can be verified through the CMP.

 

[sekiarcdr]

I got my Winchester model way back in the 60s via the NRA, for about $20. also my 1911 Colt model .45 for the same amount. Still have both.