Traded a S&W 40 cal for M1 Carbine

[500MAG]

I have been wanting an M1 for a while now. Found one on CL to trade for a handgun. Traded my S&W 40 cal Sigma for this Universal M1 Carbine 30 cal. Just got a 40 cal XDm and had a Ruger P95 40 cal, so getting rid of the S&W didn't hurt. was it a good deal?





Any mold suggestions?

[uncle jed]

any idea of the prod. date? the older universals were the better ones if i recall, but i may be mistaken. happens a lot at this age. i got lucky about ten years ago and bought an Inland M-1 carbine at a pawn shop for $300.00 uncle jed

[uncle jed]

Also if you need magazine for the universal I have one of the 5 round plastic mags that will only fit universals , and maybe only the later "60s models at that. if you want it P.PM your address and I'll send it to tou to see if it will fit. it won't fit my Inland uncle jed

[3006guns]

Universals were an alternative to the government issued weapons when sources started to dry up. There is an excellent website that describes the variations through the years and how to tell them apart. The first ones used some genuine G.I. parts, then they started redesigning the gun making their own parts, etc. If yours has the slide that's stamped from heavy steel, keep an eye on the slot that turns the bolt lug. If a crack starts to develop in that slot, cease fire and start looking for a good welder as replacement slides are not to be had. Universals disassemble differently than the G.I. guns also, so don't try it until you find a set of instructions.

I have a Universal and haven't had any of the problems reported by others, i.e. breaking parts, failures to feed, etc. It's a handy little gun and quite accurate. I use Lyman's 311359 115 grain boolit with a gas check and 11.5 grains of 2400 (I'm sure there's a Lee mold also). It's a good load, not heavy but still operates the action nicely. It's probably best to start with 10 grains and work your way up until the action cycles reliably. In my opinion they're not as rugged as the G.I. gun, but they're not used in combat either!

Edit: By the way, never question whether you got a "good deal" or not. Other opinons don't mean squat........if you're happy and enjoy your new toy, then it was an awesome deal!

[Multigunner]

My brother's commercial carbine used a GI spec forged receiver and worked just fine, but a Universal with investment cast receiver belonging to a friend developed excessive headspace after a few hundred rounds.

Money wise I can't say if its a good deal or not, but if the carbine has a drop forged receiver I would say its very ptobably the better of the two weapons to have handy, if concealment is not an issue of course.

[303Guy]

Edit: By the way, never question whether you got a "good deal" or not. Other opinons don't mean squat........if you're happy and enjoy your new toy, then it was an awesome deal!

I'm with 3006guns.

The Mi carbine is a natty little gun with a natty cartridge. I've only handled a few and never fired one one but it's a gun I would like to have. If I could afford one I wouldn't care what it cost! But because I can't afford one I do care and because I don't need one I won't buy one. See what I mean about it being a "good deal"? It was a good deal!

Might I ask you for more photo's? Close ups of the action and so on?

[Uncle Grinch]

By the way, never question whether you got a "good deal" or not. Other opinons don't mean squat........if you're happy and enjoy your new toy, then it was an awesome deal!

I second 3006guns quote....

If you are satisfied. then it's a good deal!

[leadman]

The Lee 120gr roundnose will feed in every M-1 carbine I tried it in. The Lee 113gr flat nose will not feed in 1 of my carbines.
I just bought a SAECO 4 cavity 120gr roundnose that shoots excellent in my Saginaw carbine. Group size is about 1 1/2" to 1 3/4" at 50 yards and feeds excellent. Haven't tried in the others yet but foresee no problema as the profile matches the GI ball better than the Lee.
296 has been the hands down most accurate powder in my carbines. I do shoot some of the surplus WC820 but it is not as accurate.

The Universal I had shot very well and also had the feature of turning the gas piston around so it became a bolt action.