Curious. 30 M-1 Carbine value.

[OverMax]

Recently acquired a 30 cal. M-1 carbine. Different than the average I've seen as of late. Has a military type wire collapsing stock that tips off to its left side w/its oiling tube intact w/oil in it. Not an aftermarket stock by any means. Barrel is stamped by its front sight. (IBM.) Has a serial number starting off at #3million 3 hundred 90 thousand. Or a 7 digit one. Wood and everything else is in really decent shapes (no cracks or bad dents seen) condition. Considering its age. No rust and its military grade bluing (gray color) is in tact from its wire stock all the way to its barrels muzzle. This rifle is completely functional and smooth in its bolt cycling. {Well kept by its previous owner no doubt.} Barrel bore is bright and shinny with very good rifling. In front of its bolt on its receiver it states_ US carbine 30 cal. M-1.
On it receiver wood near its pistol grip. It has a stamp RIA >BE or E2 as its kind of hard to make the stamp out without a magnifying glass. But its still there after all these years. Fellows I've tried to detail as best I can. So, who, what, & where do I have? and whats it worth in your valued opinion? Yes that would be nice to know for its new owner.

O/M

[10-x]

Have any pics? You describe a M1 A1 .30 Carbine, most were Inland's, used by Airborne Troops in WWII. Have a book on Id'ing them in the shop. What kind of rear sight's on it? Have a bayonet lug? Push or flip safety? The RIA is Rock Island Armory that made lots of Military stuff in Both wars. IF original, could be good $$$. Let us see it!

[John Allen]

Check the manufacturer of the carbine. It is under the rear sight. As 10X stated pics will help alot. Also check to see if it is an import or bring back. It will be stamped on the barrel sides if it is an import.

[Outpost75]

If it is a legit M1A1 and not a put-togther, it is a valuable collector piece.

I'm no expert on these, but if it has the early safety, simple 2-leaf flip aperture sight and no bayonet lug, you should find a knowledgeable collector to authenticate it. I don't believe IBM made any WW2 A1s, but some carbines were converted to A1 configuration for Korea and still more in the early Vietnam era.

Even a put-together rebuild using mixed original GI parts brings $1000 in VG+ to Exc. and if early features, not rebuilt from parts, you can double that.

[Goatwhiskers]

I just hate to think I bought one back in '66 or '67 in like new condition for the princely sum of $55. Would keep 'em inside 1" at 100 too. Went back to college in '69, felt I needed the money and sold it with a 310 tool for a measly $75. Hindsight is always perfect. GW

[felix]

Goat, don't feel bad for one second! I sold a custom 257 Roberts conversion of a K98 set trigger job taken off of a dead sniper while at the Rhine crossing by a friend of my dad's. Price was 125 bucks in 1962 for my schooling at MU, Columbia MO. ... felix

[jimb16]

I will claim to have some level of expertise since I am a collector who collects the very rarest carbines. I can tell you this much....without detailed photos, I wouldn't even hazard a guess at value. Havine said that, I can tell you that IF the stock is real and in good condition, it is worth at least $900 by itself. It sounds like the carbine MAY be real, but it would be a rebuilt carbine. The markings you mentioned confirm that much. Depending on authenticity and condition, (assuming a real M1A1 stock) Value could range anywhere from $1200 up to $2500. Without seeing detailed pics including the insides, I can't narrow it down any better.

[OverMax]

Answers to 10Xs questions.

1.What kind of rear sight's on it? Front sight: is a stationary blade pinned with side guards that have one 1/4" hole drilled into each side of its guards.
Rear sight: Is a single peep that's adjusted up & down on rails by a nice size screw & knurled knob. It also has a simple mark chart mounted on its rear just under its peep for simple left & right adjustments. The whole rear sight itself is dovetailed into the rear part of its receiver.

2. Have a bayonet lug? Yes it does. Sleeve looking mount that hugs the barrel and goes under its wood cover > Someplace? I can't see without removing its barrel wood cover.

3. Push or flip safety? Flip!! as it has a little lever only seen on one side. The Right side.

As far as posting pictures. I had a Dell with windows 98 pro that recently went to pot. Now I have another dell with windows 7 home. A completely different system then I'm use too (in regard's to Photo Bucket.) Haven't figured how to go about it yet with this new OS. Maybe I can make arrangements with a friend to post my pix's soon. I think I can do that.

[10-x]

Bayonet lug= rebuild. Look under the rear sight, use a bright light and see if you can see the mfg. ,should be Inland. I'll check and see if IBM made barrels for Inland. There were lots of subcontractors that made M-1 parts ,some mfg's made barrels, bolts and op-rods that other mfg's used on their carbines.

[OverMax]

Got a look at the name under its rear sight. With the wife's help holding a bright flashlight and a borrowed magnifying glass from our neighbor. Real hard to see but I got a glimpse all the same. Its reads the same as its barrel. >I.B.M Corp. I don't think this one is a rebuilt having matching I.D.s. (One logo on its barrel and the same seen on its rear area punched into its receiver.) So there you have it fellows. Its a true blue IBM made. Stem to stern. So one of you fellows got a ball park figure what its worth? Its at least 80% or a tad better in condition. You'll see when those pictures are posted if my friend agrees to help out.

O/M

[Nickle]

If the M1 Carbine situation is anything like the M1 Garand's (and I'll wager it is), then many of the earlier rifles were rebuilt after certain events.

I have a 1943 vintage Winchester M1 Garand. It's not original. Nope, I'd even be leery of one that was truly original. Why? Because that would mean it stayed in decent shape and never went to rebuild. Seeing that Winchester production Garands supposedly all went overseas, that would in turn mean it wasn't used much. It likely could've happened because it had problems that prevented such use. Sounds strange, but substitute Colt M16A1 for Winchester M1, change the dates to the late 60's/early 70's, and I'll tell you that's exactly what we thought then (in the military, as end users).

So, the fact that the barrel and receiver match doesn't make it original. They barrel could've been in good condition at rebuild time.

And, I do know of enough M1 Carbines that someone switched the stock to an M1A1 stock. They did it because that's what they wanted.

[WineMan]

Original M1A1's were Winchester or Inland. It is an IBM and obviously has rebuild parts (rear sight, bayonet lug band, flip safety, M2 mag catch (long leg)??). Is the stock original or a an aftermarket part? Carbines were rebuilt to this configuration after WW2. Some were made with the M2 cut in the side. The sand casting buttplate number is usually where people make the determination of original or a reproduction. You need to post pictures to let the forum give you their opinion. Not hard to do, just need a smart phone or decent camera, Photobucket or some other sharing service. Someone here can help.

Dave

[10-x]

+1 for what Wineman said. The casting mark on the butt plate and the color and rivets on the leather cheek piece are indicators. However, an IBM is worth more right off the bat. Need pics.

[10-x]

OK, according to 2 reference books, IBM mfg 346,500 .30 Carbines or 5.7% of total Carbine production. There are 2 ways to look at this, take the IBM out of the M1-A1 stock and find another issue stock, sell the M1-A1 stock if it's original. Keep or sell the IBM(I'd keep it) We need pics of the stock. Regardless, the Carbine is a rebuild for the Korean war. IBM used slides from Inland, trigger housings from National Postal Meter, sears,recoil plates,triggers,and hammers from Underwood(the typewriter mfg) Not sure about the RIA mark, they were post WWII Armory/rework stamps. RIA"EB", RIA"FK" and RIA"FK2or FK3".

[OverMax]

10X

Casting numbers seen on the spring loaded folding cast butt plate. > 257614
Has a leather insert behind its >lube oil tube & mount. Leather surface is mounted so its facing a right handed shooter. It appears the whole assembly oiler & leather backing plate are held in place by 3 steel rivets. No cuts or scars in the leather surface are seen.
So you fellows now have got all the info needed to make an informed decision concerning its ballpark value?
Like I said earlier its in Very good shape. I haven't been able to get a-hold of my friend. He and family must be out of town for the holiday weekend. So it appears for the time being no pictures.

Post script: Keep in mind I have no ambition to sell this rifle or strip its original folding wire stock. I'm just asking those in the know what it's worth?

[10-x]

OverMax,
Reproduction M1 A1 stocks have been around since the 70's, sold in The Shotgun News. (I had one)I forget the name of the company back then that put them together from left over and repro parts. Just because it's in good shape has no bearing on if it original. Pics are needed before any sane person would say anything about originality and worth. For instance, are the rivets that hold the leather piece on the stock rolled flared or just flat on the back?. IIRC the original numbers on the butt plate ended in 3, I would have to get the books back out. Get some pics.

[jimb16]

Original barrels were normally not replaced during rebuilds unless they were in bad shape. What markings are on the front sight? Markings on the trigger housing, slide, hammer, barrel band etc... are also important. So far you really haven't given us much to work with. Almost every part except springs were marked on carbines. For every part, there were 3 or more variations/types. Evaluating a carbine can get very complex.

[OverMax]

Evaluating a carbine can get very complex. >NO KIDDING!!< with all the time I've spent lately in its examination. Without intentionally hurting anyone's feelings here. Now is time for me to say> forget~about~it. O/M

1.So far you really haven't given us much to work with> please!!

[WineMan]

OK, real Carbine no stock $300. Real M1A1 stock alone $300. Repro M1A1 stock $75. All IBM and or IBM subcontractors Carbine no stock $400. Decent Type A stock and two rivet handguard with IBM subcontractor markings $150. All IBM regular stock and Carbine, $600+. Real M1A1 stock and IBM Carbine $900 (all in today's inflated dollars). No pictures, Bupkis. The forum looks at hundreds of pictures and can tell the wheat from the chaff. Look at Gunbroker or a similar auction and see what similar Carbines are selling for.

Dave

[OverMax]

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=349875446

Only difference between mine and this one seen on G/B is its Safety. Mine has a 1/4 turn lever not the button type. And of course was built by IBM. Sorry, for being so impatient.

[10-x]

Not hardly, the 1 you describe has been through REBUILD..............

[jimb16]

"Real M1A1 stock alone $300. Repro M1A1 stock $75. "

Where???!!! I'll buy a bunch at that price! Try $900+ for a real M1A1 stock and $150+ for a repro.

[10-x]

Still waiting for pics................no pics, no Carbine.

[WineMan]

My bad, I had looked at some Ebay values and scribbled down the notes. It looks like I left off the "1" in front of both. My point is the same as everyone's: You have a nice M1 Carbine, it is worth between $800 and something north of $2,000 depending what someone will pay for it. It is not an original M1A1 that went to D-Day it is one that someone put into a stock with a later build date, whether the USGI or some individual who likes M1A1's. Put it out for sale and see what happens. Maybe a week's viewing of "Pawn Stars" or "Cajun Pawn Stars" will set them right. Original ones are pretty cool especially if the pouch is with them. Later ones are still nice but the whole M1 Carbine value is really out of whack IMHO. Heck mine has an IP trigger guard but it is still a M1 Carbine (no I don't want to sell it). Why you wont post pictures is a mystery to us.

Dave