M1 carbines

[Ithaca Gunner]

The M-1 Carbine is one of those forever on my short list of rifles to have in the safe along with M-1 Rifles, 1917 Enfield, Trap Doors, about any Mauser sporter, and Pre-war1894 Winchester Carbine. I don't feel complete without at least one of each.

[Lloyd Smale]

I feel your pain vis not so good trades -- IF I listed my stupid/bad ones it would be a question whether I'd first run out of paper or ink...
BUT -- I "had to have" a M1 Carbine years back, and purchased one of the Hialeah, Florida made Universals. (I understand Universal made great, good, and not-so-good versions: mine was clearly in the last group!) Anyhoos -- with much thanks to a fellow site member, who has become a ~1,000-mile distant friend -- I now have a Quality carbine which, to say I adore, would be an understatement! I was able to trade off the Universal locally which helped $$$-wise -- but I did give "more than a grand" for the Quality Hardware carbine. Now... this has been one of the best purchases I've made!
YES -- some (at least this ONE!) m1 carbines ARE worth the big bucks!
geo

i had a universal too and it was a total you know what.

[Lloyd Smale]

I was buying M1 carbines for less than $150 back in the early 90’s when I had my ffl. If I only knew , I would have stocked up . Oh well, we all can say that about a lot of things.

yup its like when the prison here switched to 40s and sold off all here k frames. I bought 5 for a 150 bucks each and gave 3 away to buddys. Should have bought every one they had. Screwed up again 2 years ago when the same prison sold off all there glock 22s and bought 19s. My son in law had a cousin working there and came over one day and said they were selling 22s for 275 bucks with one mag. I told him to get me one. About a month later i asked him if he was still getting it. He checked and said all the used ones were gone but they had 10 new ones with 3 mags for 300. I laughed when he said " i dont know if you still want one" With the mags it was cheaper then a new one. I should have bought 5 of them!! But i was just starting on the new house and was afraid to dump any more money and i already had 2 22s as it was. Still though i kick myself all the time over that stupidity. The big gun crunch hit about two months after i got it and i could have probably doubled my money in a month!!!

[Shawlerbrook]

Lloyd, I can think of a few like that. In the early 90’s a ffl holder could get 1917’s & 1914’s for $125-150 and mint Swedish Mausers(38) for the same. Mosin Nagants for $75. Now you would get a heck of a return for your investment.

[georgerkahn]

i had a universal too and it was a total you know what.

A fellow at range has a very early Universal-manufactured M1 clone -- bion, made mostly of GI parts -- and I cannot ever recall it failing at matches or his general range shooting. Based upon this, I thought I was getting quite the deal on the Universal I bought. Lo and behold -- the TWO operating springs should have been a "clue" -- mine was a problem machine and definitely did not like cast bullet loads. Fellows knowing more than I do (who doesn't? ) advised that Universal was -- like, say Charter Arms, and Dan Wesson -- a company using same name but having different manufacturing. While the two others I mentioned seem to maintain high quality throughout, sadly, I was told, those Hialeah, Florida-made Universal were most often "the pits"!
Was yours, too, one of the Hialeah 'wonders'?
geo

[Der Gebirgsjager]

My favorite. It's an AMAC from the early '80s.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the M1 Carbine is to be found in a very extensive online article. Manufacturers, how many, when, etc. Just Google "M1 Carbine" and it will come up. I wish the author would turn it into a book, but he's a very self-effacing fellow and says that he just doesn't know everything. What he does know, and the data he has collected will astound you.

I joined the NRA in about 1966, and it wasn't too long when I got my first carbine for about $20 delivered. It was a Standard Products with an Underwood barrel. Then I encountered a barrel full of them at Newberry's Dept. Store and selected another for about $35. Just luck of the draw, but it turned out to be a Standard also. Then, in the '90s the returns from S. Korea hit the marked, stamped "Blue Sky Enterprises." I got a Winchester, like new, but with the importer's name stamped on the barrel. I liked those three so much, and realized that they were climbing in value, so decided to buy an Iver Johnson as a "knock around gun." It's taken me lots of years and lots of guns to realize that I keep all of my firearms in pristine condition, and never knock any of them around! Shortly thereafter I got the AMAC version. Turned out that the AMAC is a tack driver, but the Iver Johnson not so much. In fact, after many years of periodic frustration, I had to add an Ultimak scope mount and scope to the IJ to get it to perform well.

Around 30 years of gunsmithing taught me that the early Universal and Plainfield carbines were good, but later production should be avoided. Stay away from cast receivers made by Nat. Ord, Fed Ord, Alpine, etc. The IJ and AMAC guns are generally good, but can be highly individualistic. I've heard no complaints about the newer versions by Inland and IMI, but have never owned or shot either version. I had a customer bring in one of the redesigned double recoil spring Universals once who complained that it jammed. The left side lug of the bolt was eating into the receiver inside the rail (soft) and was hanging up to the extent that one had to disassemble the rifle to unfreeze it. Had to buy a new receiver.

DG

[Ithaca Gunner]

Thanks, I'll look for that article. I have the book, ''War Baby'' which has production numbers and details of who made what when and how many on each contract. It even goes into some detail of the factories, testing, and deliveries. Very good book, but pricey these days.

[444ttd]

my late grandpap had a 30 carbine that he brought back from WW2. its now my dad's rifle.

[Larry Gibson]

I've had numerous M1 Carbines over the years. Also had access to shoot many M1 and 2nd while in the Army. Used one to affect in the late SE Asian war games.

Attachment 291656

[Finster101]

Larry, what is the suppressor setup on that one?

[Texas by God]

In the blind hog finds acorn X 2 category, a co worker asked me if I would give him $400 dollars for his .30 Carbine. I said bring it and I'll look at it( suspecting a Universal). It was a rare Howa Sporter model, the only one I've ever seen. The cute little thing eats cast superbly. It even came with a red leatherette case- which sealed the deal for my wife to claim it........
The X2 part was a couple of years ago my cousin called and said that a guy at his work wanted $400 for a "30 carbine". It says Inland on it- is it worth it?
I yelled at him on the phone "Hang up and BUY it!!!
The front sight got de-eared and the stock Bubba checkered but still a nice score!

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[Der Gebirgsjager]

Say, Amigo...the front sight replacement on that de-horned carbine is pretty easy if you know how (which I'm sure you do, but others may not). Just knock out the cross pin, then knock out the "key" under the sight back to front. Tap off the sight off the muzzle. Install new sight in reverse order.

I learned this the hard way, about 1966 on my original carbine. I can't remember why I wanted to remove the sight, but I hammered away and destroyed the pin and key. My dad, being a fix-it kind of guy, said we could just solder it back on without the damaged parts. Doggoned if it didn't work, and the solder completely filled out the key slot and pin hole, even coming out the side of the holes in a rounded shape looking like the ends of a pin. Except, that it was silver colored. Many times I've thought about melting out the solder and restoring it to original with new parts, but it looks so good, why bother?

DG

[samari46]

I bought a Blue Sky about 10 years ago for $400. Stock was badly messed up. So the dealer who was right behind the carbine dealer had a brand new old stock for $65 with stock and handguard. At the time decent carbines started taking off in price to the tune of $650 and up. Mine is a Saginaw steering gear with Winchester barrel. Nice bright shiney bore and good all the way to the muzzle. Did manage to get some WWII 15 round mags and a couple of the 30 round Korean mags. I have one 50 round box of WRA 44 headstamped ammo that was repacked. That I'm saving. Frank

[35 Whelen]

I was a blind hog a few weeks ago. The son-in-law of one of my besties tells me he found a gun in an unclaimed storage unit that he bought. $300 later I was the proud owner of an Inland that cleaned up pretty nice.



35W

[HumptyDumpty]

My local Cabellas had a rack full of them, none less than $1900, most more that. They've been slowly-but-steadily selling all year at those prices, and only a few remain. Classic's price is certainly more reasonable.

[Larry Gibson]

Larry, what is the suppressor setup on that one?

Registered and then built from a kit (Shotgun News) with unfinished baffles, unfinished end pieces but no tube 40+ years ago. Had a friend with a machine shop that did a lot of manufacturing tube parts. Design resembles a Maxim. Works quite well. Was all legal back then to build your own, questionable now.

[Finster101]

Registered and then built from a kit (Shotgun News) with unfinished baffles, unfinished end pieces but no tube 40+ years ago. Had a friend with a machine shop that did a lot of manufacturing tube parts. Design resembles a Maxim. Works quite well. Was all legal back then to build your own, questionable now.

That off set design is slick looking. Is the barrel threaded or is it clamped on? I have a .30 cal suppressor but don't want to monkey with my Underwood carbine too much.

[Texas by God]

The wife's Howa likes the C309113F Lee as shown by the underlined 100 yd group.

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[Three44s]

As a kid of the “60’s and early 70’s” and interested in bustin’ coyotes, it was long range varmint gun’s that I fancied!

I would drool over those ballistic charts that gave velocity, energy and bullet drop information. Looking at those numbers with regard to the 25-20 Win and the 30 Carbine, I just could not believe how anybody could get “warm and fuzzy” about them. Simply put, they just were not SEXY!

Well, my zippy guns have increased in numbers and I still cherish their performance but I now also have a TC Contender barreled in 25-20 Win AND a 30 Carbine (early Inland) that I also cherish!

I “fell into” that Inland (150$ a few years ago) and though I have not gotten my game going with cast with it yet, it is a real shooter with j words. We are talking golf balls at 35yds and iron sights with my old eyes! I had always heard they were not very accurate.

My Inland must of missed that rumor!

Three44s

[Ithaca Gunner]

Accuracy is a relative term. I took my Underwood to the range one day for the sole purpose of a function test with some 100gr boolits cast from a LEE mold and a charge I figured would cycle, but not sure. I shot off hand at a 3'' circle at 25yds. I fired 15 rounds and all were inside the circle. Do that with about any rifle, Right? Yeah, about any rifle. 3'' circle, 50yds. most rifles in the hands of a decent shot will keep 10 shots inside the circle off hand, including the M-1 carbine. 100yds, 6'' circle, a decent shot can keep 10 shots inside the black off hand with most any rifle, including an M-1 carbine. Chances are, on a scoring target with 8-9-10-X in the black most any decent shot with any rifle including an M-1 carbine will score high 80's-mid 90's. An expert will score mid-high 90's and maybe even shoot an '03 Springfield better enough than the carbine that you could see the difference. The carbine looks better now, but it'll probably start telling the difference at 150 or most certainly 200yds. They were plenty accurate for what they were designed for, it wasn't bench rest match's.