another look at the M-1 Carbine

http://www.alpharubicon.com/leo/m1carbine.htm

[jerry]

Interesting article LD. I'd like one if I could find and afford a genuine war baby.

[NRAJOE]

Sadly I cannot buy one...looked at one today...I can no longer use peep sights! Getting as old as Ox....

[Big Dog]

Joe! Tsk, tsk - get ya some glasses! Peep sights are far better on old eyes than open sights. Or, you can always put a scope or red dot sight on the war baby.

Good article - I agree. The .30 Carbine cartridge is under-appreciated and underestimated. With the right bullet - it's a good close range man-stopper.
In a handgun, it's a true magnum.

[NRAJOE]

Got glasses...near sighted.....

[PAPA G]

Originally Posted by NRAJOE

Got glasses...near sighted.....

kin always use it for a back scratcher!!!

http://www.fulton-armory.com/M1Carbine.htm

http://www.jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/...1-carbine.html

[Big Dog]

Joe, I'm near-sighted in my right eye, far -sighted in the left, and have astigmatism . . . and I still shot a one-inch group today at fifty yards with peep sights. It's just a matter of practice! That peep is supposed to be fuzzy . . .
Just imagine your'e lookin' at a cute naked chick through a keyhole . . .

Shot my lil' warbaby today at the range. Oh oh! A problem has reared it's ugly head!
IAI makes a danged fine gun - but their magazines suck bilge-water. The two little stamped-out bumps that grip the mag latch have been ground down. I shoot three or four rounds, and the original ten-round mag falls out!

Oh crap . . . gotta think up a good repair. I think I've got an idea - now where's me lil' tubes of JB Weld . . .

Even better - time to order some genuine GI mags!!

[NRAJOE]

Dude, all I saw were blurs!

[Big Dog]

Sorry, Joe.
Have you looked into that new-fangled Laser eye technique they got now? Worked wonders for my father and sister, though I know not everyone can benefit from it. Depends on the eyes.
I lucked out, and my glasses help me enough to be able to improve my shooting. I had told the lady Eye-doctor to give me clear vision from 25 to 100 yards. I told her it was for "sporting purposes"! Hehehe.

[NRAJOE]

Thats why I like the AK/ SKS/ Mosin type sights...I can pick up a target no problem...never was a peep sight fan even in my earlier days. I like ghost ring sights though...

[PAPA G]

Originally Posted by NRAJOE

Dude, all I saw were blurs!

try it again, but sober

[NRAJOE]

Funny guy...go back to "The G spot"...

Brian J. Wisher says of the carbine: "I just have to interject in its [the carbine's] defense. True, the old M-1 Carbine was a poor substitute for a Garand; however, it was not meant as a substitute for the M-1 Garand rifle, it was designed and issued as a substitute for the M1911A1 .45 caliber pistol.

The M-1 Carbine
By Rudy

The M-1 carbine is a weapon that is constantly overlooked as a survival weapon. It really deserves a closer look. While it is considered a rifle, it isn't on the same scale as a battle rifle firing a full power rifle round. It is chambered for a pistol round equal to the .32 Winchester, a round that was
obsolete 60 years ago. It does however compare very favorably to the current trend of carbines chambered for the 9mm, .40, & .45ACP rounds. It has several things going for it that are often ignored. Let's take a closer look at this weapon.

PRICE: Today, carbines are listed as selling anywhere from $300-450. I have seen them cheaper in pawn shops, or through private sales. How does this compare to an AR-15 or a pre-ban AK-47 clone? If you are knowledgeable about firearms, you could build your own. In today's SHOTGUN NEWS I see that M-1 receivers are listed at $123 retail from Rock Island Armory. Centerfire has parts kits listed for $109. I assembled a carbine on an old IVER JOHNSON receiver and then took it to a smith to check for proper head spacing. I also used one of Ramline's synthetic stocks. It weighs about 6 pounds empty, and I have all of $140 invested in it. No! It is not for sale!

WEIGHT: The carbine is listed as weighing only 6.5 pounds with a wooden stock. That is a full 2 pounds lighter than an AR-15 or an AK-47. The use of a Ramline synthetic stock cuts this down to about 6 pounds. This makes it a good weapon for women, children, and those of smaller statue.

AMMUNITION: Let's compare the carbine to the other 2 popular pistol calibers currently being sold. 9mm; 115 grain bullet propelled at 1200 fps. This gives us 368 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle, and 243 f/p at 100 yards. .45ACP; 230 grain bullet traveling at 900 fps. This gives us 414 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle, and 323 f/p at 100 yards. .30 carbine; 110 grain bullet at 1970 fps. This gives us 977 foot pounds at the muzzle, and 583 at 100 yards. At 200 yards we still have 345 f/p of energy. .357 magnum; 110 grain bullet at 1500fps ( the old SUPER VEL load ). This gives us 550 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle, and 279 f/p at 100 yards.

Military ammunition is between $189 and $229 per 1000 rounds. This compares favorably to the .223. Not bad for reloadable ammunition. And cheaper than .45ACP, .40,or .357 magnum.

REPUTATION: The carbine has a reputation as being a poor fight stopper. A reputation that it might not deserve. The problem is that the full metal jacket bullet does not expand. It has a tendency to drill straight through a soft target. This is can be solved by using soft or hollow points while reloading.

MAGAZINES: 15 round magazines can be found for under $10, usually about $8. Less if you buy a small quantity. 30 round magazines are priced higher. I have seen them for a low of $10 for 'used' to a high of $30 at gun shows.

PARTS: The U.S. produced 6,500,000 carbines during WW2. Several thousand were given away to friendly governments after the war. They were sold through the NRA, and dealers for less than $50. Parts are available from several sources in the U.S. Complete kits, less stock, receiver, hammer are available for less than $125.

HISTORY: After the war, several companies assembled carbines from spare parts. Plainfield, Universal, Iver Johnson to name a few. When the supply of military receivers dried up, they all started making their own receivers. Universal was the only one that tried to improve the carbine. They used 2 recoil springs in their version. This caused the receiver, slide, bolt, and trigger group to be different from the rest. Thus parts would not interchange with the rest of the carbines. In later years Iver Johnson bought up all of the other manufacturers. They continued to offer Universal carbines. They even offered them chambered in 9mm. IVER JOHNSON has since gone out of business, ending production of the M-1 carbine.

CONCLUSION: I live in a suburban area with a non shooting spouse and 2 children. For my situation, this is a good choice of weapons. When the urchins are fully grown and have left the nest, they will be given to the grand kids. I currently own 2 of these rifles. Both are of military style. I now own an INLAND carbine and an IVER JOHNSON carbine. The carbine is not currently on any "banned" list of firearms, so it is easier to posses. It is easy to maintain, light recoiling, and fast shooting. For the price of an AR-15 clone, I can own an M-1carbine, cleaning kit, spare parts, 20 magazines (15 rd.), and a couple thousand rounds of ammunition. Please give this weapon another look. Do it for the children!

cut and pasted from the first link

[Gunnie Ed]

this makes me like my Carbine even more.

it has a pretty interesting story behind it; which i will now share. aren't you all so lucky.

i'll need to start with a freind of the family, a man by the name of Phil Snider. he was a crewman on a higgins boat during the war, and served in the pacific theater. during the invation of Guadacanal, (i'm told)a Japanese machenegun crew opened up on on his boat. he was fine, but a couple of the passengers weren't so fortunate. the boat pulled off the beach with a couple corpses, and one M1 carbine. Phil kept this carbine, and evantually took it home. decades later, he gave it to my father as a gift, who refurbished it, and updated it with al the modern parts, though keeping the origionals. this carbine has effectively changed hands to me, although i had to leave it with my father when i moved away to New York.

[jimb2]

" it was designed and issued as a substitute for the M1911A1 .45 caliber pistol. ".....something it never accomplished! But it sure did make one heck of a companion piece!

[Gunnie Ed]

i don't know, i think a carbine is far easier to use than a pistol, and therefor is a pretty good substitute for one. although, i don't really like pistols all that much.

[Rugged]

I use the regular mil-ball. I put a piece of medium sandpaper on the table and sand off the copper jacket at the tip of the bullet, then I use a 1/8" hand drill to start the cavity. I follow up with a 1/4" hand drill. Then, I use a razor blade to "cross-top" the bullet.

to check the feed, load up a clip and then cycle the bolt till they all fly out.

Always worked for me before. I've never shot anything alive with one though.