I took a look at the CMP website today to see what they have available in M1 Carbines. Right now the only Service Grades they have are Winchesters for which they are charging $675.00 (plus shipping, of course).
Everything else is Rack Grade, except for a few Service Grade Bavarian Carbines which are only available by auction. The rack grades which I have seen or heard about have recently been in very rough shape.
In short, M1 Carbines in good condition are pretty scarce right now at the CMP.
I picked up a 6.7 mil racker recently. The finish was crap, the stock was cracked and the rear sight was busted. Didn't bother me a bit. They happily replaced the stock and rear sight. The poor finish is nothing since the carbine was otherwise 90% correct and the barrel guaged a 2 with no pitting. Getting the rest of the parts to restore it was simple. I already had the mag catch and the front sight. The stock I found for $85. It had no rebuild marks and a faint cartouche! Can't complain. I shot it the other day at 25 yards and had a slightly high 10 shot group of just under 1 inch. For a lousey looking racker, I think I got a great deal!
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Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you!
I picked up a 6.7 mil racker recently. The finish was crap, the stock was cracked and the rear sight was busted. Didn't bother me a bit. They happily replaced the stock and rear sight. The poor finish is nothing since the carbine was otherwise 90% correct and the barrel guaged a 2 with no pitting. Getting the rest of the parts to restore it was simple. I already had the mag catch and the front sight. The stock I found for $85. It had no rebuild marks and a faint cartouche! Can't complain. I shot it the other day at 25 yards and had a slightly high 10 shot group of just under 1 inch. For a lousey looking racker, I think I got a great deal!
I'm glad you're happy with it, Jim. It sounds like a good shooter.
What other parts did you need to restore it? Did they replace your stock and then you got another stock for the $85?
When you figure in the extra costs you had for parts, did you come out $$ ahead by buying the racker instead of a service grade?
I was sort of thinking the same thing, DefenderBob, so that makes two of us...two of us who are williing to admit to it that is...LOL
I do believe the sales of carbines may be coming to an end, the CMP has sold one heck of a lot of them little critters. Unfortunately their prices seem to be reaching a level of unaffordability.
I am a great fan of CMP and a consistent customer but I, sometimes, find it hard to believe the CMP is non-profit. The price increases seem too dramatic.
I can understand the price increases for their ammunition products due to shipping and the such...just not the rifles they've had in their warehouse for years.
Anyway, I'm still looking for another carbine or two in my future...lol
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I listed all the parts it needed in the first posting. It originally had a badly damage Winchester stock and they replaced it with an SA M2 stock. That's why I grabbed the Inland stock when I saw it. I arrived at the show fairly late and I'm amazed that it was still sitting there. I didn't need to pay fore much af anything to complete the restoration. I usually can get good deals on trades. Yes, I did come out well ahead on value vs an SG, but that wasn't the point. It was getting a good servicable HIGH NUMBER HAND STAMPED easily restorable Inland. The fact that I came out money ahead was a bonus.
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Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you!
Yea baby....starting the countdown....I have not had this feeling waiting for something in the mail since i ordered my X-ray glasses from the back of an Captain American comic book...
You'll more than likely see the FedEx man in 4-5 weeks..
You're going to be happy, too..
(and, in the rare case that you're not, CMP will do everything they can to make you happy)
Likewise with me. Paper and I ordered at about the same time. He got his a little faster because they were processing my first-timer paperwork.
Mine are great. I doubt I'll be able to afford more at any time in the near future. I ordered two, because of the old idea concerning the possibility of breakdowns and interchangeability of parts:
OH yea I rec an email today that have my order was in and as soon as they input it into the puter it will be forward to sales and then shipping.....the wait is killing me. Went to a gun show last weekend and bought clips, mags and ammo..and fondle some of the $1000.00 M1.
It this normal? LOL
The email you received is known in the land of CMP as a DBU. It stands for Don't Bother Us.. It's basically just to let you know the order is there and is being processed.
The Don't Bother Us part is that you now know as much about the status of the order as could be known, so don't bother calling CMP to find out where your order stands.
Now, you can start watching the status of your order on the E Store, getting tired of constantly tossing in your email and password, and clicking the I Agree stuff, only to find it's not in the orders processing page..
And then, one day, it'll be there..
And then, one day, it'll show the serial number of the rifles..
And then, one day, it'll say shipped, and you'll get a email from FedEx telling you that you've got packages coming the next day (unless it's over a weekend)..
And then, one day, you'll have to post photos of your new rifles!!! (That's my favorite day)
Just slipped my Rock-Ola into a folding polymer stock this evening. Choate did a great job making those stocks. Fit is perfect. I ordered it to put the Universal in that I just rebuilt the bolt extractor on (put new everything in while at it, all Iver JOhnson super/heat treated stuff). The amount of dremel work seems tedious so I'm putting that off for a while! I saved the walnut stock from the Rocky, for when I decide I don't need to own a $2000 rifle. Shot the Universal this afternoon and it handled fifty straight without a single eject problem. Next project after the guynshow is refinishing in dark Walnut/Cherry the Universal stock.
OH yea I rec an email today that have my order was in and as soon as they input it into the puter it will be forward to sales and then shipping.....the wait is killing me. Went to a gun show last weekend and bought clips, mags and ammo..and fondle some of the $1000.00 M1.
It this normal? LOL
Carl
Well, somewhat normal.
Actually it is the beginning of a unrelenting addiction...gotta touch, gotta feel, want more...more...more, I say!
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Thanks Paper and Jarhead...I keep checking the estore in hopes that after two weeks it would appear...I am going just step back and relax. I am going to spend the time looking for a good private range here in St Louis..
I checked CMP today and noticed there are no service grades available.
Now the decision making process starts anew...do I take the chance on a racker of the manufacturer of my choice now or do I wait to see if more service carbines come into play...geez
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Yeah...that's my dilemma...
Not really an issue with me though as I enjoy reworking the old beaters. It's just the rackers are at pretty high prices for what folks have been saying they're getting.
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