M1 Carbine
 

I'm not going to list them , 'cause it's nobody's business, but for the sake of arguement, let's say I have all of the SHTF guns I think I'll need. Let's just call it "a bunch".

I have a chance to pick up an M1 Carbine, all original, at what I think is a good deal. I don't need it, it's just something I've always wanted. I realize that they're a little low on the "firepower" scale, but do any of you guys have an M1 in the arsenal? I'm trying to talk myself into buying it, I guess I'm looking for the pros and cons.

Any feelings on the M1 Carbine? And don't tell me to get something else, I probably already have it! Somebody just talk me into buying this one, please...

Re: M1 Carbine
 

Jump on it...Very handy & fire power isn't as bad as some think it it...Dare them to step in front of one. Aside from that they are very cute.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

I go to the shooting range a lot, but I never go out to shoot people. It seems to me that fun guns are a valid part of enjoying shooting sports. If you can afford it, buy away!

Re: M1 Carbine
 

They are not going to get any cheaper(thats the way I justify gun and ammo purchases). Get it and tell us how you like it.


NOOB

Re: M1 Carbine
 

I bought one new years ago back when JC Penny still sold guns ( and THAT is almost ancient history...ahahahaaa ). I couldn't find an after market clip that seemed to work well in it.....but the two original ( I'm thinking they are 20rd ) worked fine. It was a Universal brand.

It currently resides in a sealed pc of 6" PVC pipe with some silica dessicant and 500rds of ammo, squirreled well away. One of my guns of last resort.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the M-1 carbine .30-caliber bullet delivers more ft. lbs of energy @ 100 yards, than a .357 does from the barrel of a revolver.

How can it be low on any “firepower scale” ?

Re: M1 Carbine
 

My most enjoyable rifle is a Marlin .22 magnum – bolt action – tube fed – nicely scoped.

It’s the only rifle I’d never part with.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

:coolbeer: Love mine...all original 1948 Universal Arms...like Andy's.

Good brush gun for deer hunting...plenty of firepower out to 100 yds.

If it's reasonable nail it...the aftermarket add ons and support for these things just gets bigger,not smaller.

Pick up a half dozen 30 or 50 rd mags and extra ammo...good investment.
The originals are getting extremely scarce...beware the Chinese and Brazilian knock offs.

Universal Arms was the biggest OEM supplier of these things to the military.
Winchester,Remington,High Standard models do exist...they are rare and quite valuable...saw an authentic 1949 Remington made model sell for $5K on an auction site last year...

:D :D :D

Re: M1 Carbine
 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Never say the M1 is low on the firepower scale, we won wars with it. It's a great reliable gun, if the price is right buy it now.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

1. With a few exceptions -

I regret the guns I didn't buy, not the ones I bought.

2. Buy it, if you don't like it - sell it.

Just buy it right.

3. If you can turn your money, pretty much without question - buy it.

Then if you sell, you can say - I had one of those at one point.

4. No need to be rational here

5. Buy the damn gun, or we're gonna say you're a candyass for not buying it.

If those aren't enough reasons

Lemme know, I promise to come up with more _big grin_

Re: M1 Carbine
 

If you don't buy it....I'm going to torture this kitten with a fork....:devil_smile:

Re: M1 Carbine
 

Bender...
I can't pick it up until Saturday...am I banned from posting until then?

As far as the firepower issue, I only meant that there are a lot of guns out there that will put out a lot more ft-lbs down range. I know we won a lot of battles with that weapon. A lot of our guys came home alive thanks to the M1. But they also got some bad press for not having a lot of spunk out past 250 yds. I know, I know..."that's not what they're made for"...that's just my point. There are a lot of setups in the .30 cal. range that give you all you want, well past 250 yds. I know this isn't one of them, I just didn't need someone to point that out as an arguement not to buy it.

Feel free to keep pointing out reasons for me to lighten my wallet, but you've talked me into it. I give up already...I'll buy it.

Wife won't let me out of the house until Saturday...just had surgery on my kidney...again. It's not going anywhere before then. I thank you for talking me into it, and I'm sure my wife does, too! :favorites21:

Re: M1 Carbine
 

Stick with 308, 30-06, 223, 45ACP and 9mmParabellum - forget the rest. That is unless you have the others covered from here to breakfast and back, then as a toy its - ok.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

I have several. They each have their own WW2 canvas case and the buttstock 2 mag case modified from a belt 2 mag case. By modifying I mean taping over the snap on the belt loop so it doesn't beat up the stock.

In the canvas case is the rifle, the stock mag case with two 15 round clips, there are two 30 round clips with 25 rounds each in the each in an individual sock to protect them and the rifle, as well as an added 50 round box of ammo.

Each of my vehicles has that setup behind the seat.

Many claim the M1 Carbine is a weak sister. I find it quite appropriate for the way I have them.

A whole bunch of firepower always handy with minimal cost.

Stay with the military stuff though. Some of the commercial knock-offs aren't very good.

We have a bunch of others, including a SOCOM 2, but the Carbine certainly has its place.

Just my 2 cents.

CC

Re: M1 Carbine
 

On my list of rifles to collect, sadly the cheap ones seem to be going for $500. If the price is right, buy it.:adore:

Re: M1 Carbine
 

Found this about halfway down a Scroogle page.

http://www.odcmp.com/rifles/carbine.htm

Re: M1 Carbine
 

I have a Plainfield M1 Carbine and think very highly of it. Lightweight and handy and reliable with good ammo. If you buy it try to find GI Lake City ball ammo for it, I've run into issues with some new made commercial ammo being too weak to cycle properly (Remington and Aguila seem to be downloaded to a ridiculous extent; although Winchester, S&B and Wolf seem to be okay). But surplus GI ball has never failed me. The most reliable 30 round mags I have found are marked on the spine "SEY" (Seymour Ind.) and "AYP" (Dutch Contract). As pointed out already a lot of aftermarket commercial mags are iffy in the reliability department. M1 Carbines are also great to train up new shooters or people who are small statured (they are very easy to use and real easy on the shoulder, both big pluses for novice shooters).

Re: M1 Carbine
 

I'd buy it IF it's a USGI, like someone else said, the commercial models are hit and miss.

And like the other guy posted, the CMP is about to release a bunch of carbines. I'm hearing 300-400 frns each, which is about 200 cheaper than they are now. Of course the commercial models can be had for as low as 200frns, but why take a chance with a problem child?

Re: M1 Carbine
 

I have a BEAUTIFUL M1 30 carbine that I love, it is by far my favorite rifle. Its light, easy to fire and has a lot more power than most people want to admit. Its a fantastic weapon of choice in a bugout situation.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

Consider the M1 Carbine for what it was DESIGNED FOR.

As a REPLACEMENT for a 1911 .45 ACP PISTOL it is head and shoulders above.

It will work well out to 100 yards. Past that, DON'T waste the ammo. Unless you are just trying to keep someone's head down, then blast away.

The M1 Carbine is an EXCELLENT replacement for almost any handgun. More power, 10 rounds on tap (minimum, even for Cali) and you will probably have better accuracy from an M1 than from a handgun. Unless you are a pistelro or shootist.

And as has been said, the CMP is about to release approximately 35,000 M1 Carbines by the end of the year, which WILL cause the market on M1's to 'go soft' for a while. Release date is approximately end of March, first of April (go figure). And that 35,000 number may be on the low side, as I've heard numbers MUCH HIGHER than 35,000.

So get 'em while they're hot. Just don't expect to 'make a killing' by purchasing one now and then selling it a year or so from now, because that WILL NOT happen. Good luck and let us know if you got the M1 or not.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

for a 30 rd mag you need an M-2 mag catch installed. Dont install too much M-2 stuff though or it will go bangety bang bang when you depress the trigger oncet and that means the jackbooted thugs will want to have a word with you

Re: M1 Carbine
 

I'm going to try to grab one or two of those.

From the web site it sounds like it's right out of the army storage. Mismatched parts, nicks, a little beat up, some of them were sitting in storage gunk, etc. Sounds great to me. And the price will be pretty good.

I bet they go faster than people think. At that price people will get a couple, like me. And I'd bet more than one gun shop lays a case or two down in the basement, if they have a little space. Why not?

LG :smokin: :smokin: :smokin:

Re: M1 Carbine
 

For the record, I got out last weekend and got my hands on that M1. It was not as it had been described to me. Closer to "it will shoot, but it's a piece of crap". It was one of the Bluesky Import guns. They are not all bad guns, but this one was far past it's prime. I pointed out the obvious defects and tried to get a little better price, but it was a no-go.

I'm still in the market. I may go with a CMP gun, or my buddy's dad (who went with me on Saturday) actually collects M1's. He says if I really want one, he'll sell me one of his. He's getting up there, and starting to part with some toys. The only problem ther is that I know his guns would not be cheap...those I've already seen, and they are sweet!

I'll keep you guys updated.
I wasn't going to buy it just to keep you happy!! :aetsch:

Re: M1 Carbine
 

Why not try a Ruger mini 14?

Re: M1 Carbine
 

Buy the carbine for the history that it represents. It is part of your birth right. (I always thought they looked way-cool anyway!) :beer: Mod1

Re: M1 Carbine
 

That's my line of thinking, MOD1.

I have all the guns I need. The M1 Carbine is just one I want. I appreciate everyone's opinion and advice, but it's an M1 or nothing.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

I consider it a 'pistol caliber'... so it's hot for a pistol round, but low for a rifle round... Thats said,

I really like mine. SO light and so little recoil. It's a dream to shoot and carry. Mine is more for my collection than for any SHTF purposes, but it could easily pull SHTF duty.

I just wish I bought more of the .30 carbine surplus korean ammo back when it was 99 bucks a can of 1,000 rounds in bandoliers and on strippers :bawling:

Still wolf .30 cal is about teh same price as 7.62x39 right now, so it's not that bad.

I won't sell mine, too much fun and my colelction would definately be lacking if I got rid of it.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

Prometheus


Funny but for all the same reasons that you like your .30 carbine, I’ve long ( perhaps two or three years ) considered adding a Marlin .357 lever action, short barrel rifle to my collection. Except with a Cowboy twist, rather than as a part of military history.

So many good rifles are available to us, we need to be able to draw the cut-off line somewhere short of having one every historically significant rifle.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

LG, good to see you, haven't seen you around in a while, but then I've been awol for the last month or so.

Anyway, I had the same thoughts, but ended up going with a 44 mag because I found one cheap. There's not much handier than a levergun with a 16 inch barrel. And you can cram 10 rounds in the tube. Reloading is a chore though, and you can't top off mine (Win 94).

On the + side, ammo is reletively cheap and light, and it's quite a bit hotter coming from a 16" tube than the 6" on a wheelgun. Plus, you can interchange 357/38spl. A levergun isn't nearly as "scary" as any black tacticool rifle, which is definitely a plus in some situations.

I'd take a look at the Marlins, as the Winchesters have really gotten crazy in the last year (since they quit making them), and the Marlins are of equal quality.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

yes I love those lever carbines in 38 and 44. Rossi has a couple cheapos that are still decent. you'll pay for the quality with marlin.

Re: M1 Carbine
 

re: lever action pistol carbines

Gunblast just did a review of the very high quality Cimarron 1892. Sweet, sweet, sweet. Hard to read this review and not want one:

http://gunblast.com/Cimarron-1892.htm

That said, I have one Rockolla M1 Carbine and I'm sure I will get one or two of the CMP models as well. I have a nine year old boy and seven year old girl and they will make great "intermediate" guns for them as they grow up.

Gregg

Re: M1 Carbine
 

tulsamal,
I must send you a large THANK YOU for the Cimmaron Firearms website.

They make what I have been attempting to find for quite some time. Take down lever action rifles in .357/.38 spl - that will allow me to FINALLY build a set up that will include a take down lever action rifle in this caliber, a take down model 12 shotgun and a pistol in the lever action rifle caliber. All in a nice leather valise.

So THANKS for that link.