BETTER GUNS: How many could make do with a .30 Carbine?

USSR said:

As a defensive weapon inside of 150 yards, the M1 Carbine is very capable and effective. What it lacks in long range capability, it more than makes up in the ability to deliver rapid and sustained fire within its range limitations. With my sight upgrade, it would be my personal choice for defensive purposes in an urban environment. Just MHO.

Don

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The same could be said for a 10/22 as well

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i feel comfortable carrying an m1 against any game in eastern nc except bears. so aslong as i wasnt bear hunting id carry it any day

I absolutely love the carbine. I regret selling mine years ago. I have been contemplating on getting another one. I would make do with it happily.

USSR said:

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M1 Carbine, the original PDW.

(Nice setup, USSR.)

SHARPSDRESSEDMAN:

Although my experience in '07 with the brand-new Auto-Ordnance M-1 Carbine might have been a fluke, it taught me to never buy a gun without doing some reading in advance. First gun purchase. The bolt got (off track?) jammed solid after about 140 rds. Brand-new, never dropped or hit etc. Free factory repair, but I was so dismayed by the lack of original quality control or design that I sold it at a loss.

That money should have been spent on a solid GI-vintage Carbine, Mini or SKS. The GI Carbine's bolt movement feels more rugged than the AO's bolt. My old '90 Mini 14 was the most reliable gun I've owned, and other than two stovebolts in the factory mag (which needed oil) on the first try, there were no more misfeeds: 1,500 rds. total used-only Wolf and S. Bear.

Didn't some Korean shop owners in south central LA wait on the rooftops with an M-1 Carbine or Mini 14 during the race riot in '92 or so?
You could easily keep an M-1 Carbine or Mini in your backseat during 'uncivil unrest', or carry it on a bicycle (wrapped in camo net) in a very secluded, rural setting etc if a long-term disaster ever were to happen.

I bought an AO second-hand, used lightly, and placed in a Choate synthetic stock. I added an Ultimak rail and a Vortex SPARC (on its way back to Vortex because it has issues turning off and on, mostly off). Vortex CS is great but I suspect I'll be out for a good week or two getting a replacement.

I've got plenty of magazines (10 x 15-rd, 4 x 30-rd). Two of the 15-rd are USGI. Plenty accurate. Very easy to manuever and recoil very light (but not trivial). Problem is fail to load and sometimes to eject, especially with JSP (10%) and Cor-Bon hollow points. And sometimes FMJ (5%). Need to seriously polish the feed ramp as FTL are most common. Cor-Bons in 15-rd mags jammed 50% of the time, strangely, in 30-rd they are much more reliable. Speer JSPs were 100% reliable (only fired 10 or so; expensive) so they are my SD/HD load. If I could reduce the FTL/FTEs I'd be super-pleased with mine. Any suggestions besides polishing the feed ramp, I'm all ears.

I always ask myself whether or not I'd like to be shot with it. My answer is usually a resounding NO.

I'd have no hesitation in picking up my carbine for self defense.

how many of you feel confident and competent enough to MAKE DO with a .30 carbine?

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I doubt there's one swinging Richard who'd confess to feeling inadequately armed with the M1 Carbine. What, admit that on the internet?

But, every one one of them would take a red dot equipped M4 if offered as an alternative.

What the OP is engaging in is a measuring contest. Practicality says that nobody would deliberately choose an aged Curio and Relic with limited range and stopping power if bigger weapons were available.

One fundamental rule of warfare is that the weapon with longer reach or standoff is superior. Missiles beat rockets beat bombs beat artillery beat direct fire weapons beat swords beat knives. Only in very limited circumstances would the short reach weapon be preferred. If you can perceive your target, your weapon has to be able to reach it. Force on force, the weapon with longer reach will prevail.

Nobody much uses the M1 Carbine anymore, except recreationally. Let's not go overboard with calipers trying to justify something a yardstick should be getting used for.

NEED AMMO!


Mark, esquire

baylorattorney said:

NEED AMMO!


Mark, esquire

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That is the big drawback....ammo price, one reason I got into reloading.

The same could be said for a 10/22 as well

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Yeah, right.

Don

I've an original M1A1, converted to M/2 configuration while retaining the folding stock, that I'd feel utterly confident with. I'd hate to guess just how many rounds (mostly hard cast reloads) have been thru that gun since I acquired it in the mid-60's, but it's an awful lot and it still groups very well. Good mags and you have no problems. In my experience the 15 rounders are really more reliable that the 30's, but if they are of military spec. they work. As an aside if you are buying used mags you can always tell if either type have been used much in full auto........the front of the mag well will bear bullet point impressions....if a 30 round mag it MAY also have a distorted latch ear (left side of mag. tit).

Frankly, I would much rather have my M/2 than ANY submachine gun. Quicker handling, much more range, and if one has an educated finger the thing is eminently controllable on full auto.

Yeah, it ain't a full bore battle rifle, but it's also no pipsqueak in terms of penetration. Try a few fmj's on an old auto body in at a hundred yards or so in comparison to any 9 or .45.

My best and oldest friend will re-load for me, so I'm now keeping the spent brass casings. I've got about 1100 FMJ of 3-4 brands, and about 200 JSP for HD/SD. Expensive to shoot, very expensive if not purchased at a gun show or during a really good sale.

Seems I read somewhere a very long time ago that .30 carbine brass could be cut down from another quite common case... any ideas?

Seems like the OP is looking for justification on an opinion he has already formed?

IMHO, no, there are too many other rifles/carbines out there I could make do with and I would not choose the M1 Carbine.

You didn't hear my say it was ineffective. A million or so Germans and Japanese don't lie.

When the CMP had M1 carbines for sale, I immediately started deciding what to sell so I could buy one. One semi-auto UZI sale later, I drove the 45 minutes from my house to the CMP store, where I picked out this Inland. Service grade, what made me choose it was it's overall condition, including an excellent bore and muzzle, it's six digit serial number, and it's I-cut oiler slot stock.
It has been 100% reliable with good ammo. With MagTech, it experiance primers falling out, one of which fell in the op slide cam and jammed it. No problems with any other ammo.
As far as ammo being expensive, I don't mind paying $20 for 50 rounds.
I prefer the 15rd mags. CMP had USGI 15rd mags cheap, and I bought a box full. I have also used the Korean mags, both 15 and 30 round. I find them to work perfectly, including the 30's. I installed an M2 mag catch for the 30's.
a couple months ago, CMP came up with Norwegian made carbine bayonets cheap. I got my order processed just before they sold out.
Here is a pic of my Inland with bayonet. The sheath was my fathers in WWII.

almost 30 carbine

I make do with a 30 carbine necked down to a 19 caliber called the 19 Badger. Wicked little round!

I look back at the original intent of the M1 Carbine and it not only met that requirement, but exceeded it by miles.

I'm a lousy pistolero. Even with practice, I'm not much good beyond 15 feet. However, I can take my CMP carbine at any range out to over 100 yards and without effort, consistantly get 100% hits on a 1/2 sized "bad guy" target. Sure, I can also do that with my M1A or Garand, FAL, whatever ... but they just don't handle like that little sweetheat.

I'd say I'm well beyond the "make do" stage with the Carbine and to me it's a "must have" for any serious milsurp collector. You can shoot something else for less, but you can also reload. I probably don't shoot more than 100 rouds in mine each year (I have too many rifles ... too little time) ... but every time I do, I'm reminded just why I love her las much as I do.

I've always liked the M1 Carbine, but all its goodness is readily available in a more powerful and easier to find ammo for gun in the Ruger Mini-14 or Mini-30.

But, every one one of them would take a red dot equipped M4 if offered as an alternative.

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I quite often leave my red dot equiped M4gery in the safe leaving my M1 Carbine in it's place. I sleep like a baby.

Sure, i could make do, but why would i want to?

I don't simply view it as "making do".

The 30 carbine is fine for in my house and my small subdivision sized property. It is light reliable and easy to carry around. When the hurricane hit, I had it over my shoulder while cleaning up and standard guard around my property. The longest possible shot in my subdivision from my house is at most 120 yrds. More likely most of the shots would be under 150 ft.

My 1944 M1 carbine has been arsenal rebuilt, is 100% reliable, 45 rounds is easily carried on the gun, its handy inside a house but it has two really big pluses when compared to some AR clone.

One it is quieter without the earsplitting crack of an M4 inside with a 18" barrel and two it does not looks so mean and sinister as an AR.