A Couple of M1 Carbines

[andrewdl007]

A local auction company this Saturday is auctioning off a collection of guns. the descriptions were very vague and these four were the only to catch my eye. there are no condition descriptions or pictures this is all the info supplied...

1) QUALITY HRDWRE M1 CARBINE .30 CAL 1606366
2) AUTO ORDINANCE M1 CARBINE .30 CAL MA7486
3) IMB M1 CARBINE .30 CAL 3852314
4) UNDERWOOD M1 CARBINE .30 CAL 1439391


Im guessing "IMB" should mean "IBM" and the Auto Ordnance is a modern copy. Depending on condition are any of these worth bidding on and what is the range they run in terms of value?

 

[MJD]

Andrew,

Correct, the AO is a postwar commercial brand. Off the top of my head, the serial number range looks correct for the IBM.

Do some research and see what carbines have been going for over the past 6 months to get a relative idea of what they are generally worth--a good place to start are past auctions from Gunbroker and the CMP forum carbine For Sale section.

Price ranges I have seen average $500ish for ones in beat-up shape up to $1,000 for carbines that are in good condition but have seen some use. I'd be really surprised to see a carbine at one of these auctions that is in the really good condition that would command upwards of $1G, although it is possible. That said, I'd be cautious of a carbine that looks too good to be true or a seller claiming "all original" parts without doing some research to justify the premium price.

Happy hunting.

 

[WardenWolf]

The Auto Ordnance ones are current-production GI-spec, though, unlike the later-production Universal trash. Never heard anything bad about them, but, of course, they're not original.

 

[andrewdl007]

I found some pictures of the guns which aren't much help. Sadly if the images are in the correct order, the IBM carbine has a large scope on it which I am not interested in, so therefore I would possibly be looking at the Quality Hardware or the Underwood carbine. From the images, they look to be in decent condition. Are either the Quality Hardware or the Underwood better than the other? Also, both appear to have bayonet lugs, would this be accurate?

 

[Tim the student]

Both should have the lugs. They would be worth watching, IMO - maybe you can get one at a song if no one else is interested.

The Quality Hardware is more rare than the Underwood, IIRC.

I have a very low (for the manufacturer) SN Underwood. Its a fun little gun, but I shoot my Garand a lot more than I do the carbine.