Best M1 Carbines?

[Kentucky_Rifleman]

I had shot an M1 Carbine on a couple of occasions before, but recently shot a friend's new M1 Carbine. I remember being rather unenthused about them before, but I really enjoyed shooting his.

I asked him about it, and he explained that his is a collector's piece, a Rock-Ola from WWII with matching numbers, and he spent a little over a thousand to buy it in decent condition, and had spent another chunk replacing some of the worn parts with G.I. parts.

I've shot a Universal before, and it malfunctioned fairly frequently (1 in every 25 rounds or so). I've also shot an Inland, and it seemed to function well enough, but was not nearly as accurate as the Rock-Ola.

I know that a lot of accuracy and reliability comes down to parts, barrels, magazines, etc. I want a shooter's carbine. I have no particular interest in getting a collectible version, but want one that is reliable and reasonably accurate (I realize it will never be a .30-06 bolt action) but accurate for what it is.

I'd love any suggestions and/or anecdotes you could share, and if you've bought one recently, what I can expect to pay for a shooter in good condition.

Thanks in advance,
KR

 

[testosterone]

I will be among many in a long string of posts telling you to buy a CMP M1.

http://www.thecmp.org/m1carbine.htm

That said, I've been to a few guns shows lately and M1 carbines in varying condition ranged from 575 up to 1200 bucks.

Nearly all of them appear to be rifles that were purchased through CMP at one time in varying condition.

 

[KodiakBeer]

I don't think there's any difference in functionality between the various GI models. Some are rarer (and thus more valuable), but they're all good shooters if they're in good condition.

The early universals are good shooters also, because the early ones were largely made out of surplus GI parts. As that dried up, they became less desirable. There are some other repro carbines made over the years, of varying quality. I own an old Universal and it's OK.

But, as pointed out above, the smart buy is the CMP's. You're buying them for well under market value, and they're all tried and tested by experts before being sold.

 

[il_10]

If you're looking for accuracy, the barrels are a big deal, and they vary a lot. If you're inclined to tinkering, they're easy guns to build and you can pick yourself a decent barrel. As far as brands go, stay away from the later model universals, they aren't G.I. spec; the easy way to tell is to check the recoil springs, the non-G.I. models have two instead of one. Plainfields are decent, my build is on an Iver Johnson receiver and it's not bad at all (though I'm starting to see a small bit of metal peening that i'm going to have to address in a few years probably). CMP is your best bet for an original carbine, Fulton Armory (http://www.fulton-armory.com/MCarbParts.htm) is a good place for parts and nicely refinished carbines, and http://www.m1garandrifle.com/M1carbine.htm is also a good place for parts. Rock-olas are rare, and are the most sought after rifles, underwoods are relatively standard but still original U.S. rifles. I don't know what your budget is, but CMP has rack grade carbines in the $500 range, though these are going to need some elbow grease if you want something that looks pretty and groups well.

These rifles can be capable of better accuracy than is usually attributed to them, last week I was getting fairly consistent hits on a 3-foot diameter round metal target at 400 yards, and scoring hits on soda cans at 236 yards the week before that. There was significantly less penetration at that range than the .223, .204 savage, and .45-70 we were shooting, but I was scoring hits nonetheless. I've put probably way too much money and effort into making the .30 carbine do things it shouldn't, and there was some freaky devil voodoo magic at work when I built it I think, but you can reasonably expect to be able to group out to 200-250 with most carbines off the rack without much issue.

 

[KodiakBeer]

il 10, you're probably familiar with this site, but if not take a look - I enjoy it because it gives one a perspective on firearms from the Russian point of view. They would obviously approve of the money and effort you've put into your carbines.

http://world.guns.ru/rifle/rfl08-e.htm

Here's a paragraph from the page on the M1 Carbine:


In general, M1 Carbine was a really compact and handy weapon. It was lightweight and short enough to be more suitable for jungle combat, than a full-size battle rifles such as M1 Garand. It also offered relatively high practical rate of fire due to large-capacity, detachable magazines and low recoil. The M2 modification, which had a select-fire capability and a magazines of larger capacity (30 rounds, interchangeable with the older 15-round ones), could be described as an "almost an assault rifle" ("almost" is added due to the lack of effective range). Had Americans a little trouble to soup it up slightly in the terms of power and range, they could have a true assault rifle 20 years before they actually did, and probably with much less headache. But they did not...

 

[XxWINxX94]

I've got an Inland Division (GM) M1 Mfg. in 1946, so slightly post-war. I've never had 1 malfunction the 3 years I've had it and over 500 rounds I've put through it. You will probably pay more for a WWII-era or GI one. I can't tell you anything about the CMP, but I'm the kind of guy who likes to see what hes buying. I cannot vouch for a range report, but once you get one and you shoot it alot, I'm sure you will personally get used to it.

 

[MUSIBIKE]

I picked up an M1CARBINE for the collection a couple years ago. I like a stout pistol round in a semiauto Carbine. The .30Cal ammo is a bit on the expensive side though. So, I built up a 9mm, AR15 to fill the bill for shooting in the indoor ranges with an AR15. Pistol rounds have a bit more reaconing power and accuracy in a long gun system.

 

[KodiakBeer]

Everybody should follow this link!


http://www.thecmp.org/m1carbine.htm

 

[Snowdog]

I was lucky and managed to get a very nice Kahr Arms M1 Carbine (walnut handguard, flat bolt). I understand there were some earlier issues with quality control with AO carbines, but mine is absolutely sweet looking, absolutely reliable and easily more accurate than any other M1 Carbine I've fired (new barrel helps in that regard, I suppose).

I certainly can't argue with CMP as long as it isn't a rack grade with rough/pitted bore.

 

[ishida]

For accuracy, the maker matters a lot less than what condition the barrel is in, and how well the parts fit together. I have an Inland-based mixmaster (well, only the charging handle/oprod, stock, and sights are different. Underwood oprod, RIA everything else) that I have found to be very accurate. Of course, the barrel gauged very close to 1, and all the other gauges came out correct.

If you have the option to, I HIGHLY suggest going to one of the CMP's stores and hand-picking yours.

 

[Rabbit-Slayer]

at the gun store I go to they have a Korean war era M1 with bayo mount and mag pouch

 

[rondog]

Lexington, KY? Make the drive to the CMP's North store in Camp Perry, OH, and gitcha one before they're all gone. Call 'em up first to get the details, hours, etc.

 

[bigfatdave]

Snowdog, I was at the CMP North store, the rack-grade carbines they had out (disclaimer - those may or may not be the ones they ship) had eroded bores, but not a lot of pitted ones were there to be seen.
Never have I jammed my eyeball onto the muzzles of so many rifles, and never have I had such a good time shopping for a new gun as when I was pawing the antique carbines at the CMP ... now I just have to hold myself back from picking up an M1 Garand and a trunk-full of ammunition.