Could this be an orginal M1A1?

[Flyboy73]

Was looking though the website of a local auction that has a bunch of guns for sale. And i found this picture of what appears to be a M1A1. It was not listed in the guns paragraph.


Could this be an original M1A1? Or there copies out there. What would i need to look for to be an orginal? I think the M1A1 was only made by Inland.

Thanks
Brion

 

[ocabj]

http://www.surplusrifle.com/m1carbine/index.asp

M1 Carbine manufacturers: "Winchester, Standard Products, Underwood-Elliot-Fisher, Quality Hardware Machine, National Postal Meter, Rock-Ola, IBM, Irwin-Pedersen, Inland of GM, and Saginaw Steering Gear of GM."

 

[mbs357]

If it is, it's in incredibly fine shape.

 

[MagnumCaliber357]

+1 mbs357

It looks pretty new, chances are someone might have put some new funiture on it

 

[USSR]

Looks like the Italian made repro stock. Easy enough to tell by looking at the inside of the buttplate. The real deal has a drawing # on it, the repro don't. I've got one of the repro's and they're real nice.

Don

 

[hso]

Any para M1 Carbine in that fine a shape probably has repro furniture on it. Check the top of the barrel near the sight for a manufacturer's mark ("W" for Winchester, "SG" for Saginaw, etc.) and check the receiver just under the back of the sight. Check the stock for dings and an ordinance wheel and any other military markings. If you don't find the receiver marked to one of the manufactures already mentioned it is a repro gun and only interesting as an cheap shooting. If the gun is military, but the furniture is unmarked then it's a repro stock and the overall gun is worth ~$400-$500. If you've got an AO receiver and an IBM barrel add $300 to those prices.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Original M1A1 carnimes were made at Inland; serial numbers of
M1A1 production are mixed with serial numbers for M1 carbine
production at Inland. During arsenal rebuild, a lot of M1A1 and
M1 carnines were given M2 stocks as standard replacement,
but the M1A1 stock hung around as a non-std replacement.

Basically, there is no M1A1 carbine: there is an M1 carbine in an
M1A1 stock; original production M1A1 were Inland (General Motors).

Especially in early days of VietNam, M1A1 stocks were altered
to clear the selector switch for the M2 carbine. Some of these
"M2A1"s had a front sight welded or soldered to the barrel
band, and the barrel then bobbed to about 12".

My repro Italian M1A1 stock is inlet for the M2 selector switch.

Local dealer has an original Inland carbine with original M1A1
stock; the big difference between repro and original are the
sharp edges on the repro wood and perfect bluing. A fake
would be easy: correct era Inland carbine ( L sight, push button
safety, no bayo lug) careful aging and patina on stock wood
and metal, viola, caveat emptor!

 

[Jim K]

By placing the mag pouches over the key points to look for on the stock, the seller just might be making sure those points (rivets, butt plate) are not visible. At a minimum, one would want to see the inside of the buttplate and the rivets on the cheekpiece.

FWIW, the bottom of the pistol grip where the sling attaches appears to be blued; the originals were Parkerized.

Jim

 

[Kramer Krazy]

Now I want a repro paratrooper stock, again......I still wish I'd bought one back when they were only $79. Anyone know where I can find a good price on one? The last ones I saw were $179. I've got two M1 Carbines and have been wanting a paratrooper stock for a while. I ran across an original stock in a gun shop back in 1993, but he was wanting $600 just for the stock, back then. I'd hate to imagine what an original one would go for these days.