m-1 carbine rebuild

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dakotasin

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fellas... i have a 1943 manufacture m-1 carbine that is getting a little tired. i really haven't shot it much (inherited from my dad when he died - ww2 and korean vet), but i took it out today just to see... i ran about 65 rounds thru it at 50 yards, and that was a whole lot of frustration. constant jams w/ winchester factory hardball, though jacketed hollow point handloads did ok (not my loads, and the uncle who put them together for my dad over a decade ago died, and i do not know his recipe).

i know part of the problem is w/ one of the mags i had (some sort of a 30-rounder), but another mag (15 rounder from somewhere) seemed to do ok. when i shoot, its as if the thing is cycling too slow, and i had a lot of problems w/ getting a fresh cartridge to chamber properly (both mags, but the 30-rounder more than the 15). extraction and ejection were ok to start. the gun would throw the spent cases behind me and a little to my right (but, if we can find a way to get the brass to throw more to the right and less behind that would be good - my daughter is a lefty).

my dad wasn't much into guns... he had this little carbine around but i never saw him do anything w/ it, not even touch it - but he kept it around.

my oldest daughter and my dad formed one of the strongest bonds i have ever seen between 2 people. now, my daughter is starting to shoot, and i thought getting the carbine refurbished so it was reliable might be a great gift for my daughter to hopefully remember my dad.

so... thoughts on how to get this carbine back into proper shape? if you could also help me source quality mags that would be great. it is already accurate enough for my desires, but reliability needs to get there. appreciate any help!
 
Since you've owned it have you field/detail stripped and cleaned it?
Maybe taken a look at a spring or two or cleaned out any hardened "gunk" that accumulated over the years? Once it's clean, a little oil here, a little grease there...

I'd do that first in house before I sent it out and let someone else work on it. But that's just cause I'm cheap and doing stuff like that is fun.

Maybe buy a FM (field manual), get your daughter involved and the two of you fix up "Grandpa's old gun" with an eye to turning it over to her in his memory. I bet she'd like shooting it once it's good to go.
 
dakotasin,

I have an M1 Carbine that was acting up on me a while back. I simply sprayed the bolt liberally with brake cleaner, and it has functioned flawlessly since. It's quick, it's cheap, it's worth a shot. Good luck.

Don
 
After cleaning and lubing thoroughly as above-
First the mags...try some that work well in other carbines.
Then the ammo- make sure it's good factory stuff, maybe try a different brand.
Then the springs- a new recoil spring from Wolff does wonders.
Keep us posted-
 
bill- the recoil spring reccomendation might prove to be on the money - i'll try that.

can somebody reccomend a magazine brand/type that will work reliably? a couple of the mags in the midway link had poor reviews, which is helpful so i know what not to get... but i need to know what to get?

i did do a complete tear down and clean on it when i first got it - it was plenty filthy then, but it was ok before today's session.

baba- i want to re-do it as much as possible myself for no other reason than i like to do this stuff. we're on the same page there!
 
Check the links posted in the "M1 Carbine" thread by C4 further down in this forum. They should open up another world of resources to you.
 
I recommend a complete teardown, including removing the the short throw piston and giving it a very good cleaning and making sure the piston is free, lube is in the right places. Also recommend replacing the recoil spring and the extractor. You will need the special wrench for removing the gas piston and the special fixture for taking the bolt apart. I had a simular problem and foundthe extractor was becoming worn. 15 rd. mil-spec G.I. mags are the way to go. None of the 30 rd. mags I have work for beans.
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Fir the cost of this stuff you can't go wrong.
Check out these links to Gun Parts Corp. Everything you need to get your M1 up and running is there. The M1 is a very straight forward design, no mysteries. Clean it, inspect it, replace worn parts, lube it and it will work.
By the way who is the manufacturer of your M1 ?
 
yeah, mine's acting like one at the moment! haha... i'll get 'er sorted out - should be a real fun little machine when it gets up and running again.
 
I would do the following:

1. Field strip and give it a thorough cleaning. Then lube and reassemble. I oil all the parts mainly for corrosion protection, but I have found that using a bit of grease on the locking lugs and the slide where it contacts the receiver and the bottom of the barrel is better for lubrication.

2. Replace the recoil spring with one from Wolff. It may be worn out.

3. Make sure you're using USGI 15 round magazines that are in good shape. Even USGI 30s aren't as reliable as the 15s. Avoid aftermarket mags.

Hold off on removing the gas piston, unless it isn't moving freely. The gas piston nut should be staked in place and is not designed for routine removal. All USGI Carbine ammo was non-corrosive, so as long as the piston moves freely back and forth, it should be in good shape. If you need to remove the piston make sure you use the correct tool, there is a wrench specifically made for the task.
 
fellas... thanks for the pointers on this. i printed the manual from steve's site (note: there are 97 pages so be sure you're ok w/ 'print all') and tore it down pretty far. i left the piston alone, though. several soakings in hoppes #9, nylon brushes, and cotton patches were working as long as i applied enough elbow grease. so, i went ahead and went the brake cleaner route to expedite the process some (note: after waiting for your wife to leave the house before starting this process, please perform due diligence and make sure she has left town and won't be back for a long time; your wife may see the humor in it, mine was a crab-a$$ about brake cleaner being sprayed in the house).

i finally got the carbine cleaned to my satisfaction and reassembled w/ a moderate amount of grease on the bolt and raceways, no other oil or grease. the action cycles smoothly now. i have not had the chance to shoot it yet after reassembly, however i expect it will run much better, now. regardless, i think i'm going to go ahead and re-spring it next time i tear it down.

after the next tear down and re-spring (probably next weekend), my daughter and i are going to re-finish the stock and handguard. my intention is to present it to her on one of her b-days - probably 16 or 18.

as a side note... my mom is in town for my son's b-day, and saw the gun while my daughter was test-shouldering it, and was really, really excited about the whole project. mom was very happy that the gun was being made serviceable again, and that it will be passed down properly.

thanks for your help, fellas! should be wrapped up before spring - got lots of range time it needs to put in w/ my daughter!
 
Sounds great. I got my Carbine from the CMP earlier this year. I tried to shoot it after only cleaning the barrel and it was sluggish and failed to cycle quite a bit. After giving it a good cleaning, it functioned just fine, even with Wolf ammo. I have a couple of spring kits, but I haven't had to use them yet.

As far as the joy of helping others with shooting, I have had a Rossi break open single shot for several years. I got the 20 gauge barrel with it. I bought it on a whim and have never shot it a great deal. My brother has decided to get his son a rifle for Christmas and was looking at buying the same rifle. I am happy to say I have the opportunity to pass that rifle on to my nephew who will likely get a great deal more enjoyment out of it.
 
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