M1 Carbine for home defense

[jaktime]

I just recently came across a M1 carbine in nice shape and had to purchase it( I must admit I have a soft spot for them). I'm considering using it for home defense if I "feel" the need for something more than a handgun to get the job done( I also have to admit the short barrel is a plus too). Would you consider this a decent round for home defense to use in conjunction a handgun? I'm not worried about over penetration, my neighbors are not to close to me.
If this is considered a " viable" round what would some of you suggest as a home defense round for it? I only see the 30 carbine ammo around me in the " run of the mill " 110gr FMJ stuff. I don't mind target shooting/ plinking with this stuff but if I'm using it in my home for defense I would rather have something better than a FMJ bullet. Any thoughts or insight would be great.
Thanks
J

 

[Dr.Rob]

More than adequate. Test the function with some soft points and USGI 15 shot magazines.

Prvi and Armscor both make 110gr soft point ammo for less than $25 for a box of 50.

 

[mavracer]

I put my USGI carbine in the closet with a 15 round GI mag full of Prvi soft points and 2 more mags in a GI stock pouch when I started switching the configuration on my AR15, that was about a year ago, I still sleep like a baby.

 

[BP Hunter]

Yes, the M1 Carbine is more than adequate for home protection. With the advent of "zombie" guns the "smaller calibers" have lost respect. If I remember, the 30 carbine has more energy than the .357 magnum. Its small size with low recoil is perfect for indoor use.

 

[USSR]

Darn near perfect for HD.

Don

 

[rcmodel]

if I "feel" the need for something more than a handgun

Yep!

But if you have a carbine loaded with soft-point ammo, you don't even need the hadgun.

rc

 

[HorseSoldier]

Should work fine as long as you are comfortable with running it at speed. The M1 carbine has pretty short legs when you start stretching the range, but at inside a house ranges it will ballistically do the job quite well.

 

[cleardiddion]

Well, if your recall from the development history of the little carbine it was designed as the replacement for both the 1911 and Garand for troops whose duties weren't exactly front line combat so it does fill the role of home defense quite well.

I use one personally and I couldn't be happier with it.

You can find 110gr SP's pretty easily from a variety of manufacturers including: Prvi, Magtech, Armscor, and such all have pretty good ones.

It was recommended (at least to me) that one tries to use GI 15rd magazines for the reliability and to generally stay away from 30rders. In my case, the two commercial Korean and GI 30rder I've tested extensively so I know they'll work. Still thinking about switching out my magcatch to one off an M2 to better accommodate the 30rder though.

I personally keep my Inland loaded up with 15rds Magtech 110gr SP's, one in the chamber and safety on. On reserve I just keep a few more 15rders on the gun in the buttstock pouch and a 30rd GI in the headboard loaded up with ball.

I don't have as much leeway when it comes to neighbors but I feel confident in not over penetrating due to the fact that I live in an old building with has a double brick exterior and concrete interior.

 

[bigfatdave]

get some soft points and make sure your magazines WORK

 

[HankB]

For a short while my Dad carried an M1 carbine in WWII . . . based on his experience against Japs, I would not want to trust my life to it were it loaded with RN-FMJ ammo.

On the other hand, with good expanding ammo, I suspect its entire character would be changed . . . assuming the rifle were reliable. (Not all carbines function well with non-USGI ammo.)

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Very reliable, easy to store, easy to charge (quietly too, if you wish), great unused GI mags available (I use 15 rounders as "go-to"), ball GI ammo is very effective (former GI stories of dissatisfaction not withstanding)... What's not to like?

I don't mind proven soft points through one but have taken a bunch of White-tail with ball and live and breath behind the performance of an M1 Carbine in Africa many years back. This former GI can attest to the effectiveness of a U.S. surplus Carbine and italian surplus ball as a bad-guy whomper!

 

[grendelbane]

Loaded with good expanding ammunition, the carbine is a good choice for that purpose. I recommend the 15 round magazines as being the most reliable. I have some that are still NIW, though they are probably over a decade older than I am.

 

[bikerdoc]

Aguila makes a good ammo for it also.

 

[Husker_Fan]

It's what I use.

There are some very reliable 30 round mags out there too. I have several AYP marked mags that were post-ware manufacture by FN. They are function flawlessly. The relatively inexpensive mags from Korea also have a good reputation.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

If you can find it, Speer makes a Gold Dot .30 Carbine.

 

[Texan Scott]

Like a hicap semiautomatic 357 or better... at SD ranges, your only real concerns are reliability (test it) and shot placement. Also a nice close range deer carbine where legal.

 

[stubbicatt]

I think they are swell little guns, a whole lotta fun to shoot, that's for sure.

I had an acquaintance many years ago, who as a law enforcement officer, was dispatched to kill a rabid dog. His department provided the M1 Carbine. He said he had to shoot that dog several times to get it to drop. I didn't ask a lot of questions like, "where did you shoot it, in the foot?" and I have no idea of his marksmanship, but that story has caused me to pause before buying one of them many times in the past.

In head to head comparison, I think the SKS would be a better choice due to the ammunition offerings like Vmax's etc., which will make a real mess of someone's day.

I wouldn't want to get shot with a Carbine, but I am a little suspicious of that rifle as a primary HD weapon.

 

[silicosys4]

Jim Cirillo was a very well known NY officer who was involved with I believe 6 shootouts with armed criminals during his tenure in the NYPD's stakeout unit in the early 70's. He had his choice of any conventional service weapon, shotguns, a submachine gun, and he credited the M1 carbine with SP or HP bullets as being the best stopper in the arsenal. Every single time it was used by the unit, he credits it with one-shot stops, whether it be DOA or pelvic or leg shots that shattered bone to the point of incapacitation. 110@1900 is no joke.

 

[HoosierQ]

All that jazz about the .30 carbine not stopping people DRT are from wars. Frequently against either highly motivated and trained troops, fanatics, or people who may well have had guns pointed at their backs should they fall back. So, sure, I imagine some guys kept coming. Much more often, and acurate were concerns about range.

For home or self defense, the .30 carbine is probably just about the perfect non-shotgun weapon...and has a few things up on a shotgun like ease of follow-up shots.

 

[SHR970]

If you decide to use 30 rnd. mags, make sure you have a M2 mag. catch on the gun. It does make a difference in feed reliability.

Winchester HSP or anybodys SP loads will do a lot of internal damage. FMJ will over penetrate but there are thousands upon thousands of dead Germans, Italians, Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, and Vietnamese that are proof that this round can be effective. Our military would not have kept using them into the Vietnam War if they were totally ineffective.

These were made to be 300 yard max. guns from the start. Complaining that they are not very powerful at range negates the self defense aspect of the OP's intended use. With close to 1000 ft. lbs at the muzzle and 600 at 100 yards, you have 44 mag. pistol at the muzzle and 357 pistol at a football field energy. With 15 rounds on tap, you have plenty of firepower and energy on tap.

 

[friscolatchi]

I have a Universal (long story) and a Rocola. Use the Universal for hunting and general shooting - not reliable with the steel Russian ammo as it plugs up the gas block. Both are really accurate. However I don't use them for home defense. Three years ago my then 7 year old boy was bugging me continually for a Carbine so I picked up the Rocola. He loves shooting it.

OP - who manufactured your carbine?

 

[mavracer]

All that jazz about the .30 carbine not stopping people DRT are from wars.

I've heard a lot of those storys, it would seem that a signifigant amount of the scuttle is from guys standing next to a guy with a Garand or a M14 and trying to start shooting when they did. at 400 yards dang skippy it ain't effective especially when compared to a Garand.
I've also read some accounts of it being very effective at close range.

 

[lemaymiami]

I'd have one for home/vehicle defense in heatbeat if they were a bit less expensive. A good quality reliable shooter is all I'd want and it would never be used for targets at more than 100 yards, in fact I'd want it for pistol ranges. That old surplus carbine was the principal weapon used in the infamous Miami FBI shootout back in the eighties and it darned nearly did in every officer the one bad guy still shooting engaged.... I was working on the street that day at the north end of Dade county and that carbine's effectiveness at close quarters was impressive.... Nowadays a good quality, reliable GI carbine isn't cheap at all, darn it...

 

[mljdeckard]

It's under the bed with two magazines of SPs in a pouch on the buttstock RIGHT NOW. The wife loves it, it is certainly adequate in power and shootability. I wish I had two.

 

[The-Reaver]

110 grain bullet doing 1900 FPS.

I'd call it good man.