M1 Carbine Overhaul

[Texasred]

I have two M1 Carbines that I would like to turn into my self defense carbines or shtf guns for me and my girlfriend. One of them seems to jam every 10 rounds or so. I think the gun is worn out. My dad gave it to me so I didn't get ripped off or anything. The other Carbine has a crummy stock and loose rear sight. They are a Winchester and an Inland. I would like to get them back their fighting weight. Is there anyone else besides Fulton that rebuilds guns, possibly in the Houston Area? I doubt I'm that lucky....

But I really want to be able to shoot them and like all my guns use them if I have to.
Thanks in advance.

 

[dmftoy1]

Have you tried the jammer with a different magazine? (Perferably a 15 round USGI?)

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[Texasred]

Yeah I bought some new magazines from Fulton and all the magazines that work in my other non jammer don't work in the jammer.

 

[dmftoy1]

I bet someone will chime in and tell you to pull apart the gas system and clean it real well. (But I'm not an expert on these things . .I just like to shoot'em)

Good luck!

 

[Dave Markowitz]

First of all, get Jerry Kuhnhausen's shop manual for the .30 Carbines.

Next, field strip and clean them thoroughly. Normally you don't want to disassemble the gas piston, but with the jamming gun it's possible that it's gunked up or corroded. Get a gas piston wrench and remove it. Then clean and reassemble. Don't oil it. Make sure you re-stake the gas piston nut back in place.

If the guns have seen a lot of use it's likely that the recoil spring is worn out. Get new ones from Wolff (www.gunsprings.com).

Use only USGI 15 round mags and known good ammo, like 110 grain FMJ from Remington, Federal, or Winchester. Once it's working with FMJ then you can worry about functioning with JSPs.

 

[dmftoy1]

I wonder .. would a worn recoil spring cause jamming? (I might need to get one to put on the shelf for my baby . . she doesn't jam at all . . )

One thing that occurred to me last night . . does the piston on yours move back and forth real easy? On my cmp gun it goes in/out very smoothly with little effort . . .

 

[Dave Markowitz]

A worn recoil spring could cause functioning problems if it does not have the strength to reliably strip rounds from the mag and push the bolt forward into the chamber.

 

[Texasred]

Yeah thats the thing bolt the slides move very easy and freely. I was wondering if maybe I need a new bolt or extractor. But then again sometimes it will double feed. I just bought some new recoil springs and would like to purchase this manual you were talking about what does the gas system look like and how complicated is this. Easy enough for home?