M1 Carbine

[CalRW&B]

I just just a World War II M1 Carbine. Would like to know more about care for it and shooting it. Any input would be greatly appreciated.  

Likely going to take it completely down, clean and oil it up first.  

[Grayfox54]

Congratulations! They're great little rifles and loads of fun.  

Just clean and lube as with any other semi-auto rifle. Oil what turns and grease what slides.  I don't recommend trying to disassemble the bolt or removing the gas piston. Special tools are required for this and it almost impossible to do it without them. Also, the gas piston nut is staked in place. Best to just leave it alone unless absolutely necessary. Stick with USGI mags. There's plenty of them out there. Many can be found new in the wrap and they're reasonably priced. I also recommend picking up a copy of the military field manual to learn the ins and outs of use and maintenance. 

Search the web for deals on bulk ammo.  Trust me, you'll need it. 

[seez52]

They are great fun to shoot and pretty fast handling. I outfitted mine with vintage buttstock mag pouch. Adds a bit of weight when you put two full mags in it, but I like the way it looks and it's handy. You'll want an original type sling as well. Killed a skunk with mine a couple of years ago. Dropped him in his tracks.

Edited March 7, 2017 by seez52

[CalRW&B]

Thank you all for your help and input. It's greatly appreciate it. I'm enjoying learning about my own one for me... Learning a lots!!!

[Will]

My first one was a like new Inland. It started to jam after a few hundred rounds so my first venture into cleaning one. Found out is was dirty with carbon

and dry. After shooting them often I found out,clean them every 700-800 rounds or every time you use Augila Ammo sold buy CMP ,it is dirty crap.

Do not use grease anywhere unless you going to war,mud &firing hundred of rounds a minute.  Grease will attract dirt and burnt powder.  Wipe off all extra oil after cleaning. Removing and assembling bolt and slide can be tricky,watch a Utube Vid on this.   Complete strip and clean is only needed first

time and then about every two years. Hoppes, bronze brush& and oil are all that is needed in between full cleaning

[A.J. Holst]

I liked my first one so much, I got a second one for a designated shooter.

Easy to operate and maintain.

Cleaning is a breeze.

Fun and satisfying to shoot.

I would recommend the 15 round mags, the full(er) 30s can sag without a type 3(?) Mag release. 

Ammo can be found on the shelf, but expect a price point in excess of .50/Rd

Nice selection of varmint and self / home defense rounds available from Speer, Hornady, and others.

Lots of on line resources with a simple Google search. 

Congrats on a cool piece of modern history

[A.J. Holst]

On 3/6/2017 at 11:17 PM, seez52 said:

 Killed a skunk with mine a couple of years ago. Dropped him in his tracks.

Was he cheating you at cards?

[Old Mitch]

CalRW&B, who is the maker of your carbine?  You prob already know, they were made in the millions; Inland (a division of General Motors) was the largest maker; and the companies contracted to make them were a really diverse lot. I.e. IBM, Rockola, etc. 

If your new toy was made by someone other than Inland, you may want to research it, and depending on rarity, possibly limit the shooting and buy a more common version for a shooter. 

They are not only terrific fun and have home defense value, they're great for introducing new shooters to our sport. (After suitable training with a single round loaded, of course. [smiley])

Also, for an everyday shooter, there are some decent re-creations being produced. 

Enjoy!

[seez52]

13 hours ago, Gotthegoods said:

Was he cheating you at cards?

A few years ago there was a news report of a house near here, out in the country, being burglarized. The culprits didn't expect to find anyone home. They jumped in their truck and took off. The homeowner opened fire with his 30 carbine. Seems like one of his rounds struck the truck just right causing a mechanical failure and the truck careened off into the ditch. The sheriff arrested the suspects. It's was in the paper and on the 6 o'clock news at the time. I laughed, couldn't believe a 30 carbine could disable a vehicle like that.

[A.J. Holst]

Didn't someone post about Buffalo Bore coming out with some hard cast .30 carbine?

[seez52]

I have cast and loaded some hard lead slugs. They shoot pretty good and it's cheap. 

[JoeCorrado]

I've been after an M1 carbine for several years. It's been an elusive one to add to the safe. Timing hasn't ever been right and I constantly find reasons not to buy, mostly because they're overpriced and have continued down that path. I shouldn't have passed on the Underwood from 3 years ago for $800 but I digress. Congrats on the purchase and enjoy!

[MemHeli]

I have a model made by IBM!  Being into technology, I am especially fond of and fascinated by the manufacturer.  

 

 

[Ronald_55]

13 minutes ago, MemHeli said:

I have a model made by IBM!  Being into technology, I am especially fond of and fascinated by the manufacturer.  

 

 

That is cool. You would not find corps doing that day. Too much negativity. But in the past everyone from sewing machine makers, to appliance manufactures retooled for the war efforts.

[monkeylizard]

We'd see it again if the nation ever had to go into "Total War" mode. I don't see that happening any time soon, but folks probably said the same thing in the 1930s. Things can change rather quickly. The problem now is that so few US companies actually make things here. Wouldn't it be ironic if our next major war was fought with M4 carbines stamped "Toyota", "Daimler-Benz", and "Nissan" ?

Edited March 15, 2017 by monkeylizard

[Ronald_55]

1 hour ago, monkeylizard said:

We'd see it again if the nation ever had to go into "Total War" mode. I don't see that happening any time soon, but folks probably said the same thing in the 1930s. Things can change rather quickly. The problem now is that so few US companies actually make things here. Wouldn't it be ironic if our next major war was fought with M4 carbines stamped "Toyota", "Daimler-Benz", and "Nissan" ?

Only problem is that most of our factories are not set up for this type of production any more. My Dad was a machinist at a razor factory and they could have with some tweaking though.

[MemHeli]

24 minutes ago, Ronald_55 said:

Only problem is that most of our factories are not set up for this type of production any more. My Dad was a machinist at a razor factory and they could have with some tweaking though.

My Grandad was the ran the B-52 maintenance and repair shop - he was also a machinist.  I wish I'd paid more attention to what was going on all those years I piddled in the shop while he made things.  I picked up some of it, but not nearly what I could have.

[Ronald_55]

1 hour ago, MemHeli said:

My Grandad was the ran the B-52 maintenance and repair shop - he was also a machinist.  I wish I'd paid more attention to what was going on all those years I piddled in the shop while he made things.  I picked up some of it, but not nearly what I could have.

Dad never got to take me in, I was already too old when he took the job and the plant was not a place for kids (razor blades by the millions lol) I wish I knew 1/2 of what he learned in that job. We only learn how stupid of kids we were after we are too old for it to do any good... lol

[bubbadavis]

8 hours ago, MemHeli said:

I have a model made by IBM!  Being into technology, I am especially fond of and fascinated by the manufacturer.  

 

 

I looked for an IBM for years before I found one that was in good condition and I could afford. As a software nerd, it only made sense to have an IBM vs. a Rockola.

[MikePapa1]

i had two Inlands and gave one to my son. Great little guns and very fun to shoot. Enjoy.

[Ray Z]

If you reload, stay away from cast bullets. They clog up the gas port. I shot cast and paid the bill. Took me for ever to find the wrench to remove the gas check to clean it. I found 110gr bullets from Bartlett. H110 was the powder I used. Worked great. Clean,uniform, consistent readings over the chronograph.

[CalRW&B]

On March 10, 2017 at 9:03 AM, Old Mitch said:

CalRW&B, who is the maker of your carbine?  You prob already know, they were made in the millions; Inland (a division of General Motors) was the largest maker; and the companies contracted to make them were a really diverse lot. I.e. IBM, Rockola, etc. 

If your new toy was made by someone other than Inland, you may want to research it, and depending on rarity, possibly limit the shooting and buy a more common version for a shooter. 

They are not only terrific fun and have home defense value, they're great for introducing new shooters to our sport. (After suitable training with a single round loaded, of course. [smiley])

Also, for an everyday shooter, there are some decent re-creations being produced. 

Enjoy!

Agreed, have learned tons.  I really like the book..."U.S. M1 Carbines, Wartime Productiond" by Craig Riesch.  Very-very informative!  YouTube is great. But it's YouTube and that everyone doesn't always know what they're talking about. We find that out very quickly.

I have a problem with people that want to strip stocks and strip away the history.  Plus most of them damage them, takeing away too much wood.  I feel that we are the stewarts for them. we are just preserving them for the next owner or generation.

Really-really enjoy them and have learned a lot!!!  Thank y'all for yor help!!

[tnhawk]

I regret than I didn't acquire more M1 Garands and Carbines when the were cheap and plentiful.  A major part of the appeal of these rifles is their history.

 

[Mark A]

58 minutes ago, tnhawk said:

I regret than I didn't acquire more M1 Garands and Carbines  any when they were cheap and plentiful.  A major part of the appeal of these rifles is their history.

 

I just want a carbine. I have a buddy who has a nice one that he doesn't shoot. He's put maybe 10 rounds through it in 20 years. I even bought reloading dies and brass for it hoping he would give in and sell it to me but nope...

[A.J. Holst]

SIA in West Knox has a nice selection, assorted brands ranging from $1099 - $1499.

Auto Ordanance and Fulton Armory are putting out nice modern Milspecs..