I shoot mostly cowboy guns with black powder. But after SA Revolvers and LA Rifles, my favorite gun is my M1 Carbine. Not a "real" one, it is a clone from IAI out of Houston. But the parts will swap. About 20 years ago I had the chance to buy a pretty nice Rockola, at a gun show, for 350 dollars. I am STILL disappointed in myself for letting that slip by. Anyway..... I always felt the carbine was untapped firepower. It should have been loaded to higher pressure, and/or with a slightly larger case and heavier bullet. It would have made a quite powerful 30 caliber sub-machine gun. I assume I am not the only Carbine fan. They are one of the most fun, "fun guns" around. best
You are probably right, but I think the original idea was for it to be a repalcement for pistol. It was not forseen that it would be considered as 1st choice for the infantryman. so those improvements you mentioned were probably never even considered.
Odd... I'm just reading General Gavin's WWII memoirs and this very night read about his dislike for the carbine as a "rifle" during the Sicily drop. And of course you're right, it was meant as a substitute for a pistol, except the Airborne grabbed onto the idea to use it as a battle rifle and issued it widely, so I was thinking Gavin has nobody to blame but himself. They learned their lesson in Sicily. Like the OP, I'm also very fond of the Carbine. I think it's a great little rifle within the parameters for which it was designed. I'm pretty sure that within a hundred yards it's more lethal than the current .223 the army is using.
I had, until one of the huge grass fires here in Montana, a beautiful little M1A1 "paratrooper" model with the leg holster and two 15 round box mags. Picked it up in Chester Mt in the fifties for about $30 out of a surplus box of carbines my local Gambles hardware store was selling. He had two boxes of Garands, and three of the carbines. The full stock models were all gone by the time Dad and I got there, so Mr. Schaefer gave us a buy on the "folding stock" model, thought I was being scammed. After many years of reliable use, hunting and plinking mostly, it had gotten rather "worn out" looking. The leather cheek pad had been replaced by duct tape, the parkerizing was worn off almost every where, and the pistol grip had cracked and was held together with a wood screw and some Elmer's. I had taken it to a local gunsmith so he could work it over, using Numrich parts he had ordered for me. Sadly his "shop" was set well away from his home, and when the range fire engulfed his shop all the stuff in it was lost. My little M1 included, it took some time but his insurance finally paid off at a decent price but by then I had started fighting my cancer the first go-round and needed the money for things other than firearms. I really liked it in the river brush environs where most of our white-tail deer hang out, under 100 yards it would drop them with ease. I also used it for "varmits" and just for fun plinking targets and such. Great little carbine.
I have one too, with the folding paratrooper stock. My dad bought it from the State Police arsenal when they were clearing out unused weapons that were taking up space for $25.00 back in the 60s. He gave it to me a few years ago. All that it's missing is a bayonet and a cleaning kit. They have them on this magazine called "Cheaper Than Dirt", along with a lot of really nice things to have but are really not needed. I might order a few magazines if they have them still. It might be hard to find them now with all the panic buying, hoarding and regulation in the coming days.
Bobby, you might want to check out this place, it is where I bought my new pistol grip and folding portion. The thing had gotten so worn out over the years that the "over center" lock was no more. Goto: Firearm Parts & Accessories | Military Surplus | Numrich Gun Parts
Nice site. I see that they put a shipping availability disclaimer on the home page. Lots of that going on these days down South. Not sure how it's going in the rest of the country. A friend was posting on facebook while waiting in line to get in to the gun show this past weekend. The line wrapped around the building. I was planning to go to the big gun show in New Orleans this weekend just to see. I hear that the place will be packed. I was planning to take my carbine to have it appraised although I won't sell it unless some dumb@$$ offers me some obscene dollar amount for it of course.
Just bought one last week, been looking for one for alot of years, now I will have to wait til spring to try it out...too cold right now. Now I'm on the hunt for a bayonet and sling for it.
