Which M-1 Carbine should I look for ?

rodgerglide

I will be going to the next several gun shows looking for an American made M-1 carbine.I have learned that many different companys produced this gun.I know very little about them and which may be the makes to look for. Any suggestions would be welcome.I am also wondering about price.Can I expect to find a very good condition one in the $300 to $400 range?

Cameroon

Go to page 5 of this section and look for topic "M1 Carbine". There's some feedback there to help.

luger01

Roger-Best information is to learn about the rifle first - before buying. There are several good reference books available to learn about the rifle, its makers, the many variations and the markings. My favorite is "The M1 Carbines Wartime Production" by Craig Riesch.As you said, there were several producers, plus a few commercial post-war makers who didn't use mil-spec guidelines. Most Carbines have been 'rearsenalled', meaning that after WWII they got refurbished by the military and received new parts that were not made by the original mfg. co. These are NOT bad guns to buy - they are correct military issue and you will now pay $450-$800 for them. An original issue, as-issued, rifle is almost impossible to find, but if you do, expect to pay well over $1000 and you darn better know your M1 Carbines to not end up with a fake (someone collecting the parts and putting together what looks like an 'original' gun). There are collectors out there that do this for their collection, not to defraud others, but if the rifle gets sold, it can lose the history of being a 're-creation'. Of course there are others who will do this only to sell at a profit and don't care about cheating others.The less expensive Carbines ($250 to $350) are generally Universal, Plainfield, or Iver Johnson made. These are post-war and while good shooters, have no collector value and are not all made to mil-spec (military parts don't interchange with the rifle's parts). If you only want to have a Carbine to shoot, I'd recommend the new IAI Carbines. They are USGI parts on a new receiver. Springfield Armory is reported to be gearing up to produce it's new M1 Carbine, too.If you want a USGI Carbine - read a few books and learn how to ID the many parts and variations FIRST. Then go shopping. If you turn this around, it's likely that you will spend too much and be dissappointed when you discover what you bought. Unless, of course, you deal with a very reputable dealer you can trust. Then, you'll pay $500-800 for a good specimen of a rearsenalled Carbine.Deals can be found, but they are few and far between anymore. I used to buy excellent Carbines for $300 and less a few years ago. When the prices jumped, I sold off my collection and bought an old '55 Chevy with the profit. Good luck and remember: READ and LEARN FIRST!

ED P

I read a post here the other week where someone thought Springfield Armory might be coming out with their reissue built to GI specs soon- I'm holding off and hoping this is true...

rodgerglide

Thanks ya'll,looks like this old dog needs to read and learn some before he makes a mistake.

competentone

luger,Last I've heard, is IAI (Israel Arms International--for those who may not know) has run out of USGI parts and is now making the whole gun (not just putting surplus parts on their receiver)--still to GI specs though.

barto

i bought a singer and an i.b.m. in 1964 from sears for 69.95 each eat your heart out.

v35

Qualitywise there's no difference between USGI carbines. Appearancewise,I preferred those with the green/grey finish as they had less of a surface texture but otherwise they were all equal. A few had built-up laminated and brazed trigger housings which were ugly but completely functional. Collectors' value is a separate issue I'm not familiar with.

modoc

Breaks my heart every time I think of it but in 63 I bought 5 DCM carbines for $20 bucks each.Don't ask how many I have left.One was all M2 except it didn't have the lever.All parts were M2.Sold it at a show In 72 for four hundred and figured I'd struck it rich. Oh brother.