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M-1 Carbine differences

YZriderYZrider Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
edited January 2004 in Ask the Experts
Can any one tell me the difference between an early model Universal M-1 carbine (wood handgaurd) and the U.S. military models produced by the various contractors.Are the stocks interchangeable? Flat bolt versus round bolt,etc. thanks,R.B.
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    gap1916gap1916 Member Posts: 4,977
    edited November -1
    The Universal was made from spare parts. A mix and match type of thing. The US Government were mfg from a process were each rifle was made to fit. The Universals for the most part were very inaccurate. My 2 cents [8D]

    Greg
    Former
    USMC
    ANGLICO
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    phxtravisphxtravis Member Posts: 738 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Universal was the only manufacture to try and "improve" the design, I think the diffrence was they used dual recoil springs?. I have owned a Universal and they are very inaccurate.

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    XracerXracer Member Posts: 1,990 ✭
    edited November -1
    "The Universal was made from spare parts. A mix and match type of thing."

    True......but...

    "The US Government were mfg from a process were each rifle was made to fit."

    If you believe that one, I've got a bridge I'll sell you.

    M1 Carbines were made by 9 different manufacturers, and each one job-shopped out various parts and subassemblies to dozens of subcontractors (usually small machine shops or manufacturers in their areas)....and each and every part and subassembly had to fit each and every Carbine, no matter who made it.

    So now you've 9 primary contractors, and hundreds (perhaps thousands) of subcontractors making parts for these things....and they all had to work!

    As a result, these things were not built like Swiss watches.

    In 1942, my father was working as a tool designer for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. He was asked by the War Production Board to (temporarily) go over to Underwood Typwriter to supervise tool design for the Underwood M1 Carbine Project.

    When he saw the parts tolerances for the Carbine, he came home shaking his head...."Well, they'll probably work, but the damn things will rattle when you pick 'em up!" [:D]

    Note: My father had worked at Colt and at the Springfield Armory on the M1 Garand design, so he knew something about firearms manufacturing.
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