M1 Carbine howto?

[njl]

I've recently been thinking about picking up an M1 Carbine. What parts do I need to look at to know if a particular carbine is all/relatively original or a mixed parts gun?

I'm not sure that I care particularly if it's a mixed manufacturer parts weapon, but as I understand it, that detracts a bit from the value and should be reflected in the price. I do want it to be a correct all military parts one.

While trying to look into this, I found the info about the CMP just having gotten a large quantity of M1 Carbines, and that they plan to start selling them in March, but nobody seems to know the types, conditions, prices, or how fast they'll get snapped up. Well, that last one is likely 'very fast'.

So, I'm thinking if I can find a nice one in a face to face sale in the $500-$600 range, there's probably no gain in waiting to see what the CMP has.

[Bushbacker]

I don't know a great deal about them but from what I've read $500 will only get you a mixmaster. All matching ones are pretty expensive I gather. Like M1 Garands, most were probably repaired, rebuilt, etc. at some point in time so all matching ones are not overly common.

Supposedly, the CMP is getting in excess of 30,000 of them so they will last for awhile. The guy in charge of the CMP estimated 1-2 years. Probably closer to 1 year.

[njl]

I guess the thing to look for is just all GI parts then?

I read on another board that people are speculating that the CMP carbines will start around $500 and all get snapped up within a few weeks of going on sale.

[Bushbacker]

No way they could go that quickly. There will be plenty of time to get one.

[njl]

I guess the big question then is what sort of pricing they'll offer.

I'd hate to buy one locally for $550 and then find a few months later that I could have gotten a similar one via the CMP for signifigantly less.

[Bushbacker]

They will be graded by condition and manufacturer. The CMP Operating Officer estimated they would range from $400 - $1,000 depending on grade/manufacturer. No decisions on pricing have been made yet though. Some manufacturers didn't make very many so those would obviously command much higher prices.

[Rick O'Shay]

Where are you located? Can't discuss a face-to-face without knowing where your face is. :laughabove:

I might have a carbine you'd like.

[njl]

Originally posted by Rick O'Shay
Where are you located? Can't discuss a face-to-face without knowing where your face is. :laughabove:

I might have a carbine you'd like.

I'm several hundred miles and a few state lines south of you.

I was looking for quick info due to having heard about a locally available one. After seeing it first hand, it was a bit more on the beaten side (perhaps even mistreated) than I was hoping for. I think the bug is under control now, and I'm going to wait and see what the CMP does in March.

[LSP972]

Check out the carbine forums on the AmBack Battle Rifle site.

I've been looking into this (getting a carbine) for many months now, and the best hard info in one place is there. There are a few guys here who are VERY knowledgeable, but they don't surface much; they're probably ashamed to be bogarting so many beautiful M1 carbines when we unwashed masses are pining for one... right, Faulkner???:supergrin:

.

[1811guy2]

"Matching" parts is an incorrect term in describing the M1 Garand. I would imagine the M1 Carbine is the same way. Unlike European and Eastern European companies, US manufacturers did not serialize each individual part to match the receiver number. Rather, the parts were produced en masse and certain lots were stamped with a specific lot number. If the design of a component changed, the number was changed to track them accordingly. This made updating and upgrading rifles much easier. The proper term in describing a Garand is "correct" parts. For Garands, this makes it possible to return an arsenaled weapon to its original condition by getting the correct parts for it. Impossible to do with an arsenaled gun that has serialized parts.
Here is an interesting website: http://battlerifle0.tripod.com/ . My 1941 Garand has all of the correct parts except for the stock.

[njl]

I guess what I was most worried about was buying one 2nd or 3rd hand and not knowing enough about them to realize which parts are correct for the period and which are aftermarket more recently replaced/"upgraded".

[Yamadad]

Just stay away from the Universals. :wavey: