This page is about M1 Carbines
The above photo was taken at the Pawn Shop
The above photo shows it all cleaned up, and a M1 type sling on it, and a ammo pouch on the stock. These were made for the pistol belts, and not intended to be installed on the stocks, but GIs used them like this to have 2 extra 15 round magazines available. I was in the 101st Airborne on 3 tours, so used a 101st patch to cover the hole left from removing the snap so it did not scratch up the stock. I have a ww2 Carbine Sling, but prefer using the M1 style sling for its adjust-ability.
A little story about my initial use of the M1/M2 Carbine.
So after being assigned a Carbine as my weapon, I needed to get fully knowledgeable with it in every way. We had Battalion Guard, so I did some fast studying of the FM on Manual of Arms for the Carbine, which is completely different than a rifle, and closer to that of a 45 Pistol. So, there I am, the only assigned Carbine in the Battalion, on Guard Mount, and here comes the OD, a Lt, down the row, grabbing the M1s from the guys, holding them up to inspect them, then briskly handing them back. When he got to me, he stood there with a lost puppy look on his face, made a nice snappy right face, and moved on to the next guard. Now I was starting to really like the Carbine. After a couple more similar Guard Mounts, my Plt Sgt told me that I needed to use a M1 for Guard in the future, but still use my assigned Carbine for anything else.
Next up was Vietnam. I was in Nam in 66-67, when the M16 was having jamming problems, that was
latter resolved with the addition of the forward assist. Below is what the early M16 looked like
without the forward assist. My Unit stayed with the M14s.
I was assigned a M14A1E1, which was a select fire M14 with a special stock that had a pistol grip
like the M16, a forward grip, and a Bi-pod. This would of been a kick butt weapon in Europe or
Korea, but was very heavy, bulky, and got hung up on every thing.
I carried the M14A1E1 for a few weeks,
then "Acquired" a cut down M2 Carbine. This was so much lighter and compact, and I could carry
3 times as much ammo with it. I carried the chopped M2 for the rest of my year. I called it
"Sweet Thing", because it was so compact, easy to use, and never failed me.
Inland Manufacturing has released there Advisor Pistol, a replica of these unique Carbines used in Vietnam. This is being made and sold as a legal pistol, so It does not need a normal stock, and can have a very short barrel.
I purchased one, and then purchased a M1 Carbine stock to put it in to replicate the one I had in Vietnam. The Carbine stock is cut off at the grip. It will be a nice little gun with the sling mount I fabricated to go on the bottom of the grip. This lower sling mount that I made also helps prevent my hand from slipping off the grip.
I am a Carbine Enthusiast, not a Collector. As far as I am concerned, a Carbine sitting in a gun safe year after year is a waste unless it is a extremely rare one. I was introduced to the Carbine as a Tool of War, and I use them as tools still today.
The M1 Carbine, when used in a pistol configuration, has better overall ballistics than an AR Pistol in 5.56. The 5.56 is a little faster, but just slightly out of a short barrel, and the little 22 cal bullet has low energy with out high velocity of a rifle barrel. An AK47 Pistol beats them both from a short pistol length barrel, but the down side of the AK pistols are they are very bulky and heavy compared to my little Advisor Pistol. These top 2 Carbine rounds are from longer barrels that would be about 200 fps lower from a pistol length barrel, and the engery drops only slightly, with the heavier bullet from the Carbine.
I replaced the push button safety with a rotating one, that could cause
the magazine release to be hit by mistake. Since the Advisor uses
all USGI spec parts, I picked up a spare bolt, bolt rebuild kit, and spare
trigger assembly to take care of any problems in a SHTF situation with either Carbine.
This also takes care of any needed parts for decades.
The majority of M1 Carbine owners enjoy learning about the history of there Carbine, and taking it to the range periodically to just enjoy it, and stay proficient in shooting. Most like to have them look nice, by keeping them clean and lubed, and looking close to the way they were when used by the Military. I use traditional cleaning equipment, but use a bore snake to clean and lube the barrel and chamber. All the receiver, trigger and bolt parts should use normal gun lube, but the bolt lugs and operating rod should have a small amount of gun grease applied.
For those that wish to have the original look, with quality parts, but at a affordable price, I have found that Worldwarsupply is a very good company to do business with.
These are a few of the good places to find quality Carbine Parts, at a decent price. There are many dealers, but most offer repo parts and accesories
Dealers with web sites:
Amherst Armory, FL
Fulton Armory, MD
Both of the dealers below have SOME original parts for M1 carbines.
Both have a fair number of after market parts as well.
Numrich
Sarco
I wanted to do some sighting in of my Carbines, and especially the laser on my Advisor Carbine, so decided to try one of these light weight Plastic Bi Pods. This ended up being very handy, and so light weight and compact, I now keep it inside the side pocket of my range bag. You can do a google search and find them several places. Very Handy for the range, and only about $9. These pivot near the top, and are held snug against the barrel by a spring. I ordered mine from CH Kadels. Get on there mailing list. They have some unique items, and free shipping perioticlly.
Spring of 1945 photo in Germany, showing the adjustable rear sight,
oval cut high wood stock, and a mag pouch on the rear of it.
M2 Carbine in Vietnam, with a M1 Garand type sling
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