Buying a M1 Carbine, what to look for?

[NOTABIKER]

just found a 1944 inland that is in very nice condition. It was kept in a closet for many years. paid 800. I think this one has been in private ownership for over 40 years. they are out their.
He also had a springfield Garand for 1,000 but the stock is sanded and a shiny coating was put on it.besides the stock re finish it is very nice.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

I haven't seen a $600 USGI carbine in a long time...... import marked or otherwise. $800 is the usual "base" price for a decent one. More, if it is a CMP gun, non-import marked, or otherwise special in some way.

I guess it depends on how hard you are looking. A great deal is not likely to just fall into your lap. Nor do I think there is a usual "base price" per se. I paid $600 for an Inland from another Calgunner about two years ago. I later sold it because it was sort of a beater. My Saginaw M1 is excellent inside and out and I believe I paid $700 for it about a year ago. I have an even nicer CMP papered IBM that I bought from another Calgunner for $800 recently. And then there is the Inland in the safe that I got from this last CMP run that sold out in one day. I can't remember what those cost off the top of my head but they were inexpensive (I got a field grade, totally happy with it.)

The most expensive M1 I ever bought was a post war rebuild on a WWII receiver that did not work properly and I sold it at a big loss. I also had a post war Iver Johnson that looked great and shot great and was cheap, but was sold when I started acquiring USGI M1's.

I am no smarter or more clever than anyone else, but I don't think it is that hard to find deals with some effort. If someone walks into a gun show or average retail shop with a pocket full of money and hell bent on buying an M1, they may well get fleeced. It would be a poor investment to pay more than about $600 for a USGI M1 that was a Blue Sky re-import with a shot out barrel.

Monitoring the best "For Sale" boards and having some ready cash and 03/COE on hand is the way to find good deals. In a lot of cases they will be SPF in a matter of minutes. This method beats the pants out whatever it was that you might have casually observed at the last gun store /gun show you happened to be at.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Yep, well said.

Sold the owner a WRA Garand receiver once and got an invite to visit the shop, never did though. Also a discussion over 1903 receivers that I felt had been ruined by drilling and tapping for scopes. Exact reply was, "you'd be surprised as to what we can do with those".

I felt bad for that guy who recently posted one and thought he had struck gold with an unissued M1 Garand still in the "original crate." It turned out to be a Miltech rebuild in their own black stenciled pine box.

[Mustang]

I want to buy a M1 Carbine. What key things should I look for? I want a former military rifle in good shooting condition.

Thanks in advance,
Keith

Be careful to avoid the Universal, Plainfield, Iver Johnson, National Ordnance, etc. These are not milspec and although some are decent shooters, many have parts that are not GI and are no longer made.

[alabamacoastie]

When my grandfather died, he left all of his guns to me. One of them was an M1 Carbine. However, mine does not have wood on the top of the forward handguard. It has metal with holes drilled all over it. I believe I read a few years ago that it is the "civilian" model.

Does that make it less valuable?

I have ammo for it, but I have never shot it. I just clean it once a year and put it back in the safe... It looks brand new. Maybe I should take it to the range...

[Mustang]

When my grandfather died, he left all of his guns to me. One of them was an M1 Carbine. However, mine does not have wood on the top of the forward handguard. It has metal with holes drilled all over it. I believe I read a few years ago that it is the "civilian" model.

Does that make it less valuable?

I have ammo for it, but I have never shot it. I just clean it once a year and put it back in the safe... It looks brand new. Maybe I should take it to the range...

Sounds like it could be a commercial model like I was warning MVS about.

Can you see who the manufacturer is on the receiver?

[alabamacoastie]

Sounds like it could be a commercial model like I was warning MVS about.

Can you see who the manufacturer is on the receiver?

Yep, you are right... It's a Plainfield.

Plainfield Machine
Dunellen, NJ
Cal. 30 M-1

And, it has a new speck of rust on the metal handguard (top left of close up pic). What's the best way to attack that tiny rust spot and keep it from coming back?

[Tere_Hanges]

I want to buy a M1 Carbine. What key things should I look for? I want a former military rifle in good shooting condition.

Thanks in advance,
Keith

1. Make sure the receiver is actual USGI (Inland, IBM, Winchester, etc.)

2. Check for all USGI parts. Unscrew the barrel band and take the action out of the stock and have a look see.

3. Check for overall functionality. Can the bolt be held back with the notch in the reciever? They can get worn down.

4. Is the bore pitted, does it have good TE and ME readings? M1 carbine barrels should last a very long time.

Pretty much do as you would any used gun.

BTW, it is perfectly normal to find a USGI firearm with a mix of parts. They were rebuilt many times during the war and after. Its actually not a big deal at all. It is just as original as one with "correct" parts. This has become a misconception by many people that are new to USGI firearms.

Do not trust anyone selling you a "correct" or "early war" rifle. There is absolutely no way to verify if it is what they say it is. Pretty much all M1 carbines were rebuilt after the war to add the bayonet lug and adjustable rear sight along with improved parts. J&G in Granite Bay tried to pass off a carbine as an early war original that used to have the bayonet lug that had been removed by someone. It was so obvious, the barrel finish was very worn where the bayonet lug used to be.

If you want a carbine in early war configuration to complete your impression, get a commercial repro. That way you wont be defacing an historical artifact by "correcting" it.

[microwaveguy]

I haven't seen a $600 USGI carbine in a long time...... import marked or otherwise. $800 is the usual "base" price for a decent one. More, if it is a CMP gun, non-import marked, or otherwise special in some way.

The last sub $800 carbine that I saw was last Nov and it was a mixmaster with a commercial stock for $675. I wasn't really looking for another inland so I passed. I don't remember if it was import marked or not.

[bigbossman]

I guess it depends on how hard you are looking. ...........

You're right about the occasional deal, and depending on how hard you look. I found a carbine on consignment for $300 about 2 years ago..... we all have seen the outliers, and if you wait and look hard enough, you can probably stumble upon one. Also - the CMP $675 offerings were undervalued, which was why there was a mad scramble to get the paperwork in before they ran out.

I do keep an eye out for carbines and a few other select rifles that I like, and $600 USGI carbines are few and far between, at least up here in NorCal.

As an aside - the Blue Sky carbines should be evaluated on a case bay case basis, and can offer a real value for a genuine USGI carbine. We've all heard the horror stories, and I assume there is good basis for them. However, I have personally seen and handled many Blue Sky imported carbines, and have yet to see a trashed one. I have seen many that, but for the "Blue Sky" marking on the barrel, you would be hard pressed to pick out of a lineup of other field-used guns.

The fact is, outliers aside, a decent $600 USGI non-import marked carbine is a rare bird, and should be snatched up asap for the deal that it is.

I have 5 carbines in my collection, and one is a Blue Sky. I would not sell any of them for $600, and not many others would, either.

[SDR]

Anyone seen these in the marketplace?

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1242595

[mosinnagantm9130]

And, it has a new speck of rust on the metal handguard (top left of close up pic). What's the best way to attack that tiny rust spot and keep it from coming back?

That rust spot is pretty small, I doubt it's pitted so it will probably be easy to get off. Use an oily rag and scrub it, start there. That will probably be enough to get rid of it. Once it's gone, just keep the handguard oiled, and in a dry place, and it will keep the rust away.

[onelonehorseman]

1. Make sure the receiver is actual USGI (Inland, IBM, Winchester, etc.)

2. Check for all USGI parts. Unscrew the barrel band and take the action out of the stock and have a look see.

3. Check for overall functionality. Can the bolt be held back with the notch in the reciever? They can get worn down.

4. Is the bore pitted, does it have good TE and ME readings? M1 carbine barrels should last a very long time.

Pretty much do as you would any used gun.

BTW, it is perfectly normal to find a USGI firearm with a mix of parts. They were rebuilt many times during the war and after. Its actually not a big deal at all. It is just as original as one with "correct" parts. This has become a misconception by many people that are new to USGI firearms.

OP, as said previously, make sure it has a USGI receiver. Original wartime dated barrel and stock are a + if get lucky. There is nothing wrong with a nice Korean war USGI rebuild. You can find USGI parts available for the odd small item that may be warn and in need of replacement.

Good luck in your searching.

Do not trust anyone selling you a "correct" or "early war" rifle. There is absolutely no way to verify if it is what they say it is. Pretty much all M1 carbines were rebuilt after the war to add the bayonet lug and adjustable rear sight along with improved parts. J&G in Granite Bay tried to pass off a carbine as an early war original that used to have the bayonet lug that had been removed by someone. It was so obvious, the barrel finish was very worn where the bayonet lug used to be.

If you want a carbine in early war configuration to complete your impression, get a commercial repro. That way you wont be defacing an historical artifact by "correcting" it.

For sure there are a lot of frauds out there. IIRC, however, Inland did manufacture some very late war examples with type III front band + adjustable sights, and IBM manufactured some of their late carbines with adjustable sights.

[aghauler]

1. Make sure the receiver is actual USGI (Inland, IBM, Winchester, etc.)

2. Check for all USGI parts. Unscrew the barrel band and take the action out of the stock and have a look see.

3. Check for overall functionality. Can the bolt be held back with the notch in the reciever? They can get worn down.

4. Is the bore pitted, does it have good TE and ME readings? M1 carbine barrels should last a very long time.

Pretty much do as you would any used gun.

BTW, it is perfectly normal to find a USGI firearm with a mix of parts. They were rebuilt many times during the war and after. Its actually not a big deal at all. It is just as original as one with "correct" parts. This has become a misconception by many people that are new to USGI firearms.

Do not trust anyone selling you a "correct" or "early war" rifle. There is absolutely no way to verify if it is what they say it is. Pretty much all M1 carbines were rebuilt after the war to add the bayonet lug and adjustable rear sight along with improved parts. J&G in Granite Bay tried to pass off a carbine as an early war original that used to have the bayonet lug that had been removed by someone. It was so obvious, the barrel finish was very worn where the bayonet lug used to be.

If you want a carbine in early war configuration to complete your impression, get a commercial repro. That way you wont be defacing an historical artifact by "correcting" it.

Regarding item #3 the pin can get worn down to a slight bevel, rotating it 180degrees with a pair of pliers can fix that. I have an Inland that had that issue and I thought I had bought a lemon fer $250! A carbine collector I knew at the time told me to try the "rotate the pin thing" and it worked just fine, the bolt/slide don't slip forward any longer, always worth a try