M-1 Carbine

[Captain Cogle]

My wife is looking at buying me an M-1 from Big-5 when they go on sale come Black Friday.

Wanted to hear what you guys thought of them? I havent had the opportunity to look at them myself. This is a new area for me and I dont know much about these weapons. Other than I want one.

What year do they date from? Are they identical in appearance to WW2 production M-1 Cabrines? How reasonable is 635$ for a price?

Appreciate the advice in advance.

[metalliman545]

im sure you can find a better conditioned one for the sameprice somewhere else. ive seen pics and saw one about 2 years back, they were in horrid condition. considering the cmp would sell carbines of big 5 quality for like 400, idk, but the cmp is sold out for now.

[packnrat]

for the same price as big 5 you can get a far better one else were.


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[Gatekeeper]

Don't do it,
look elsewhere.

You can thank me later

[Markus]

Anywhere is cheaper. You could find a really nice conditioned cash and carry model for what those guys are asking.

[metalliman545]

as convienient as big 5 is, its not always the best deal

[caldude]

Watch the For Sale forum here. You'll find much better M1 Carbines for better prices than Big 5.

[Captain Cogle]

I have found the sale forum to be most unhelpful as most folks wont ship or are WAY to far away for any sort of face to face meeting. I have pretty much stopped looking there completely. Hell Sacramento is too far away for me most of the time.

[davfink]

I checked 3 big 5's this weekend, one said they sent it back due to condition, the other 2 had actually good looking carbines there, i would say service grade in comparison to the cmp. THe barrel, metal, finish were all in very good shape, including muzzle. The stocks were walnut(1 was a winchester) with the matching serial stamped in it. a QHMC, and a Saginaw. due to their condition, at the 635 price, they would not be significantly over priced, maybe 25-50 overpriced, which really isnt much at all.



FYI, i have a couple for sale, and am willing to ship. i also have 2 more that i need to list for sale soon

[-hanko]

My wife is looking at buying me an M-1 from Big-5 when they go on sale come Black Friday.

Wanted to hear what you guys thought of them? I havent had the opportunity to look at them myself. This is a new area for me and I dont know much about these weapons. Other than I want one.

What year do they date from? Are they identical in appearance to WW2 production M-1 Cabrines? How reasonable is 635$ for a price?

Appreciate the advice in advance.

Big-5 M-1 Carbine = Run Like Hell

-hanko

[Captain Cogle]

Anywhere is cheaper. You could find a really nice conditioned cash and carry model for what those guys are asking.

Really? Thats not what I am seeing.
The one I saw did look rather pitiful in its condition.

But the prices I see such as on Auto Ord. is way out of our price range. Its a price I have a hard time understanding for that matter. For me 635$ is a big difference from 800$ and up.

[Milsurp Collector]

I wouldn't get a commercial carbine like an Auto Ordnance, Universal, etc. or a Big 5 import if it is worn out. I think something like this is a better deal if you can get it around the opening bid price:

This is a very nice WWII USGI MI IBM M1 Carbine. Correct IBM barrel with nice crown. No import marks, this a CMP service grade carbine purchased by me though CMP when they were available. It has an original WW2 IBM "SCB" marked stock and "SCB" marked handgaurd.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=200872224

The fact that it is a CMP Service Grade with no import marks and the correct IBM wood on it is a real plus. Even if you don't get that one there are others like it. You just have to shop around.

M1 Carbines are one of my favorite guns, both from a shooting aspect and from a collector aspect. With the right ammo they even make good home defense weapons.

[campperrykid]

Unless you luck out and find the diamond in the manure pile , the BIG-5 price is much too high. I am betting that the M1 Carbine market is at or near it's peak .
Rather like the IHC Garand market right before the "LEO loophole " opened up for a year or so . According to Bob Seijas in the current issue of "Man at Arms ":
" Prices for IHC's dropped from $500 to $300 and stayed there for several years ." ( page 22 )

[Captain Cogle]

Big-5 M-1 Carbine = Run Like Hell

-hanko

I see lots of this but absolutely no explanation as to why.

Im not going to run like hell with out a reason.

Yeah, with the feedback here I wont be getting one from Big5 now. But that doesn't mean I don't want to know you're reasoning?

Is it just crappy condition? My wife knows to inspect a gun before she buys.

[ledman]

They always pop up in the Marketplace for way less. Be patient and you will find a good one with extras most likely for way less money. I am not saying the Big5 Carbines are not good, just a little pricey.