Thread 64381241

Thoughts? tips?

>>64381241 (OP)
Get one, shoot one, use it to train novice shooter on their first centerfire.
t. What I do

Good bush gun if you don't have large dangerous game, 30 rounder in the rifle and two 15 round mags in pouch on the buttstock should keep you covered unless it's Red Dawn time.
Could do for HD too, if you absolutely want to use a 80 year old surplus gun over a modern carbine, just make sure you test out the magazines so they are reliable.
Reproductions are hit or miss.

>>64381241 (OP)
Get a Mini-14, or better yet just don't.

M1 carbines used to make sense a very long time ago when they were basically the AR-15s of their day. Surplus guns, parts and ammunition used to be available and cheap, now ammunition is running around .308 prices if you can find it. Performance is dramatically inferior to 5.56mm and the magazines just plain suck. Even USGI magazines only work for a while until they don't.
Spending 1.5-2.5k+ for a GI carbine or only slightly less for a sketchy commercial one just doesn't make any sense when so many better options exist. If you want something in a similar form factor a Ruger Mini-14 is much better in terms of cost/performance/reliability and it still loses badly against a $400 poverty spec AR-15.

Only reason to get an M1 anyway is if it's purely a novelty, the cost isn't a factor and you have plenty of time/knowledge/patience/equipment to tinker with it.

>>64381449
not reading yaaaawn

>>64381241 (OP)
In a vacuum, it's a decent weapon, but it's just not worth it as a practical rifle in this day and age. If you want one just for having though, then sure, it's a cool historical weapon, everyone loves those.

>>64381473
OP asked, and he gave a straight and solid answer. Were you hoping for a reacharound instead?

>>64381633
>>64381449
Are you seriously so fucking stupid you think we don't see you pretending to be two different people? lol...

>>64381449
I wasn't asking about anything but M1 carbine.

>>64381449
Read the whole thing.

>>64381676
If you insist, either save up for a USGI or look up how to spot the difference between a commercial carbine using GI pattern parts and some of the abominations that late production Universal carbines used. Try to stick as close to GI spec everything as you can.

Get some GI surplus magazines in good condition. They used to be cheap but times change so it'll involve some scrounging.
NEVER store them loaded, the springs and/or feed lips will die. This is a non issue on well designed magazines, but M1 mags are absolute dog shit.
When using these magazines only load about 2/3 capacity. So 10rds on a 15 or 20 on a 30. You can do more without over stressing them but those numbers are easier to track.

Fulton Armory makes pretty decent replacement parts if you need something in new condition. It isn't cheap, but as long as you don't have non standard Universal slop it should all interchange.

Ammunition is less of an issue. Only thing I'd avoid would be Tulammo but that's not sold anymore. Cool thing about original surplus ball is that it was always non-corrosive which is why original WW2 M1s tend to have good bores. M2 30.06 was all corrosive so all the original Garands rusted out. Most of the barrels on them currently were made in the 1950s.

>>64381776
>the springs and/or feed lips will die
That's not how springs or feed lips work...

>>64381782
It is exactly how they work on an M1 Carbine. I have owned two of them.

>>64381449
>>64381776
Fuckin' wordy motherfucker has more to say than a woman. Tighten up, loose lipped bitch.
Tl;dr.

>>64381789
Springs don't work the way you think they work. They only degrade when stretching and compressing aka moving. You're on some fudd lore shit lol.
same for feed lips.

>>64381241 (OP)
I had a Universal, I always thought they were cool and wanted one until I had one. Basically a 10/22's bigger brother. 5/10 would shoot again but never would buy one again.

>>64381790
Gottem lmao

>>64381798
They do that nowadays because we have had over a century to figure out things like how much metal you need on feed lips so they don't bow out under spring tension, or how much compression you should have on your springs when fully loaded so they don't take a set.

This wasn't the case in the 1930s and 40s. True, some magane designs were better than others but some were kludged and didn't adequately account for these problems. STEN magazines for instance are notorious for spring fatigue and bent feed lips.

The M1 Carbine in general has a very rushed development. By the time problems with the magazine design were observed it was too late to implement significant design revisions. Instead they just shipped fresh (unloaded) magazines to the combat theatres and would rotate them out on a regular basis. When this wasn't done, the carbines would start to encounter frequent malfunctions. All of this is well documented.

In today's day and age of dirt cheap reliable AR/AK/Glock magazines all of that is unthinkable, so keeping magazines unloaded or downloaded now screams like fuddlore. When working with old magazines, it actually isn't.

>>64381869
shit bait

>>64381912
Fine, be my guest. Get some M1 magazines and learn for yourself.

>>64381241 (OP)
>thoughts
Fantastically handy little rifles that weigh less than any modern PC carbine while delivering a more potent cartridge.
>tips
Immediately install a Wolff spring pack and find magazines that mostly work.

>>64381449
>tl;dr I put crayons in my butt. A crayonema, if you will

>>64381782
>>64381798
I don't know if they'll actually wear out if kept loaded, but M1 Carbine magazines are infamously flimsy, they threw them away all the time back in WW2 and Korea because they wore out quickly and damaged easily, policy became to scrap and replace them regularly because they couldn't be trusted otherwise.
The 30rd M2 Carbine magazines are particularly testy, even using the upgraded magazine catch to support the heavier mag better, they are known to temperamental if fully loaded.

Later commercial magazines may potentially have had better metallurgy, but you would still be stuck with the same geometry.

>>64381241 (OP)
Based on my own experience:
- As others have said, mags are the weak point of the design. New KCI and Keep Shooting mags have worked well for me, but haven't been very good for others. USGI mags (the new ones in wax paper) used to be cheap but have steadily climbed in price.
- You need the late reinforced mag catch if you want 30 round mags to work anywhere near reliably.
- YMMV with .30 carbine soft points (sometimes they're cheaper than FMJs in bulk). Some carbines like mine feed them with no issues, others don't like them at all.
- Before you shoot it for the first time, make sure the gas piston nut is still staked properly/screwed in tight.

uscarbinecal30.com has all the minutiae you'll ever want to know about each individual small part.

>>64381869
How do you know all this stuff wumbo

>>64381241 (OP)
just get a mini 14

>>64382343
I've actually seen old/cheap magazines take a set or break/warp feed lips from being loaded a long time. I used to think it was pure fuddlore too, but if the design or quality is genuinely shit enough it's very real.

A lot of this was from working at an LGS and seeing boomers trade in old guns along with magazines they had stored loaded for a long-ass time. Some stuff work, some you pull the first few cartridges out and after that the follower is just not moving.
Some of this I've experienced myself, like STEN and M1 Carbine magazines. This is also not accounting for modern magazines that are junk. The worst case for me was actually some brand new KCI M14 magazines that blew out feed lips after being stored for only a few days.

>>64381241 (OP)
Just get a 10/22 with tech sights, 30 carbine isn't worth it
>t.former M1 carbine owner

>>64382503
Fag I'll kill you

>>64382479
I can see that happening with the springs but what really surprises me is the feed lips. how is that even possible? did they just use shitty alloys that are really susceptible to creep?

>>64382503
This but with a cmore like my wife has

>>64382689
>my wife
anon I...

>>64382687
Very thin feed lips. Very thin skinned mag in general.

>>64382503
>receiver mounted tech site with chopped rail
I want to do this to mine, but have the rail go all the way to the tech site base.

>>64382974
this imagine made me wonder what it would look like if tickanon made a gun stock

>>64383264
A slabbed biohazard?

>>64382687
At the time they were manufactured, 80 years ago, they were meant to be close to disposable.

>>64382479
I have actually heard of people saying that REALLY cheap and shitty mags have had the springs bow out or crack the feed lips if left loaded.

>>64382974
is that a 10/22 carBEAN?

are all repro magazines shit?

You need an M2 mag catch for 30 rounders to work?

>>64384452
Basically. A loaded 30rd mag is heavier and the M2's magazine catch is meant to support it better, and it does, but depending on the condition of the magazine it might not make enough of a difference. Only loading 20 or 25 rounds helps for some.

So KeepShooting mags are the best quality repros right?

>>64382041
NTA(s) but they really are surprisingly thin and flimsy. On a kinda related note, M14 mags are surprisingly fucking flimsy IIRC, or at least the commercial ones I've handled are. The Italians at least got that right with their BM59. Those mags are hefty and solid as fuck, at least in comparison by feel.

>>64382687
People have had the feed lips bow even on PMags FWIW, that's why they used to come with a dust cover, to keep the force off the feed lips. Though they just cracked down the spine after enough time.

>>64382974
Samson makes almost exactly that sight FWIW.
>Holy shit the price anon
I know, but still. Looks very good. Ruger might have something similar on ShopRuger; their 75th anniversary rifles had either the Samson rail or a clone but you're a little late on those rifles. Those rails also overhung the front of the receiver and seem to drop down to what appears to be the rear sight dovetail. Not sure if it really attaches or just covers it.

>>64381449
They hated him because he told the truth

>T. Father-in-law owns an Inland M1 that stove pipes every 5 rounds every time we go shooting and has killed 2 bolts in a row. I've never met a person who owns an M1 and hasn't complained about the gun jamming.

>>64386898
>no context whatsoever

>>64386902
You're retarded

I've owned mine for 20 years and it's far and away my favorite gun to shoot. It's the one gun in my collection I would never part with even though it's the most valuable. It's always fed reliably and the only malfunction I can recall in thousands of rounds was one light strike and that was probably due to the mystery meat ammo I was shooting at the time. If you have the cash to burn and a specific interest in them go for it, but do your research. I spent a couple years reading up on them and all the various nuances between manufacturers before buying mine and it was much less of a risky purchase back then since they were still reasonably affordable even for a particularly nice numbers matching early example like mine. A lot of my literature was lost in a flood but "War Baby" and "The M1 Carbine Owners Guide" were two books I remember being very helpful.

>>64387913
what mags did you use?

>>64381241 (OP)
I ignored this rifle for a long time. And the M1 was completely under my radar.
However, in the last year or two I've started to think about it.
Those occasionally appears in for sale ads. So I said to myself that if some interesting M1 comes up, I'll go get it.

One appeared around my 34th birthday. So I went to the seller to look at it.
It was the first time I held an M1 in my hand. And I was amazed at how ergonomic, handy and light the rifle was. Everything looked OK and I had a good feeling about her condition.
So, I got an Inland division with a 6 digit number, a belt+oiler, 4x 15, 2x 30rounder and 420 rounds of .30Carabine for $800 (+/- converted),

It's a bit of a Frankenstein, between the M1 and M2. But in nice condition. I've already put through 350 rounds with her. Without a single problem. Only one magazine has a feeding issue.
It's a super cute and nice rifle. Minimal recoil, comfortable and accurate shooting. I really like her, and everyone who has tried a few rounds is also enthusiastic about it.

It is not a modern rifle, the ammunition is quite expensive. Currently, it is more of a cuddly and joy rifle to have and be happy with. There are more modern firearms, workhorses for training, HD... but this is just an old rifle in a relatively powerful pistol cartridge ideal for pleasant shooting but still able to significantly help and be effective when things go wrong.

>>64381241 (OP)
very based

>>64386704
I have stored USGI and Check-Mate M14 magazines fully stored for years and they still worked fine. Springfield (SAI) died after a few years. Those KCI ones were completely worthless. I think the design of the magazines itself is fine, but requires quality steel and clearly not everyone got the memo.
>>64391396
Nice, good to hear you are enjoying it.

>>64392393
do you know who makes the best repro mags?

M1 Carbine is one of my favorite rifles and functions well. Between the Mini14 and Garand I grab that little guy. Stupidly light and infinitely pointable. Really low power of the cartridge makes you feel like Jerry when mag dumping. Too bad most of them aren't reliable.

>>64392439
For M14s definitely CMI, they have a government contract supplying replacement magazines for M14s still in service.
For M1 carbines I really don't know. Probably Fulton Armory but they are expensive and I don't know if better options exist. USGI surplus magazines are still available and I usually recommend those because they are at least a known quality, but you need to really baby them to get the longest possible service life.

Does anyone have experience with magazines from KCI?
These are here around for half the price of originals or other newly produced "licensed" ones.

What are the most essential M1 parts you should have?

>>64391080
USGI and Korean surplus. Had several of them and they all fed fine. I only ever had one 30 rounder and I can't recall where it came from. It worked but I only shot it a few times. It looks cool but the 15's are more practical IMO.

Is it normal for the metal parts to have a slight wiggle in the wood when pressing on them?

>>64381241 (OP)
The mags suck ass. Otherwise a great carbine.

>>64381912
He's right dude.