The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

huntervixen wrote:Hi Paul,
I see yours is based on the pre overhaul and upgrade M1, with the original fire selector and missing the bayonet bar.

Very cool rifle mate!

Thanks Huntervixen,

I've often been posting photo's of the rifles in my collection, I hope people don't think that I'm boasting or showing off, I just want to enlighten and show people the sort of stuff that is out there.

My M1 is representative of what photograpic evidence shows some late war European issued weapons looked like. By then the two position rear flip sight had been replaced with a pressed steel adjustable one, it had the intermediate barrel band without the bayonet mount (which really only made into the Pacific Theatre and post war service). It also has the Pot Belly stock rather than the earlier weaker straight stock.

I can vouch for how weak the earlier ones are, I broke mine whilst shooting in exactly the places shown in the War Baby book Vol 1. Wouldn't have minded that much if the b*stard split hadn't bitten the skin between my finger and thumb so much, but being brave, I soldiered on as it was a comp. sign01 sign01 It eventually fell apart in my hands.

The gun on the Jeep is a .50 cal....even more fun as a straight pull - imagine the hard extraction problems I have

Cherrs

PaulR

huntervixen wrote:Hi Paul,
I see yours is based on the pre overhaul and upgrade M1, with the original fire selector and missing the bayonet bar.

almost

NOTE the late tangent sight & 4 hole handguard

IF I was putting cash down for such an item it'd HAVE to have: L-shaped rearsight / 2 hole handguard / early safety catch...

& WTF is a "fire selector"??
M2 carbine - maybe = M1 carbine - yer havin a larf!!

saddler wrote:

huntervixen wrote:Hi Paul,
I see yours is based on the pre overhaul and upgrade M1, with the original fire selector and missing the bayonet bar.

almost

NOTE the late tangent sight & 4 hole handguard

IF I was putting cash down for such an item it'd HAVE to have: L-shaped rearsight / 2 hole handguard / early safety catch...

& WTF is a "fire selector"??
M2 carbine - maybe = M1 carbine - yer havin a larf!!

saddler wrote:

huntervixen wrote:Hi Paul,
I see yours is based on the pre overhaul and upgrade M1, with the original fire selector and missing the bayonet bar.

almost

NOTE the late tangent sight & 4 hole handguard

IF I was putting cash down for such an item it'd HAVE to have: L-shaped rearsight / 2 hole handguard / early safety catch...

& WTF is a "fire selector"??
M2 carbine - maybe = M1 carbine - yer havin a larf!!

Saddler,

I think that by 'fireselector' Huntervixen meant the safety which is the early arrangement on mine.

I don't have my copy of War Baby with me, but if I remember correctly, the first wartime replacement site for the flip or L shaped sight, had a body which pressed and folded steel like mine. Later on that was replaced by the cast bodied type - a cr*ppier sight - I have one and it is very loose. I also have the L shaped flip type but it shoots high with that in place.

Don't get me started on the Rivet counting bit......made by the Shelton Tubular Rivet Company incidentally (I even have the T Shirt) :lol: :lol:

Early war versions should have a skinny stock with one rivet per side on the handguard. The pot belly stock with 4 rivet handguards replaced this 'cos it was stronger and then was adapted for the M2 with a small cutaway for the selector switch. There were other differences with early manufactured weapons but fairly extensive so best left for now.

Original skinny stocks are few and far between and expensive if you ever found one. I broke mine whilst shooting as I mentioned before. There was a glut of M2 stocks around until not too long ago and mine has one of those. I have seen pot belly stocks without the cutaways and I believe these to be late war as per some period WW2 photo's I've seen.

So, I think that mine is fairly representative of a carbine in use late war despite the push button safety - in other words, it would have been an Armoury special.


As said before, great fun to shoot even as a straight pull......I'm trying to convince myself that not having a semi version is a good thing because I know I'd get through a lot more ammo' if it was

Cheers

PaulR

PaulR wrote:I managed about 11 years ago to to buy one of the first M1 Carbine straight pulls imported by Cotswold Arms. It's one of the legal ones as the barrel and gas sleeve was never gas port drilled, the tappet is welded. The receiver and barrel were new build but are of the correct parkerisation colour.

They really are a joy to shoot and are very versatile being a fairly competitive Service rifle out to 200yds and you can shoot them on most gallery rifle ranges. Incrediby accurate as well.

The round is inexpensive to shoot and on the IAI manufactured ones sold by Cotswold extract with no effort at all. I would guess that the Surrey Guns ones would behave the same.

I looked at the new ones at the Phoenix show and I have to say, that I wasn't that impressed with the finish. Woodwork and metalwork fit OK as they're using original receivers and stocks and I'm sure they shoot fine. It's more the colour than anything, they've finished them Black which the M1 Carbine never was. Olive grey or gunmetal but not black.

I also got a M1 Garand from Cotwold 10ish years back in 30.06, that's fun but it ain't the semi version that I lost after Hungerford.

Here's the Carbine.

Very tidy rifle, if you ever need to sell it PM me please!

Very nice Paul

Paul, your setup looks ace, apart from the ones at ITL, are any others for sale ? may have a space for one soon.

DanTheMan wrote:Paul, your setup looks ace, apart from the ones at ITL, are any others for sale ? may have a space for one soon.

Hi, Dan the man,

We have one from ITL bought it 18 months ago built with the wood colour & rear sight we wanted, it's a 1943 Inland Div receiver with a new barrel of course shoots very well and is great fun.

Not sure if anyone one else is selling them apart from ITL never seen one second hand which says one thing people who have them dont sell them...

Picture. http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=54170

DanTheMan wrote:Paul, your setup looks ace, apart from the ones at ITL, are any others for sale ? may have a space for one soon.

Hi DTM,

As Bnz41 said, they rarely come up for sale.

As there were very few of the earlier IAI manufactured ones imported before Cotswold Arms went out of business, about 10 or 12 if I remember correctly, they almost never come up on the market. Last IAI one I saw for sale was about 8 years ago and that was snapped up by a mate of mine at my club. He drove from Berkshire up to the Borders to get it. As a club, we have 5 of the IAI ones and a few of the lTLs, enough to hold the occasional M1 competition.

Not sure if the ITL ones are still being made.

Good luck looking.

Last time I looked ITL had several, I love M1 Carbine and have downloaded it and using lead boolits so I can shoot it indoors.

There are a few for sale here.

M1 Carbine Rifle .30 calibre
A M1 Carbine rifle converted to straight pull in very good condition.
Made famous during World War 2 and carried by US airborne troops, in its original condition in .30 carbine calibre, complete with its own sling.
Super rifle to own!