[JBP]

I recently won an IAI M1 carbine over at gunbroker.com. Looking at past posts here and back at TFL I've picked up quite a bit of information on M1s in general and a bit less on the IAI. My main question is what ammo works best in it. Most M1 shooters prefer the 110 gr over a lighter round. Does soft point perform better (feeding, ejection, accuracy) better than FMJ. Any brands that are better than others and which ones to stay away from. What magazines are the most reliable (5, 10, 15, 20 round. Forget the 30s here in Maryland :( ).

[4v50 Gary]

Can't tell you what works best in the IAI carbine. For most guns, you gotta range test it to figure it out. I generally buy the 110 gr FMJ stuff at the store.

Best mags? Now that I can tell you. USGI 15 rounders, just like most of our troops carried in WW II.

[longtom4570]

I have one and it goes bang with any thing i put thru it:D
altho i have some mag issues:banghead: but i like it

[NapAttack]

I have one also, and as longtom said, it's not at all picky about what I feed it.

I've had good luck with both the 30 rd mags that I've gotten for it but I've heard that the USGI 15 rounders are the best.

[dfariswheel]

The IAI is just a more-or-less exact "clone" of a USGI M1 Carbine, and the carbine was designed to function with 110 grain FMJ bullets.
However, most will work well with soft point sporting ammo, so I'd pick something and give it a try.

As for magazines, you can't go wrong with genuine GI 15 round mags.
You can still find these in brand-new shape, although possibly with some finish marring from long-term storage.

Most of the 30 round mags are either clapped-out GI surplus or commercial copies. The 10 and 20 round mags are all commercial. Most commercial mags are poorly made, and don't work well.

Find a few GI 15 rounders, and try whatever ammo you want. If it jams, try a different brand/type of ammo.

[Sunray]

Yep, they're QC leaves a lot to be desired. The only trouble I've had with 30 round mags was fixed by tweaking them open a bit. This will work on any mag. If it doesn't feed, open the lips a little tiny bit until it does fed. 5, 10 and 20 round mags are all after market although they could be based on real 15 round mags. Real USGI issue mags are easy and cheap enough to come by. Just use them.