M1 Carbine: Still Viable

Mine is my all around rifle.
It will do the job.

AFS

They are great little guns. My uncle carried one in his sheriff deputy car well into the 70's. I think they are just as viable as the 9mm carbines that are all the rage today, if not more so. There are only a few things holding these guns back from full potential, in my opinion: Price and availability of the guns and the ammunition (I bought my first carbine in the early 90's for a little over $100) and the magazines. I have never seen such cheaply made magazines for a military weapon- and I don't think a new magazine has been made for a carbine in a LONG time. New surplus mags are REALLY expensive, when you can find them.

Meh...compared to what and what for? What if 77 years ago we had the 6.8 instead?

The 30 carbine was good in its day. Time to move on, IMO.

FL-NC said:

They are great little guns. My uncle carried one in his sheriff deputy car well into the 70's. I think they are just as viable as the 9mm carbines that are all the rage today, if not more so. There are only a few things holding these guns back from full potential, in my opinion: Price and availability of the guns and the ammunition (I bought my first carbine in the early 90's for a little over $100) and the magazines. I have never seen such cheaply made magazines for a military weapon- and I don't think a new magazine has been made for a carbine in a LONG time. New surplus mags are REALLY expensive, when you can find them.

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I bought my Saginaw Steering 3,400,000 era Carbine from a deputy in a central Ca- Sierra’s mountain county that had it as his trunk gun from the early 1990’s to well into the 2000’s. The stock sure showed lots of abuse from being driven around windy mountain roads and had to be replaced, but the metal looks great.

For a potential engagement within 125-150 yards or so in a rural, semi-rural or even an urban environment the .30 Carbine with soft points would be very effective.

Due to the rapid energy drop off of the lightweight .30 carbine bullet and liabilities of missed shots that police face and soldiers in battle don't (there is a lack of optic/red dot options for the M1) these would make me hesitate to use one much beyond a 125-150 yard +\- range. (The county I work in has a ton of open space and a rich history of longer range gunfights to this day. Every county deputy, and almost every city patrol officer, has had a rifle in their car since the 1980’s)

But for the 90% or so of the other uses for a home defense or patrol rifle? No problems with using a .30 M1 here .

Stay safe.

FL-NC said:

There are only a few things holding these guns back from full potential, in my opinion: Price and availability of the guns and the ammunition (I bought my first carbine in the early 90's for a little over $100) and the magazines. I have never seen such cheaply made magazines for a military weapon- and I don't think a new magazine has been made for a carbine in a LONG time. New surplus mags are REALLY expensive, when you can find them.

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The Korean mags that are readily available today are what you want. They can be had in the 15 or 30 round versions, with or without a BHO follower, and at very reasonable prices. I have around 25 or 30 of them now, and never had any issues with them. Probably one of the best things you can do to improve the reliability of your gun if its giving you troubles.

I have a bunch of USGI mags I got with different guns, and only a few of them work well enough to bother with. And even then, they are usually the mag in the gun when I do have a stoppage.

From one article I read, the poor quality of the mags has been the biggest complaint about the guns since they were first issued in WWII. It said that they were basically considered disposable, and there were always crates of fresh, new mags delivered with the ammo on resupply.

Ru4real said:

Meh...compared to what and what for? What if 77 years ago we had the 6.8 instead?

The 30 carbine was good in its day. Time to move on, IMO.

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It’s not really a comparison, it seems like a stand alone question of viability today. Considering the surge in popularity of the pistol caliber carbine, I’d say it’s a great, unconscious vote of confidence in the viability of the M1 Carbine which was really America’s first prolific semi-automatic “pistol” caliber carbine. While there are lighter, more modern platforms that will do what an M1 Carbine was designed to do, the M1 will still do what it was designed for, and without a huge deficit from their more modern counterparts.

In todays SD world, it fills an awkward slot in effectiveness between the 9mm carbines and the M4orgery. Can it be used for SD/HD? Sure. Are there better choices? Yup.

I still love my Carbines, but I dont keep one ready for serious social situations.

Ru4real said:

Meh...compared to what and what for? What if 77 years ago we had the 6.8 instead?

The 30 carbine was good in its day. Time to move on, IMO.

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I agree while a M1 Carbine wouldn't be a terrible choice and I love my 42 Inland for the nostalgia, my 300 Blackout pistol is shorter, lighter, more accurate and has more power especially downrange.

I have had a CMP Inland I kept for home defense for a few years… When the GI carbines shot up in value, I looked for a commercial Carbine to replace it in the HD role.
Pre-plandemic, I found this lightly used Auto Ordnance for a bargain price…it was at a gun shop which advertised on Armslist, and was on there a couple weeks before I went to look at it. Came in an OEM AO marked Choate folder.
While I of course prefer GI Carbines, I decided to give this one a try. I knew I could always sell it if it didn’t work out.
Well, it did work out. I keep it handy with a magazine of Hornady Critical Defense, which shoots very well, but I’d be happy with any old JSP load. After all, the .30 Carbine soft point has a long history as a fight stopper in law enforcement use.
I like the AR platform just fine, and have a nice home assembled AR carbine that would be great for self defense…but I prefer the M1 Carbine.
Fact is, when I started to see the madness in people’s eyes at the start of the plandemic, and then we had our our riots, I started putting the folding M1 Carbine in a tennis racquet case along with a cheap camera bag full of loaded mags, and tossing it in the car…

I like my carbine. And yes, you could use it for self defense. You could also use a lever carbine in 357 or 44 mag.

I really wish I had an option for a fiber optic front sight for my m1 carbine.

Never had much issue with my mags. But I've got a shoebox of new in wax paper usgi mags from wwii. The 30 round commercial mags do not work though.

trackskippy said:

quality of the mags has been the biggest complaint about the guns since they were first issued

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Which had to do with Winchester being in a bind to get a working gun to the last Carbine trials, and they just adapted the Win .30SL magazine to the new .30carbine ammo dimensions. The result was a kludge.
That kludge is also why the 15 round mags tend to be worlds better than the 30s. The thirties basially have a curved bit "tacked on" below the straight section profile of the 15.

It's also apt to remember the best "modern" cartridge to compare the .30carbine to is the 5.7x28--basically meant to be an over-grown pistol round.

I'd be comfortable with the M1 Carbine as a self defense rifle for my small hobby horse farm. But, I really would not want to subject a USGI Carbine to this service and post war Carbines are hit and miss.

Enter the 300 Blackout. Similar size rifle, a bit better performance, similar useful range, modern components, better sight options, etc. etc. etc.

I'll save my WWII Carbines for fun days at the range.

I like my Carbines a lot as well, and if it's all I had in the moment, I wouldn't be all that upset.

That said, the gun I keep handy around the house for HD use, is a 10.5" AR "pistol". They are even handier, more versatile, more reliable, more powerful, and more accurate.

They are great guns. The only reservation I have is that it is harder to mount a light to one. I know it can be done with aftermarket stocks.

Ru4real said:

Meh...compared to what and what for? What if 77 years ago we had the 6.8 instead?

The 30 carbine was good in its day. Time to move on, IMO.

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NIGHTLORD40K said:

In todays SD world, it fills an awkward slot in effectiveness between the 9mm carbines and the M4orgery. Can it be used for SD/HD? Sure. Are there better choices? Yup.

I still love my Carbines, but I dont keep one ready for serious social situations.

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mavracer said:

I agree while a M1 Carbine wouldn't be a terrible choice and I love my 42 Inland for the nostalgia, my 300 Blackout pistol is shorter, lighter, more accurate and has more power especially downrange.

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The OP wasn't comparing the M1 Carbine to anything else, he stated simply "they work", and they do. The interesting thing about the Carbine is their trim profile. If you notice the photo @JCooperfan1911 posted, the 15 round magazine doesn't extend below the drop in the buttstock which makes for a rifle that's easily maneuvered in and out of tight places. OTOH, AR's, mine included, with their seemingly "required" 30 round magazines and tall sighting systems have a profile and handling qualities similar to a crucifix. Add to that the fact that one needs a flashlight and a pair of long tweezers to deal with a stoppage, the old Carbine has its good points.

So if you prefer something else, kewl. But no matter your preference, there's always going to be something "better" according to someone else.

35W

They absolutely are still a viable weapon. I have an early commercial example, which uses a lot of gi parts and it runs like a top with decent magazines. For a light, handy carbine, they're hard to beat. I would love to see more firearms chambered in 30 carbine, if for no other reason than bringing the cost down and the availability up. For the role they were intended for, they're fantastic. When they start getting pressed into front line battle rifle roles, or deer rifle roles, or something other than the OG PDW, comments about their shortcomings or obsolescence come up. But in my mind thats like having a discussion about a vintage Craftsman socket wrench, and bringing up the fact that a Milwaukee cordless impact driver is so much better. Well sure, for a lot of things I suppose it is. But I can still slip that old Craftsman in my back pocket, and I can still get the job done with it.

there are better and there are worse, pay your dime and get what feels right for you. i look at it as a rifle that was borne out of a need durning a active war. the last original carbines were made in the 1945-1946 era and it has fought in several big and little wars since then, not a bad record for a so called war babys that are over 75 years old. the same can be said about the m-1 garand.

Years ago, I used to collect Carbines by manufacturer. Then I went through a period of downsizing. The Carbines were the first to go, while the Garands and the ARs stayed. Enough said.

Yes the M1 Carbine is still viable for what it was designed for. It was designed for use as a personal defense weapon knowing that most troops weren't that good with a pistol. Plus the M1 gives you more range than the 1911 does.

I do like my AR's and have a couple that are purpose built for HD/SD. But it is hard to beat the classic look of the M1 Carbine. I would not hesitate to use one for HD/SD today.

My father in law likes the M1 Carbine so much that he also has a Ruger Blackhawk in 30 carbine too.

Ru4real said:

Meh...compared to what and what for? What if 77 years ago we had the 6.8 instead?

The 30 carbine was good in its day. Time to move on, IMO.

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Actually, it has moved on, in the form of the Mini-14. It's the same basic rifle and action, in a flatter shooting, more viable caliber, 5.56.
The 30 carbine still works well, for folks who like them. Ammo's just getting expensive, and HTF.

The only issue I'd have with using one for HD is a suitable white light mounting system, and finding the right ammo to reduce possible over penetration. I've seen what .30 FMJ can do to AR500 tgts (unfortunately) and I'm pretty sure even soft-point ammo is going to go through some dry-wall when compared to 5.56 in a suitable HD loading.

Other than that, they generally run well enough, and the cartridge is effective.

Dad carried an M-2 Carbine in Korea and liked it so well that both he and my Grandfather bought a couple of the $15-$20 dollar ones to hunt with after he came home.

Admittedly the 30 Carbine is not the ideal Deer cartridge but Dad knew the gun and it worked well for him. Its a fun rifle to shoot and we let the oldest Grandson shoot it at the range we have at deer camp last Fall.

M1 Carbine fires a 110 grain FMJ bullet at 1900FPS for an impact energy of 965 ft-lb
The 327 Federal Magnum launches a 115 grain Gold Dot at 1880FPS.
I see two advantages to a pistol caliber carbine (really the M1 Carbine is a stretch but a pistol caliber, sort of) in 327Federal Magnum has a better assortment of bullet weights and a manually operated carbine (lever or pump) for use in places that have a problem with "military grade weapons".
Now if the fine folks at Strum-Ruger would chamber a semi-auto carbine in 327Federal Magnum all the bases would get covered.