Combloc1
Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2017
- Messages
- 187
This little M1 carbine was a local out of the woodwork pickup. I saw it in early to mid October at a local shop, sitting in the gunsmith area. It wasn't for sale but my eye was instantly drawn to it so I asked if I could take a look at it and was given the go ahead.
As I was blinking my eyes dumbfounded at the condition, I asked why it was sitting there. I was told that a guy had brought it in and it had been owned by his grandfather who had passed away. Apparently, he thought his granddad had brought back from the war and, while he wasn't a "gun guy" he thought it would look nice hanging up on the wall in a shadowbox.
I think the chances of it being a bring back are zero. Rather, it's most likely an early DCM purchase. To that end, he had brought it to the shop to ask if they would shellac it to make it pretty and protect it. I about lost my breakfast when I heard that. I explained to the gunsmith that, if this was indeed legitimate, the Historical value was high and doing ANYTHING to it would destroy that History, not to mention a probable hefty monetary value. This thing was CRISP. I mean, it looked like it was built, put in storage and not touched since. The metal was bone dry, the lubricant had long since hardened and the Sprague & Carleton birch stock was still slightly rough, telling me it had probably never been issued.
As I placed it back on the rack, I pleaded with the gunsmith to try and impress upon the owner that a carbine in this configuration and condition, if legit, was a rare find and that NOTHING other than storage should befall this little carbine. He thanked me for the information and conversation and agreed that shellacking this old relic would probably be a less than optimal decision. Then I was on my way, hoping that the owner knew what he had and would do the right thing.
Fast forward about a month. Usually I stop in this shop every other week or so. The owners are as nice as can be, honest, fair and the conversation is always pleasant. They are the kind of people that I feel really do care about the customer more than they do the almighty dollar.
I usually end up staying longer than I intended because of that and the fact that the shop dog is a cute, warm and friendly little guy. It's just a nice place to go on a Saturday morning after a breakfast with good friends. Well, sometimes life (and the flu) gets in the way and I hadn't made it to the shop for a bit but I was good to go this Saturday and looking forward to my visit.
Imagine my surprise when I walked in and saw the little IBM up for sale on the rack. I didn't ask why the owner had decided to sell it but I did ask if I could disassemble it for a more thorough look. It was as nice on the inside as it was on the outside. I was trying to find something glaringly wrong because it just looked too good. I've just never seen one this pristine before. It almost HAD to be humped up. But, as I inspected each part for stamps, it looked right.
I only found two things that were not textbook. One was the GE-Q marked rear sight and the other was an unmarked safety. Normally these sights were supplied to Quality Hardware, not IBM but I also know that they DO present on IBM's from time to time. In fact, there is a well documented IBM over at The Carbine Collectors Forum complete with the 1963 DCM paperwork and it has the same sight. As for the safety, I didn't let that stop me. Even though they are generally supposed to be maker marked on IBM's I've seen them before unmarked.
Besides, everything else checked out so logic dictated that this was the safety installed when the carbine was built......if I read the rest correctly. Now, I'm no expert by a long shot but I have been at this since the 80's and you get a feel for things with experience. While crisp, everything presented as old and not messed with for a long time. And while I don't really collect US firearms (I do have a mixmaster NPM carbine as a representative for shooting), I figured I should take a gamble on this little guy if for no other reason than it should be saved. Besides, if it turned out that it wasn't legit, the price was right and I would still have a nice little carbine for plinking. So, that's where the following pictures come in. Again, TO ME, everything looks good to go.
I think it's a 1944 IBM carbine that has never been reworked or messed with. I think it's as it left the factory 74 years ago but I would like to know what you guys have to say. If it's legit, I can't shoot it and I have to decide what to do at that point. If I read the markers wrong, I can shoot it and have fun with it.
Please let me know.
Usually, I put a bunch of text with the pictures explaining how things work and whet you are looking at. But that isn't necessary here because, if you are still reading this, you probably know what you are looking at already. So, I'm just posting a bunch of pictures. I will say that my poor photography skill do not show this little M1 as nice as it presents in the flesh. But, hopefully, I did a good enough job. I have not cleaned it (I don't think it was cleaned after the last time it was shot), oiled it or done anything else other than handle the parts with anything other then a rag that has been used in the past to apply Eezox. Otherwise, it's exactly as I brought it home.
There are a BUNCH of pictures so this will take about 6 posts. So, please do let me know what you think and please let me know if you require any other pictures. However, there are a few things I did not and will not disassemble because either they would be a major pain (bolt) or I don't want to disturb them (recoil lug).
Thank you!
As I was blinking my eyes dumbfounded at the condition, I asked why it was sitting there. I was told that a guy had brought it in and it had been owned by his grandfather who had passed away. Apparently, he thought his granddad had brought back from the war and, while he wasn't a "gun guy" he thought it would look nice hanging up on the wall in a shadowbox.
I think the chances of it being a bring back are zero. Rather, it's most likely an early DCM purchase. To that end, he had brought it to the shop to ask if they would shellac it to make it pretty and protect it. I about lost my breakfast when I heard that. I explained to the gunsmith that, if this was indeed legitimate, the Historical value was high and doing ANYTHING to it would destroy that History, not to mention a probable hefty monetary value. This thing was CRISP. I mean, it looked like it was built, put in storage and not touched since. The metal was bone dry, the lubricant had long since hardened and the Sprague & Carleton birch stock was still slightly rough, telling me it had probably never been issued.
As I placed it back on the rack, I pleaded with the gunsmith to try and impress upon the owner that a carbine in this configuration and condition, if legit, was a rare find and that NOTHING other than storage should befall this little carbine. He thanked me for the information and conversation and agreed that shellacking this old relic would probably be a less than optimal decision. Then I was on my way, hoping that the owner knew what he had and would do the right thing.
Fast forward about a month. Usually I stop in this shop every other week or so. The owners are as nice as can be, honest, fair and the conversation is always pleasant. They are the kind of people that I feel really do care about the customer more than they do the almighty dollar.
I usually end up staying longer than I intended because of that and the fact that the shop dog is a cute, warm and friendly little guy. It's just a nice place to go on a Saturday morning after a breakfast with good friends. Well, sometimes life (and the flu) gets in the way and I hadn't made it to the shop for a bit but I was good to go this Saturday and looking forward to my visit.
Imagine my surprise when I walked in and saw the little IBM up for sale on the rack. I didn't ask why the owner had decided to sell it but I did ask if I could disassemble it for a more thorough look. It was as nice on the inside as it was on the outside. I was trying to find something glaringly wrong because it just looked too good. I've just never seen one this pristine before. It almost HAD to be humped up. But, as I inspected each part for stamps, it looked right.
I only found two things that were not textbook. One was the GE-Q marked rear sight and the other was an unmarked safety. Normally these sights were supplied to Quality Hardware, not IBM but I also know that they DO present on IBM's from time to time. In fact, there is a well documented IBM over at The Carbine Collectors Forum complete with the 1963 DCM paperwork and it has the same sight. As for the safety, I didn't let that stop me. Even though they are generally supposed to be maker marked on IBM's I've seen them before unmarked.
Besides, everything else checked out so logic dictated that this was the safety installed when the carbine was built......if I read the rest correctly. Now, I'm no expert by a long shot but I have been at this since the 80's and you get a feel for things with experience. While crisp, everything presented as old and not messed with for a long time. And while I don't really collect US firearms (I do have a mixmaster NPM carbine as a representative for shooting), I figured I should take a gamble on this little guy if for no other reason than it should be saved. Besides, if it turned out that it wasn't legit, the price was right and I would still have a nice little carbine for plinking. So, that's where the following pictures come in. Again, TO ME, everything looks good to go.
I think it's a 1944 IBM carbine that has never been reworked or messed with. I think it's as it left the factory 74 years ago but I would like to know what you guys have to say. If it's legit, I can't shoot it and I have to decide what to do at that point. If I read the markers wrong, I can shoot it and have fun with it.
Please let me know.
Usually, I put a bunch of text with the pictures explaining how things work and whet you are looking at. But that isn't necessary here because, if you are still reading this, you probably know what you are looking at already. So, I'm just posting a bunch of pictures. I will say that my poor photography skill do not show this little M1 as nice as it presents in the flesh. But, hopefully, I did a good enough job. I have not cleaned it (I don't think it was cleaned after the last time it was shot), oiled it or done anything else other than handle the parts with anything other then a rag that has been used in the past to apply Eezox. Otherwise, it's exactly as I brought it home.
There are a BUNCH of pictures so this will take about 6 posts. So, please do let me know what you think and please let me know if you require any other pictures. However, there are a few things I did not and will not disassemble because either they would be a major pain (bolt) or I don't want to disturb them (recoil lug).
Thank you!
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