M1 Carbine - 1st Riffle

The M1 is a fun gun...

Wish I had one still...

This link might help:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=266112

CMP seems like the way to go. They're about to open sales on M1 Carbines any day now. www.odcmp.com

Since I like both, and have a sporter AKM, I'd say go for the M1...

M1 is on my "wish list"

I think the M1 carbine would make a great 1st rifle. They're light 'n' handy, reasonably accurate, have good sights, and are dripping with history. Recoil is a gentle push, enough to let you know you're firing something, but not enough to be at all punishing through an afternoon of shooting. The only downside is the cost of ammo.

I'd suggest getting a genuine USGI carbine instead of a commercial example. Typical mixmasters are still available here and there for $500-600, and of course the CMP will have serviceable examples available soon for $500. My two most recent acquisitions include a Winchester for $425 and a Quality Hardware for $500. They are great fun to collect and shoot.

Have fun!

vanfunk

Go for the Carbine

My advice is to look for a Kahr M1 Carbine. They are new manufacture and you can get them for a little over what he wants to pay - if he can save up a bit.

The CMP is a good choice for a WWII era carbine if you get a good one, many are shall we say "well used". Gun show prices on good WWII carbines are substantially higher than more than what he has. If I saw a nice WWII carbine at prices some people find them - 400 to 500 - I'd probably buy it but I just don't encounter those.

Personally, I find the M1 to be a more refined, more comfortable, nicer looking gun than the AK. Ammo is less available for the M1 but not too hard to find, I've bought the Remington .30 carbine at Walmart.

None of this means I dislike or would never own an AK - I just like the carbine better.

Giant +1 for the M1 Carbine! Excellent choice....

Im thinking of buying one to. sounds like a great first rifle.

Crazy Talk.

You guys are nuts! An M1 Carbine is not the rifle he needs at ALL. I suggest a Ruger 10/22, in stock configuration. He can shoot it a lot for not much, learn about shooting, start adding accessories, rebuild the trigger and action with drop-in parts, scope it, change the stock, the sights, the barrel, whatever. He can LEARN.

An M1 Carbine is a great rifle to have in your collection, but not as a FIRST rifle. First he needs to learn to shoot and plink around and have fun.

I'm all for Carbines, and all kinds of rifles. Last year I shot eight deer with seven different rifles, including one with a Standard Products M1. Last month I bought a sporterized Japanese Type 44. (6.5X50) Today I got in a Krag I bought off Gunbroker in 30-40. I own....um....a few guns. I think every one of us gun nuts...er...firearm enthusiasts, is buying the firearms most Americans won't buy. I might even have rifle offsets to sell politicians in the next election cycle.

But I don't think starting at an M1 carbine is the way to go. (I have five, by the way, and four Garands)

Your first rifle ought to be something simple and fun and that you can play around with to make it shoot better.

Wolf Match Target Ammo, two bricks and a 10/22 plus a membership to a local range. M1 Carbine as a first gun is crazy talk!

I disagree. If he doesn't want a .22 as his first rifle, don't give him a .22, it might irritate the kid. The M1 carbines from the CMP should be a good deal, but if you can't get that setup quickly enough for him, the Kahr Arms are nifty--just that they aren't "worth" anything, while the CMP ones will accrue in value. The only real drawback to the carbine is the cost of .30 Carbine ammunition.

I'd say to encourage him, and go for it. Inland would be a good manufacturer to look for--not too "valuable" or expensive as compared to some of the others, but the others would be fine as well.

Happy Hunting.

EDIT: And for the record, my first gun was a .308 rebarrelled Mauser. THAT is crazy talk!

M1 Carbine Owner's Guide by Larry L. Ruth with Scott A. Duff.

You can get it from Amazon.

Hopefully an m1 carbine will be my second rifle. I think he has good taste.

hey, here's a question for people with m1 carbine experience. How is the length of pull compared to an AK. I shot a WASR-10 and the stock seemed too short. I know the carbine is a small rifle, so I was wondering if it's similar.

How is the length of pull compared to an AK. I shot a WASR-10 and the stock seemed too short. I know the carbine is a small rifle, so I was wondering if it's similar.

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The LOP is similar. Several vendors offer 1" thick pads that you can add to the butt to lengthen LOP if you need to.

The carbine is a nice rifle. Low recoil,great Iron sights,factory fresh ammo at about $14 a box of 50.
Jury is out on the condition of the CMP $500 soon to be available rifles,reasonable shape guns (GI) prices passing that $500 number and most of the commercial versions of suspect quality and use.
Something else to think about would be a used AR (Used to hold your $600 budget). You have cheeper ammo,beter accuracy,sights just as good with beter choices for mounting optics,slightly more but still light recoil,Any possible available add on or accesory. The ar will do everything the Carbine will do with much more flexibility.
The Carbine is a very interesting Rifle with a great history but I see finding a "good" one to be a bit of work and somewhat of a risk.(if you buy a CMP rifle it is usually sight unseen "as is" )With an AR you could be streaching your budget (really same thing with the M1)but any decent gunstore will have a selection.

M1 Carbine....Great rifle....... get two..... one for you and your son......

. A few nicks and dings wouldn't be a horrible thing, it would add some personality. No doubt, the AR would be an more versatile rifle but thats not what he wants for his "first"

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Same reason i now own two M1's as my first rifle. All the nicks and dings and tape and marks make it a special one of a kind rifle not some black clone rifle Long live wood stocks

An M1 Carbine was the first center-fire rifle I ever shot, and I absolutely loved it. It was loads of fun to shoot, and not at all intimidating for a young, novice shooter. I wound up with my grandfather's M1A1, one of those sold through the NRA way back when, and I've got all my paperwork in a FedEx envelope ready to overnight to the CMP on April 30 to get another Carbine with a regular stock. I missed out on the opportunity to get a nice service-grade Garand, so I'm not missing this opportunity! Ammo ain't the cheapest in the world, but it's well worth it, IMHO. Plus, there's the history!

http://www.odcmp.com/rifles/carbine.htm

Last year I shot eight deer with seven different rifles

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Either I gotta move to another State or there is something wrong with that statement...

M1 Carbine: short, light, handy, good sights. Didn't think much about them until I shot one, then I wanted one. Bad.

If you can find a GI in good condition for a price you can afford, good. If not, the Kahr is not a bad rifle at all; had a chance to shoot one, and if I hadn't lucked onto a GI I'd have bought one.