Almost Hit A Homerun....New IBM !!!

[FMJMIKE]

I went to the local gunshow this weekend looking for a new Ruger SP101 .22lr revolver. Of course I had to glance at all the Carbines. I found an IBM with a $750 hangtag on it. The darn thing looked original to me. So I offered the seller $650 for it. He countered at $700. So without tearing it down I said yes. I just had a good feeling about it. So I rushed home to tear it down and clean it. To my joy it all appears to be IBM !!! The stock, handguard, barrel, receiver, front sight, round bolt, slide, trigger housing, hammer, push button safety and mag release are all IBM marked. It has not been reparked. No import marks. I also got a mag and sling. There is also a crossed cannon cartouche on the stock (JLB). The bore is bright and shiny with super lands and grooves. It does not swallow a M1 Carbine round to the brass either. There is only two bad things about this Carbine. The stock looks like it has a polymer finish on it. The other bad thing is the aperture sight is missing. I do not see any staking holding the sight on the receiver. Soooo........What can I do about the missing aperture ??? What do you think ???

 

[kwelz]

Nice find. I have always had a love for the old M1 carbines but I have never been able to hold onto one.

 

[Husker_Fan]

You can probably replace the aperture from another type III rear sight onto that one without removing it from the receiver.

Nice score. I love carbines.

 

[HDCamel]

OP, you should change your name to "Smucker's" because of all the jelly you're producing.

 

[FMJMIKE]

"jelly I am producing ".............. I never heard that one before ! Please explain................

 

[BrocLuno]

Nice find. Cool it's all together and IBM.

The stocks been refinished. Maybe do it again with a bit of darker stain and satin or matte final coats?

 

[HDCamel]

"jelly I am producing ".............. I never heard that one before ! Please explain................

"Jelly" is short for "jealousy".

 

[FMJMIKE]

HDCAMEL................Thanks for educating me.............

 

[fal762x51]

The darn thing looked original to me.

What looked original? The stock has been refinished I think, and I would say there is about a 99% chance that if someone took the time to refinish the stock, he probably replaced all the rearsenaled mismatched parts with IBM parts. That is not to say it is not a nice gun but i doubt all the small parts are original.

 

[USSR]

Mike,

Nice Carbine. Now do yourself a favor and strip off that finish and apply this:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=507631

Don

 

[Hacker15E]

Maybe it's just the photography, but that looks like a birch stock to me...even with the 2-rivet handguard.

 

[ultradoc]

congrats to you!

 

[Trebor]

What looked original? The stock has been refinished I think, and I would say there is about a 99% chance that if someone took the time to refinish the stock, he probably replaced all the rearsenaled mismatched parts with IBM parts.

Really, you think so?

Refinishing a military rifle stock is pretty common, especially when the stock is "grungy" or just plain ugly. I think that's much more common than a collector who replaces all the small parts to make the carbine more "original."

And, the type of collector who replaces all the small parts with "correct" parts is also the type who is more likely to leave the original stock alone, or refinish with a military appropriate finish (BLO, etc).

 

[bigedp51]

U.S. Military stocks were hot dipped in a tank of raw linseed oil or starting in 1943 tung oil which changed back to raw linseed oil after the war.

You do not use oil base stains on military rifles because it seals the wood and does not allow the raw linseed oil to penetrate deeply "into" the wood to protect it. Water base and alcohol base stains or dyes are used to stain the wood that allow the oil to penetrate into the wood.

True boiled linseed is heated in a sealed container and the heat causes the oil to form long interlocking molecular chains or plasticize the oil. This strengthens the oil finish and makes it more waterproof.

In the U.S. 95% of BLO is nothing more than raw linseed oil with resins added to bond it together and driers to speed the drying time and is toxic. On issued military rifles boiled linseed oil was never used on rifles used in combat.





Below, boiled linseed oil on the left and raw linseed oil on the right

 

[fal762x51]

And, the type of collector who replaces all the small parts with "correct" parts is also the type who is more likely to leave the original stock alone, or refinish with a military appropriate finish (BLO, etc).

Maybe, you just don't know what he was thinking. But when I see a carbine with all correct parts, it makes me wonder.

 

[FMJMIKE]

I posted the following photo on a M1 Carbine Forum. The experts have informed me that this Carbine originally had a flip sight on it. Hmmmm..........Oh Well........It is almost an original. Thanks...........

 

[HammerheadSSN663]

I give up...what's almost hitting a home run and IBM have to do with each other?

And what's and IBM anyway?

 

[fal762x51]

Hmmmm..........Oh Well........It is almost an original.

No reason to be blue about it. A mixmaster re-arsenaled M1 Carbine is really more original and mil-spec than a carbine that his been made "original" by the shade tree gunsmith.

 

[rondog]

And what's and IBM anyway?

Seriously? IBM = International Business Machines, the company that makes computers nowadays. In WWII, they made typewriters, adding machines and other office contraptions, and were one of the contractors building M1 Carbines.

 

[Husker_Fan]

My M1 is an Underwood mixmaster. I love it. I even took a carbine class with it and kept up with the guys shooting ARs. I prefer the adjustable sights on a shooter anyhow, and carbines need to be shot.