Iver Johnson .30 Cal M1 Carbine?

[priv8ter]

I was looking at one of the bulettin boards here at work today, and someone had posted a For Sale sign that caught my attention.

The item in question was an Iver Johnson .30 Cal M1 Carbine. Full wood stock, described as in 'Good Shape' Came with two 15 round magazines. The guy was asking $300 for it.

Now, I know next to nothing about M1 Carbines. But, the price caught my eye. IF I was going to buy a new gun right now, $300 is about the top of my range.

I will do some research here, but wanted to post first, since I'm not sure how long it's been for sale.

I have heard some complaints that the factory .30 Cal loads are mostly Soft Points, and fairly anemic at that.

So, what I'm wondering is, first of all, is $300 a good price? And second, in the hands of a reloader, what kind of ballistics could I expect from a .30 Carbine load...compared to say, a .357,( I realize it's closer to a pistol round than a rifle round).

Thanks for anyone's input!

greg

 

[M2 Carbine]

The Iver Johnson was a "civilian" M1.

All the parts are interchangeable with the GI Carbine as far as I know.

$300 for a nice one doesn't sound unreasonable but you can get a new Kahr or a beat up GI Carbine for about $500

The standard round is a 110 FMJ bullet doing just under 2,000 fps.
Somewhat hotter than a 357.

I've loaded 100 grain Hornady 32 JHP bullets that seem pretty mean but only about half my Carbines will reliably feed them.

I've settled on the 110gr RN JSP at 2,000 fps as a standard load.

Some people want to compare the Carbine with the 223, etc and say it's lacking in power but the same people think the 357 is a real "man stopper".

The M1 Carbine is what it is.
A small, light, handy rifle that shoots basically a hot pistol round.

One of these in your chest at 2,000 fps will mess up your whole day.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

An Iver Johnson is a much better buy for the money than a Universal.

M2 is indeed correct on the versatility of the round. It's been maligned for 60 years largely because of rumors of undepenetration when used in the cold Korean War engagements against opponenets who were wearing heavy quilted layers of clothing and 'body armor'.

Nobody says civilians have to use FMJ rounds exclusively .

I'd sure hate to get hit by one.

I'd say go for it.

Regards,
Rabit.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I had an IJ Carbine in the early-mid '80s. I had to send it back to the factory because the bolt was too soft, and the locking lugs began to peen. It's my understanding that many IJ Carbines had soft parts.

If you want a Carbine I suggest saving up for a GI, IAI, or a Kahr.