Spug
Member
So I've got an M1 carbine...
...yes, it's a Universal. But it's a very early one, built with GI parts and has a 4-digit serial number. I came into it after my dad died, and I don't really know anything about its history. I love carbines in general, and love the feel of the M1 particularly, as well as the Garand-style action, which I don't have in any firearm. But I have never fired it and don't know if my father did either. It has a cool leather scabbard for mounting on a jeep or motorcycle.
I was aware that it hadn't functioned in decades, so I tore it down to see if I could figure out what was wrong. Two things that were readily apparent were that the gas block is cracked and the hammer is beat up. Despite the cracks as seen in the picture below the internal threads seem ok, as does the nut and gas piston. I haven't found a lot on the web to help me with this problem, but what I am thinking of doing is to squeeze the cracks together, perhaps with a sacrificial plug inserted in place of the castle nut to preserve the thread, and have someone TIG weld it up, leaving the hole open so that the gas port can be cleaned when necessary. So my first question is, what are the chances of success?
Sorry for the really poor pictures, but you can see enough to get an idea of the problem. For those not familiar with the M1 Carbine, there are two cracks in the picture of the gas block, not three: an additional slot is machined aft of the clean-out hole.
The other issue is the hammer, which looks like it has sustained some real hammering (sorry). So I'm wondering if the carbine experienced a slam fire malfunction that led to both issues. Least likely, but most potentially problematic, is that somebody modified it at some time before it came to my dad.
I've got a brother who is hugely into WWII history and has visited Normandy many times. He's made it known to me that he'd really like the carbine, but I doubt he'll ever do anything but fondle it. I'd like to see it repaired to operable trim, but I don't know if it can be done at a reasonable price. What do you all think? Is it a simple matter to have a 'smith weld the block up, and perhaps the hammer wear is not a big deal (or I can get another hammer) or is this a potentially fraught project and I should just pass it along to my brother and forget about it ever being a shooter?
...yes, it's a Universal. But it's a very early one, built with GI parts and has a 4-digit serial number. I came into it after my dad died, and I don't really know anything about its history. I love carbines in general, and love the feel of the M1 particularly, as well as the Garand-style action, which I don't have in any firearm. But I have never fired it and don't know if my father did either. It has a cool leather scabbard for mounting on a jeep or motorcycle.
I was aware that it hadn't functioned in decades, so I tore it down to see if I could figure out what was wrong. Two things that were readily apparent were that the gas block is cracked and the hammer is beat up. Despite the cracks as seen in the picture below the internal threads seem ok, as does the nut and gas piston. I haven't found a lot on the web to help me with this problem, but what I am thinking of doing is to squeeze the cracks together, perhaps with a sacrificial plug inserted in place of the castle nut to preserve the thread, and have someone TIG weld it up, leaving the hole open so that the gas port can be cleaned when necessary. So my first question is, what are the chances of success?
Sorry for the really poor pictures, but you can see enough to get an idea of the problem. For those not familiar with the M1 Carbine, there are two cracks in the picture of the gas block, not three: an additional slot is machined aft of the clean-out hole.
The other issue is the hammer, which looks like it has sustained some real hammering (sorry). So I'm wondering if the carbine experienced a slam fire malfunction that led to both issues. Least likely, but most potentially problematic, is that somebody modified it at some time before it came to my dad.
I've got a brother who is hugely into WWII history and has visited Normandy many times. He's made it known to me that he'd really like the carbine, but I doubt he'll ever do anything but fondle it. I'd like to see it repaired to operable trim, but I don't know if it can be done at a reasonable price. What do you all think? Is it a simple matter to have a 'smith weld the block up, and perhaps the hammer wear is not a big deal (or I can get another hammer) or is this a potentially fraught project and I should just pass it along to my brother and forget about it ever being a shooter?