M1 Carbine Makers.
- Thread starter SomeKid
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DMK
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Any of the USGI carbines would be best in that regard. It doesn't matter which one, all USGI are made to the same specs. As far as resale value, probably Rockola and IBM.
SigfanUSAF
Member
Total numbers of M1 Carbines produced:
2,632,097 Inland
828,059 Winchester
228,500 Rock-Ola
346,500 IBM
517,212 Saginaw
??????? Irwin Pederson (probably only several thousand made before losing the contract to Saginaw)
359,666 Quality Hardware
545,616 Underwood
413,017 National Postal Meter
247,100 Standard Products
Irwin Pedersons are the rarest by far. Standard Products and Rock-Ola would be the next hardest to find parts for. You can guess which has the most collector value, and which has the least by looking at quantity made.
2,632,097 Inland
828,059 Winchester
228,500 Rock-Ola
346,500 IBM
517,212 Saginaw
??????? Irwin Pederson (probably only several thousand made before losing the contract to Saginaw)
359,666 Quality Hardware
545,616 Underwood
413,017 National Postal Meter
247,100 Standard Products
Irwin Pedersons are the rarest by far. Standard Products and Rock-Ola would be the next hardest to find parts for. You can guess which has the most collector value, and which has the least by looking at quantity made.
Thanks Sig.
I saw multiple ads in the paper for M1 Carbines for sale. One was Underwood, the other did not mention maker. I will probably call the guy Mon or Tues to look at them.
Does anyone know a few good things to look for in a Carbine? I do intend to shoot it some. Also, I do not quite understand the interchangeability question. Since they were all made to the same specs, parts from one maker should work on a different maker, right?
I saw multiple ads in the paper for M1 Carbines for sale. One was Underwood, the other did not mention maker. I will probably call the guy Mon or Tues to look at them.
Does anyone know a few good things to look for in a Carbine? I do intend to shoot it some. Also, I do not quite understand the interchangeability question. Since they were all made to the same specs, parts from one maker should work on a different maker, right?
SigfanUSAF
Member
All USGI parts generally will interchange, so long as they haven't been modified. Anytime you change a bolt, be sure to check headspace before firing.
A few things to look for.....
Most M1s on the market are mixmasters, if you're looking at an Underwood, all original parts will be marked "U something" or "something U". "U" signifying Underwood, and a second character signifying the subcontractor who made the part. The more U coded parts on an Underwood, the more it's worth. All original carbines are very rare, and most matching guns were put together by a collector at some point.
I'm not saying a mixmaster isn't worth having, just use the more non Underwood parts as a bargaining chip.
Matching levels of finish is another thing to look for, i.e. if it's a mixmaster, and all or most of the finish on the parts matches, it probably was a depot rebuld.
That said, look for any un necessary on metal parts. Overly excessive peening or wear on the bolt lugs, slide surfaces, excessive muzzle wear (bullet test should do if you don't have a TE/MW gauge), etc.
Firehand
Member
Go to the CMP site(odcmp.com), to rifle sales, to the M1 Carbine; at the top there's a link to 'Carbine shooting with accuracy'. In that there's some specifics on the bullet test for the muzzle. They say to use a M2 .30-06 cartridge instead of a Carbine round, and list about how far in represents how much wear.
Kahr also makes new M1 Carbines if someone wants something right out of the box that doesn't hold any historical value. That might make a difference if someone wants to shoot it alot and doesn't want to damage an old classic that they paid alot of money for.
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