M1 Carbine Production Dates

[lencac]

Merry Christmas all you pistol packin mamas and gun totin dudes Question my bro-in-law just purchased an Inland M1 carbine and it appears to be original with a like new barrel. Which leads me to wonder if it may have been rebarreled. It has an Inland barrel stamped 8-44 and it has a receiver serial # of 5452761. Who knows where I can look up production dates on these things? Thanks all

 

[coconl]

M1

Check out RIVERBANK ARMORY on the net,Full of info

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Most M1 Carbines have been rebarrelled at some point. This does not detract from the desirability.

Most carbines that have "matching parts" were matched up in someone's garage and are not truly original.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Inland carbine...

Lencac--If the .30 M1 Carbine in question is one from the CMP, they are all "mixmasters" as they call them--they've been re-arsenalled at least once since being made. The last new one was made in 1945, IIRC. Since, the US military has been using them, in Korea and early on in Viet Nam, and since then many of them have been loaned to other countries. The batch of Inlands from which my CMP carbine came, was used by the Italian police. When the CMP got them back, they went over them and sorted out the good ones, and re-arsenalled--again--any that were defective. That is, they broke the worst ones down for parts, and fixed the not-so-bad ones with the parts.

And any carbines that have ever been re-arsenalled, also got the newer, better, rear sight, the improved rotary safety, and the wider front handguard band with the bayonet lug, which is sturdier and makes the carbine a better shooter.

IMHO, this re-arsenalling does nothing to detract from the having of a piece of gear that was made for The Big One, and probably used in it. All the fix-it-up parts come from other carbines of the same age. There have been no new MILITARY M1 carbines made since 1945. (There have been commercial ones, made up of bought-up surplus parts. These are not regarded as being as good as the original-and-genuine military items.)

If you got one with a like-new bbl, the bbl it came back to the US with was shot out, corroded, or damaged in some way. It would seem that you got a particularly nice one, with that like-new bbl.

Now, if what you wanted was a collectors' item, then you'll have to get it from another source than the CMP. There are "original" and un-re-arsenalled M1 Carbines around, with narrow handguard bands, flip-up rear sights, and pushbutton safeties. I saw one like that @ a gun show last weekend. But it was $1000 asking price, wheras the CMP wants half that for the improved, re-arsenalled, version.

Unless you're a serious collector, with a well-filled wallet to boot, I'd not complain were I you. Just get some .30 Carbine ammo and some of the original 15-round magazines, get ye to a range, and start enjoying it!

 

[lencac]

really all I wanted was to know of a data base that will tell me the pro-dates according to serial #. I'm not a "collector" .......... I'm a "shooter". Anything I have will get the crap shot out of it. But thanks for the insight

 

[Lone_Gunman]

There are "original" and un-re-arsenalled M1 Carbines around, with narrow handguard bands, flip-up rear sights, and pushbutton safeties. I saw one like that @ a gun show last weekend. But it was $1000 asking price, wheras the CMP wants half that for the improved, re-arsenalled, version.

But again, I would caution you that many an "original" M1 Carbine has been sold to unknowledgeable gun show customers by people who took a mixmaster and swapped out parts in their garage.

Do this actually makes it less original to me.

 

[cuervo]

Inland serial number block 4,879,526-5,549,820 ran from Jan 1944 to August 1944. Most military rifles had their barrels made before the receiver.

Since yours is in the 5.4 million range, it was probably produced closer to August but was later rebarreled with an 8-44 barrel during an overhaul. Check for overhaul stampings on the stock and see if the barrel finish matches the receiver finish where they meet. If it has a bayonet lug, it has been overhauled.

You can also take it apart by removing the screw behind the rear sight and check the other parts for manufacturer markings.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Original or what..

Lone Gunman--If an early-parts M1 Carbine is offered for sale as a "restoration," well, then, there are those gun owners who want that, and IMHO, that's just fine if that's what they want, and that's what they pay for.

If it were offered for sale as original, and it had in fact been made up in someone's garage, I entirely agree with you, it is less original that way than the way it was re-arsenalled. And that's dishonesty. Fraud, perhaps?

Collectors have to be good at spotting the tell-tale signs of restoration. I'm not an expert in this area, but I'm not a collector either.

(At the gun show to which I referred earlier, I just looked @ the carbine mentioned, saw the 2 rivets in the handguard, the flat-top bolt, the narrow handguard band, the flip-up rear sight, the push-button safety, and then saw the $1k price tag, and simply walked away. Didn't even check for high or low wood.)

 

[lencac]

Ok, boys don't get all jumpity about things that are not part of the question. We all know about the CMP and mixmasters and blah, blah blah, and all that. So don't get all sidetracked by the pork chop hangin around Smokey Joe's neck. I just want production dates for serial numbers. Pretty simple.
Cuervo has come the closest so far. But keep tryin ......... you'll get it right eventually

 

[cuervo]

I thought you just wanted the production date for yours. Here is a list other production dates:

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2879035

You are not going to find anything more specific than a chart like this since records were not kept to that much detail.

 

[lencac]

Thanks Cuervo. That's all I was looking for. I looks like they did not keep records like 03s or Garands.

 

[GarandOwner]

looks like they did not keep records like 03s or Garands.

I think it was that most of the carbine records were lost in a fire at the archives. I cant remember if it was some of the Garand records or the Carbine records, but when I think of where I read it, im pretty sure it was the carbine records.

 

[BacSi67]

Date

Go to www.M1 Carbine.com forum. They have a section on dating carbines.
BacSi

 

[lencac]

GarandOwner ............ thanks mang. That is very interesting. I'd say from what I'm seeing is it was the carbines. Anyway thanks again

 

[lencac]

Bacsi67 ... I tried the link and it goes nowhere?