M1 Carbine: Still Viable

[loose noose]

Do love my two M1 30Cal. Carbines, they are by far the most economical to reload, and by far the most fun to shoot, and I own quite a quantity of rifles as well as carbines. Incidentally I also carried one for a while in Vietnam, until our company commander had us issued the Mattel Shooting shell. BTW mine was a Winchester over there. I've got a Rock Ola and a copy of the the M1 Carbine in an Iver Johnson. Both are great shooting , however the Rock Ola is a bit more accurate and seems a bit tighter over all.

 

[P5 Guy]

Gun Review: Ruger New Model Blackhawk in .30 Carbine - The Truth About Guns

A friend bought one of the Blackhawks in 30 carbine.
That sucker is ear splitting loud

 

[Speedo66]

Yes, I have a WWII Winchester M1 carbine. Yes, it is fun to shoot. Yes, the Korean mags work just fine but yes cartridge is obsolete. The M1c should be taken out and shot for nostalgic/historic reasons but there are better, less expensive, more available cartridges in modern platforms which are better. Both 5.56 and 7.62x39 come to mind.

Pistol caliber carbines are one of the hottest markets today, and the Carbine, and it’s round, are exactly that.

Its ammo price would drop if more guns were chambered in it.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

It's a hit pistol round, though. Pretty hot round. Beats 9mm.

 

[CapnMac]

Pretty hot round. Beats 9mm

It's chasing .375mag muzzle performance at 100yd, too.

And, that 5# weight and near center balance is a big deal in your hands. Shooting one side by side with a 6.5# .300bo can be an eye opener.

 

[Speedo66]

AIM Surplus currently has .30 Carbine ammo in stock, Privi PPU brass cased, for $32, less than some are charging now for 9mm. Before all this nonsense they were charging $18-20 a box of 50, not terribly expensive.

15 and 30 round excellent Korean made mags, $12 and $14, also in stock.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

AIM Surplus currently has .30 Carbine ammo in stock, Privi PPU brass cased, for $32, less than some are charging now for 9mm. Before all this nonsense they were charging $18-20 a box of 50, not terribly expensive.

15 and 30 round excellent Korean made mags, $12 and $14, also in stock.

Exactly. Prices for ALL rounds are severely bungled right now due to the craziness. Before the nuttines, .30 Carbine was trending right at .45 ACP prices. Now it is right in line with 9mm. To say it is markedly expensive over other rounds is patently false.

 

[mac66]

Exactly. Prices for ALL rounds are severely bungled right now due to the craziness. Before the nuttines, .30 Carbine was trending right at .45 ACP prices. Now it is right in line with 9mm. To say it is markedly expensive over other rounds is patently false.

The thing is that 30 carb ammo was markedly more expensive than 7.62x39 and 223/5.56 ammo which are real rifle calibers. I know I wasn't willing to pay more for less just to plink with.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

The thing is that 30 carb ammo was markedly more expensive than 7.62x39 and 223/5.56 ammo which are real rifle calibers. I know I wasn't willing to pay more for less just to plink with.

I guess any gun who’s cartridge is more expensive than those rounds aren’t worth owning? Give me a break.

 

[trackskippy]

I guess any gun who’s cartridge is more expensive than those rounds aren’t worth owning? Get real.

I know I didnt really bother with the Carbines back in the 80's and 90's when they were still cheap (wish now that I had, but thats water under the bridge), mainly because the ammo was a lot more expensive than most of the others that I was into at the time.

I also was more into 7.62x51 and 30-06, and wasnt real impressed with the Carbine round in general.

As was mentioned, the 7.62x39 and 5.56 are a bit of a different league than the Carbine.

Its not that they arent worth owning, just that if its going to be your only gun, it wouldnt be my first choice. As much as I like my Carbines, for me, they really are basically plinkers (not that I would be too uncomfortable if it were all I had), and if I didnt load for them, and barring what we have going on now, the ammo would still be on the salty side compared to some of the others.

I think too, some of us look at things a bit differently, and see that some guns, while still very much viable, are still not the best choice of whats available. If youre looking for something to cover most things, and its going to be youre only gun, the Carbine really isnt a realistic choice.

If youre looking for something to supplement your fun, and enjoy a piece of history, its a great choice.

 

[Ironicaintit]

Well “viable” does not mean that it’s the bees knees in every and any context.

I know I’d rather hear a 30 carbine indoors without ears on (quite likely in a home defense scenario) than I would a 223, 7.62x39 or even 357 magnum

 

[amd6547]

I was paying $19/box of 50, for good quality, brass cased .30 Carbine soft point ammo preplandemic. That was regular pricing then, and it didn’t seem “expensive” and it certainly wasn’t hard to find. Yet I heard the same complaints back then, too.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Judging .30 Carbine based on the current drought/panic ammo prices? Last I looked 9mm Luger practice and training grade ammo was a dollar per round, $50 for a box of 50 before sales tax. I guess the day of 9x19mm is long gone, hunh.

I have recently found PPU made .30 Carbine at $32 a box of 50. I bought some Remington made .30 Carbine at $44 a box of 50. I did not buy much because I expect this panic to pass as other panics have passed.

 

[12Bravo20]

The thing is that 30 carb ammo was markedly more expensive than 7.62x39 and 223/5.56 ammo which are real rifle calibers. I know I wasn't willing to pay more for less just to plink with.

Per military standards both the 5.56x45 and 7.62x39 are NOT rifle cartridges, they are classified as intermediate cartridges. 7.62x51 (308), 30-06, 8mm Mauser, 303 Brit, 7.62x54 are rifle calibers.

And yes if you go by ballistics, the 30 carbine is still a viable caliber. I would be happy if my father in law ever decides to give me his M1 Carbine and Ruger 30 cal Blackhawk.

 

[GRIZ22]

The thing is that 30 carb ammo was markedly more expensive than 7.62x39 and 223/5.56 ammo which are real rifle calibers. I know I wasn't willing to pay more for less just to plink with.

Keep in mind there are very few firearms other than the M1 that are chambered for the 30 carbine. That versus the number of firearms chambered for 223 or 7.62x39.

That makes the price of 30 carbine higher.

 

[Dale Alan]

I have several M! Carbines through my years . I no longer have a single one . I never thought they served a real purpose other than tossing lead around at the range .

 

[amd6547]

A high school friends dad served as a navy corpman with the Marines at Chosin Reservoir. He had a good opinion of the M1 Carbine. He went on to a long career as a Cleveland Police officer…including service during the very large race riots Cleveland had during 1960’s. It was a time he described as “total war”. The officers armed themselves with everything from lever action 30-30’s to hunting rifles. There was a program from the Feds selling GI M1 Carbines to police officers, and he quickly acquired one, which saw a lot of use during those times.

 

[HowieG]

Just some loose thoughts. The fact that we are still having this discussion, and this gun is STILL manufactured proves it's continued viability.

Anyone that has EVER held a carbine would have to agree that it feels wonderful in the hands. Also, if carried 5 miles, it still feels great. Any soldier can tell you that you carry your weapon around WAYYYYYY more than you shoot it. Shooting aside, would you rather carry a M1 Carbine or a Garand? I know what my answer is.

The goal of a military small arm is to WOUND people more than kill them. Wounding hopefully takes several people out of the fight because they are carrying the wounded guy. Based on that, the M1 Carbine is a very viable weapon. It will wound effectively out to 300 yards, which is what the military had one leg of the original flip peep set to.

If we were talking about a repeating handgun (not an AR15 playing handgun) that shot at 1900 plus fps with a muzzle energy of nearly 1000 ft lbs AND could hit 150 yard targets easily and repeatedly, we wouldn't be discussing viability. We would be discussing how GREAT it was.

I am not a partisan hack in this. I don't own a M1 Carbine. I have handled them and like them lots, but never bought one. I also have a M1 Carbine level load for my Marlin 32-20 carbine because I like that kind of easy carrying gun and that ballistic level. Easy to carry, cheap to shoot if you hand load, lot's of shots per pound of powder and lead, rapid accurate fire, and pretty good results at a pretty good range.

 

[Speedo66]

I have several M! Carbines through my years . I no longer have a single one . I never thought they served a real purpose other than tossing lead around at the range .

Thankfully, we’re not at war here.

Aside from a designated hunting gun, isn’t tossing lead around at the range what we mostly do?

 

[HowieG]

I just saw some proof of viability. I saw a gunbroker listing for a Marlin 62 in 30 Carbine tagged with a $1899 price. That seems pretty darned viable to me!

 

[Ignition Override]

Make fun of them, defend them, :" wot evah, mates"....

If they weren't adequate for certain self-defense scenarios, then one or more Israeli firms probably wouldn't issue them for personal security.

In remark #50, I included that photo of a street in Israel, plus the Carbine (?) with the Ruger 44. Did the M-1 Carbine's size, weight etc inspire the 44's concept?

 

[HowieG]

Make fun of them, defend them, :" wot evah, mates"....

If they weren't adequate for certain self-defense scenarios, then one or more Israeli firms probably wouldn't issue them for personal security.

In remark #50, I included that photo of a street in Israel, plus the Carbine (?) with the Ruger 44. Did the M-1 Carbine's size, weight etc inspire the 44's concept?

I'd rather have the 30 carbine unless it's danger close. The 30 will easily outrange the 44.

 

[mavracer]

the fact that it served well above it's intended roll show without a doubt that it's more than capable as a defensive weapon. The problem is it's a victim of it's own success. It's shortcomings in it's extracurricular activities ultimately lead to the development of the M16, XM177 and M4 variants.
In the 80s when they were cheap surplus I could easily see using one and my family did but now the nostalgia and success stories on the battlefields of WW2 and Korea has driven the price of originals crazy as shown by the fact that Midway sold out in a couple hours and the cheapest one was $1150 so I'm leaving my 5 digit Inland in the safe for the grandkids to inherit. I've considered reproductions but are nearly as bad now.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

The carbine-looking gun shown under the Ruger .44 Magnum carbine appears to me to be the version of the Ruger Mini-14 adopted by the French gendarmes. A few years back there were news photos showing them in hands of French police responding to a terrorist attack in Paris.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

An M1 Carbine dress up kit for the Mossberg 702 family (including CBC 7022, Taurus RS22) consisting of Williams WGRS-54 peep sight for grooved .22 receiver, M1 Carbine style stock, handguard, and stock band, just might be saleable.