M1 Tough Decisions - Old School USGI Or AO/Kahr

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twinhairdryers

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As with all my carbines, I tend to like to shoot them a lot. I'm stuck in a tough spot. The price of the decent shape Inland or other USGI original M1 carbines is high (start at 700 bucks and go way up from there.

I noticed now that Kahr / Auto Ordinance offer what appears to be a close to mil spec copy that I can get new for roughly 600 bucks.

If i'm looking for a shooter (> 1000 rounds per year), is getting an old one with decent barrel ok, or is it better to save up and get an Underwood or Inland or other super old one. I'm worrried the barrel will disintegrate quickly with the original barrels and that I shouldn't buy a collector type gun for a high volume plinker gun. Are the originals really that much better, and will they be more accurate as a new Kahr??
 
Go with USGI.

I have heard of problems with the Kahr guns.

The GI barrels on a GI gun will last as long as the barrels on the Kahr gun. Just shop around until you find a GI gun in good shape. Most of the carbines were aresenal rebuilt after WWII so they've already had parts swapped out.

The GI gun will also hold it's value better if you decide to sell later,

See if the CMP will be selling any more carbines. I don't know if they are completely sold out or not. Go to www.odcmp.com for info.
 
See if the CMP will be selling any more carbines. I don't know if they are completely sold out or not. Go to www.odcmp.com for info.
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They still have them in the stores, even if the website is showing them sold out for online orders, if making a trip to the North or South Store is an option.
 
thd,

USGI .30 Carbine ammo was always noncorrosive, and what with the cartridge being a low pressure, low velocity round, the USGI barrels are in excellent condition. A USGI will function fine! The Kahr/A.O. ?

Don
 
I have a G.I. for my collection that I've shot a few times. I also bought a Plainfield carbine that I use as a shooter. Put 3,000 rds thru it last summer, cast bullets reloads, never a problem after my inital tweeking of load & overall length. As with everything else prices are going up, if you can buy now.
 
I definitely want a US carbine, preferably an IBM, for various historical reasons. But if I were going to put a scout mount and a red dot on the sucker and shoot cases and cases through it, I'd go with the AO. They aren't bad little guns. It's not like an IAI or Universal, it's a solid carbine with parts compatibility and a real attempt at nice fit and finish (for a repro of a wartime production item).
 
No problem with my AO M1 Carbine. Trebor must not be talking about my rifle.
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I'm glad you got a good one. I've heard other owners who have been happy with their Kahr/AO guns as well.

I've just also heard more then a few owners report problems. Some minor, some serious. Enough for me to recommend a good condition GI gun instead.

The downside is that unlike the Kahr/AO, the GI gun won't generally come with a warranty or factory support. (Although the CMP does offer good customer service on their firearms).
 
I think I am now leaning toward an original in shooting condition. I don't think I can do an auction site though, may need to see what is in the local shops around here.
 
Oh, and the CMP site shows only thing available is rack grade with a bore > 3, whatever that means. Not sure that is what I want, also for high dollars for a carbine you couldn't put a few cases or rounds through, or is a scatter gun. more good ones coming this summer to CMP.
 
As with most things, your right answer depends.

If you want a historical artifact that you can shoot, go through CMP. Now rememer that these Carbines are from the Italians. They were most likely not carried through WWII. They certainly are not of WWII configuration. They have the late sights, etc.

If you want to fore go the potential abuse heaped upon a milsup, then the AO is the answer. Don't kid yourself on the quality. The AO has a Green Mountain barrel and *is* the original design, done with modern manufacturing.

I'd be proud to own and shoot either. Oh wait, I do....
 
For the love of god and all that is holy, stay well clear of Kahr Thompsons. Mine was totally useless. It jammed in wild ways (mangled brass, powder-dumping, live-round stovepipes aplenty) and normal ways (failure-to-everything) numerous times every magazine and continued to do so even after three trips back to the factory. The receiver was made out of metal so soft the rear sight kept stripping itself loose under recoil and it eventually warped badly (twice, two different ones).

It also had an entertaining habit of going full-auto and although that was a lot of fun, I was uncomfortable owning an unregistered machine-gun. Unfortunately, that was the only thing wrong with the rifle that they ever fixed. Every time I sent it back, they would mail it back to me with a long list of stuff they said they replaced, but it would never run when I took it to the range.

After something like 18 months of hassling them and my gun dealer threatening to withold funds on Kahr-related transactions until they fixed it, they finally sent me a new rifle. I immediately sold it and have never been happier to be rid of a gun.
 
For the love of god and all that is holy, stay well clear of Kahr Thompsons.
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Not hard to do when we're talking about M1 Carbines.

I also have a Kahr/AO M1. It's a good gun and I don't really have any complaints. I bought it because I wanted a shooter that I could do some guilt-free modifications to. It was also at least a hundred dollars cheaper than even a beat up GI gun, so I don't have any regrets.
 
I figured it would be an informative story for anyone considering ANY PRODUCT made by those sloppy cultists.

I'm sure they do as good a job on the M1s as they did on my Thompson. That means you may get an unregistered M2 instead, but you will not even get any enjoyment out of it because of the extremely poor craftsmanship.

All AO products should be avoided like the bubonic plague.
 
Picked up a Winchester in great shape.

I truly got a piece of M1 artwork by luck and with a big check. Now, my only question is, do I dare shoot it a bunch? I don't want a safe queen, but how many rounds make sense to put down the pipe before it breaks or degrades the value a bunch??

I know it's a stupid question for M1 or combat rifle buffs, but I buy shooters and put at least a couple hundred down the pipe of most everything I own a month.

here's what i'm starting with. I've only stripped an surface cleaned it.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=89233969
 
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