what do you all know about civilian m1 carbines?

[mypps]

while at my local sporting goods store, i spied a m1 carbine behind the counter. i asked the guy about it and looked it over. looked to be in good shape, the stock was clean, action felt smooth. he told me it wasn't a military carbine but a universal carbine. on the breach it said the manufacturer and location. i spaced on the manufacturers name but remembered the location as new jersey. i looked some stuff up on the web and found it was plainfield armory in dunellen. does anyone know about the quality of these carbines and availability/interchangability of parts with usgi stuff? he wanted $499 for it. said it was his own gun. after reading all of the posts here i felt the urge to get one of these for myself, however cmp is out of my reach. thanks.
brian

 

[Smokey Joe]

"Real" vs otherwise in an M1 Carbine...

Mypps--The CMP Inland carbines, the real ones that BTDT, are $419 last time I looked. There's $20 shipping on top of that, but no transfer fee. So if you can handle the expense of a $499 Plainfield, you can sure handle getting The Real Thing, with $$ left over for ammo.

No experience myself with the Universals, but supposedly the were made up from surplus parts and new-manufactured parts, after the war. So they don't have the history. More importantly to a shooter, they aren't as good a shooter. Again, this is by reputation--no actual experience here.

Anyhow, get yerself a "real" M1 Carbine from CMP while the getting is still good. The Inlands are the most common, therefore the least pricey, and if you are just going to shoot it, who cares?

CMP website: www.thecmp.org

 

[Schleprok62]

Those Universals are going for $250 -$300 in these parts... the Inlands are in the $500 neighborhood, and the Saginaw/Winchesters are fetching the premium prices...

 

[mljdeckard]

There are some big differences between military and civilian versions. Some of the civilian versions have a two-spring system pushing the bolt, where the G.I.s have one. A lot of stocks and other accessories will not fit the civilian versions.

I have my grandfather's Inland, and if I wanted to get another one identical to it, in the same condition, I'm probably looking at about $700. I consider them to be ideal for home defense, but I don't want to use my heirloom and have it seized as evidence. I might consider getting a minimum grade shooter from CMP, and sending it off to Fulton Armory for about $200 worth of reconditioning, springs, maybe barrel.

 

[mypps]

The CMP Inland carbines, the real ones that BTDT, are $419 last time I looked. There's $20 shipping on top of that, but no transfer fee. So if you can handle the expense of a $499 Plainfield, you can sure handle getting The Real Thing, with $$ left over for ammo.

its not the price that is the problem, its the fact that i don't belong to one of the clubs listed under eligiblity requirements and don't live near one to join. that and i don't like not being able to really look at one before i buy it. i'm at the mercy of some guy packing boxes with whatever he grabs next. if i was a member i would jump on it. but this is as close as i'm going to get to one.

 

[sarge83]

Universal 99% of the time=JUNK.

Plainfield or Iver Johnson are pretty good.

AO? Don't know.

Join the Garand Collectors Association, it works for your club affiliation. All you do is send in your annual dues.

 

[chrissmallwood]

mypps- You can join the Garand Collectors Association. Its a nationwide club that anyone can join. Then you can just drive to the store if your close enough.

 

[GRIZ22]

its not the price that is the problem, its the fact that i don't belong to one of the clubs listed under eligiblity requirements and don't live near one to join.

$25 makes you a member of the Garand Collectors Association which qualifies you.

that and i don't like not being able to really look at one before i buy it. i'm at the mercy of some guy packing boxes with whatever he grabs next. if i was a member i would jump on it. but this is as close as i'm going to get to one.

I can understand not being able to see it first. However, my experience has been that CMP guns havwe always been better than their descriptions. You sometimes have to clean up the stock but the guns have been inspected and checked out. CMP does not offer a warranty but they will make good on something wrong to the extent of exchanging or returning the rifle.

You can go to CMP and get a carbine worth at least $100 more the day you get it or get the Universal for $300 (about what they are worth at best) and have a carbine that next yera will be worth..well $300.

I had a Universal once and it was okay but the manufacturing was kind of chintzy. They don't take GI parts and the least impressive part (to me) was the 2 ball point pen springs they use instead of a real recoil spring.

Plainfield carbines are a much better option in the commercial carbine field and will take GI parts.

 

[mypps]

Plainfield carbines are a much better option in the commercial carbine field and will take GI parts.

but is $499 alittle on the high side in your opinion? he won't budge on the price i already asked.

and whats the deal with muzzle gauge? is 3 or more real bad or kinda bad? are the rack grade guns not as good as the service grade?

 

[sarge83]

Muzzle gauge will show you the wear in the barrel. 2 or less is most desirable.

Rack grade will fire, but usually has some cosmetic issue. I have in some cases received rack grade that look better than service grades. I would seriously look at going after a CMP M1 service grade. You get a real USGI carbine at a reasonable price. I have bought several carbines and garands from CMP and never been disappointed yet.

 

[mypps]

i went and checked and including the membership to gca is only a little more for a usgi servide grade inland. that will be my choice. plus it will match my leather gripped m4 bayonet. thanks for the help everyone.

 

[Snowdog]

Kahr Arms/Auto Ordnance are very sweet, IMO. Mine is nearly too nice to shoot, but when it does go to the range, the function is 100% and it's more accurate than most people give the Warbaby credit for.

 

[9mmepiphany]

that's what i was going to suggest. if price isn't a problem, you should just go to your local Big 5 and get a new Kahr

 

[w9trb]

My Father had both the G.I. one and a Universal. There was no comparison of functioning, the G.I. one would work every time and the Universal was balky to be kind. The Universal became trading stock, the G.I. one is his keeper.

 

[WardenWolf]

It depends on the specific civilian model. The Kahr Arms ones are supposed to be exact USGI replicas. The Universal ones, with the exception of the early ones that were built on USGI parts, are all proprietary.

 

[paintballdude902]

ok guns nuthing great not on par with the actual m1 carbs from the cmp

i take my brother inlaws out from time to time to plink with its got a problem where the rear sight wont stay in place ive replaced it and so has he but it jumps around a gs friend said something about the dove tail it sits in being the wrong size

do an appleseed join the revolutionary war veterans association and your set that all your gualifications right there and with the price of: an appleseed, the membership, rifle, and shipping you will probably be about the same place as the universal but with a good ol' american rifle used by americans for america im not sure if the cmp has mags right now for them but they are pretty cheap you also need to figure in sales tax for the rifle at the shop

 

[amd6547]

+1 for the CMP! I love my carbine. Got to pick it out at North Store. Looked at quite a few Service Grades there, didn't see a one I wouldn't have been happy with.

 

[Sunray]

It's not a Universal. It's a Plainfield Machine Co. carbine. Good rifles. Milsurp parts will fit with no fuss. $499 is a bit steep though. $350 to $400 is more reasonable. Mind you, as mentioned, you can have a Service Grade(better condition than the Rack Grade) Inland from the CMP for $495.
Start here. http://www.thecmp.org/eligibility.htm
I've had my Plainfield for over 30 years. Never once had any issues a bath didn't fix. Not one part has need to be changed either. Uses a 30 roundmag with no alterations too. Mine likes Speer 110 grain HP's with IMR4227 and regular small rifle primers.