Which M1 .30 Carbine

[Afy]

Winchester, Inland, Quality Parts, National Postal meter, Saginaw, Rock Ola?

And why? Thinking of buying one, am not in the US, so things are a little different.

Weapons available

 

[clem]

Get a "Rock Ola".

 

[GCBurner]

In the US, the Winchester is the most desired by collectors, and usually the most expensive, though the Rockola is more rare. As far as overall quality and shootability go, they seem to be pretty much equal, and will usually show a mix of parts from various contractors and sub-contractors other than the one who manufactured the receiver.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Shooter or collector???

Afy--Which M1 Carbine to get depends on the intended use. If you want it as a collectible, go for one of the rare ones. It'll cost more, but always be worth more, than the commoner makers.

If, OTOH, what you want is a plinker/shooter, get an Inland. The Inland division of General Motors made more of these firearms than any other contractor, consequently they are the commonest and cheapest.

All the carbines work just about the same. As G C Burner pointed out, they will almost certainly have "mixed" parts; when someone says, "Get a Rock-Ola, or Inland, or whichever," what they're referring to is the maker's name stamped on the receiver. Almost all the makers also subcontracted out for various parts, anyhow, so getting a "pure" IBM carbine, for example, would be next to impossible, and cost a fortune if you did find one.

The American Civilian Marksmanship Program, www.odcmp.com has quite a lot of info on their website, regarding the history, and care & feeding of these great little firearms. The information, at least, is available to all. Go to their site, go to "sales," choose M1Carbine from the menu, and there is a list of 4 or 5 sets of info about the M1 Carbine.

Good luck on getting the M1 Carbine of your dreams. Please keep us posted!