Along about 1961 or so you could get carbines from the old DCM for $20; by then I had just a bit of experience with them and knew some background from Korea on them--as a matter of fact, read the scathing ORO report in the ROTC library. So I passed on the $20 carbines. Carried one quite a lot in the USAF, and years later got one of the Blue Sky ones to play with. Worked on it quite a lot to try to get some accuracy out of it, including glass bedding it (that was a job!). One day I had a master class shooter fire it for accuracy. The target was still nothing to write home about, my son was frustrated trying to hit things with it, and I finally sold the carbine. Don't really miss it.
They're cute, nostalgic, and handy. When I had to pack one eight hours a day on a concrete ramp, it was just right. When I went over to SEA we got the early M16s, and I was glad to get mine. Jim Cirillo liked it as a stakeout weapon, and if reliable and with a good SN or JHP round it's a reasonable proposition. But I get along nicely without one, and my M4gery surpasses it in every respect as a tool.