Click HERE to purchase an M1 Carbine
1) When was the M1 Carbine designed?
A: Work on designing the Carbine began in 1938. The final model was finished in 1941.
2) Who designed the M1 Carbine?
A: Several people are credited with designing the M1 Carbine including; engineers from Winchester, Jonathon Browning and David “Carbine” Williams. Interestingly, Williams, who receives much of the credit for the design, actually designed only the short-stroke gas system used on the Carbine.
3) When did the M1 Carbine first see service?
A: The “United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1” was officially adopted by the U.S. Army in October 1941. The first units were delivered to troops in the field in mid-1942.
4) What round does the M1 Carbine fire?
A: The M1 Carbine fires the .30 Carbine cartridge. This round is much smaller than the .30-06 Springfield cartridge fired by the M1 Garand and has an effective range of about 200 yards. It received many complaints from troops due to its limited range and lack of stopping power.
5) What capacity magazines can I get for my M1 Carbine?
A: The original Carbine used a 15-round, detachable-box magazine. A 30-round magazine was introduced with the M2 Carbine. Some 30-round magazines were cut down to 5 rounds after the war to be legal for hunting in the U.S. Currently the 15- and 30-round GI mags can be found along with numerous aftermarket 5-, 15- and 30-round offerings.
6) What is a M2 Carbine?
A: The M1 Carbine was designed as a semi-automatic only firearm. The M2 is a selective fire version of the M1 Carbine. It could fire in semi-automatic or fully automatic modes.
7) Were there any variants of the M1 Carbine?
A: Aside from the M2 (selective fire model), only two other versions saw service in the U.S. Army. One was the M1A1. Called the “Paratrooper Model”, this version had a folding metal buttstock that made the gun lighter and more compact. The other, the M3, was a M2 with a night vision scope mounted on it.
8) What companies built the M1 Carbine?
A: Wartime Carbines were built by: Inland, Winchester, Underwood, National Postal Meter, Quality Hardware, IBM, Saginaw, Standard Products and Rock-Ola. Post-war commercial Carbines have been produced by Universal, Plainfield, National Ordinance, Iver Johnson, Israel Arms, Howa, Auto-Ordinance and Alpine. Auto-Ordinance still produces new commercial Carbines while others, such as Fulton Armory, assemble Carbines using USGI receivers and a mix of new and used USGI parts.
9) Is there any way to attach accessory rails to my Carbine?
A: Yes. Pro Mag manufactures a rail system that attaches to the barrel ahead of the stock. This allows you to mount a variety of accessories like tactical lights and lasers on your Carbine.
10) Does anyone make a synthetic stock for my M1 Carbine?
A: Yes. Ram-Line and others manufacture synthetic stocks for the M1 Carbine. These should be drop-in and require no or little fitting to install.
11) Can I add a muzzle brake or flash hider to my Carbine?
A: Yes. There is a clamp-on flash hider and a clamp-on muzzle brake available for the Carbine. These are easily installed and fairly inexpensive.
12) My Carbine seems a bit short for me. Is there a way to make the stock longer without permanently altering the gun?
A: Yes. There are a couple of pre-fit, screw-on recoil pads manufactured for the Carbine. These will add up to one inch to the length to the stock.
13) Can I mount a scope to my Carbine?
A: Yes. You can have the receiver drilled and tapped for a base, but this will harm the collector value of a USGI Carbine. There are no gunsmithing mounts available from companies like S&K Manufacturing that will not permanently alter the firearm and harm its value.
I love my m-1 carbine! i got mine from CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) and i just love it. i am inclined to agree that it is slightly underpowered for a rifle, but it is accurate and it is one of the best guns out there besides a .22 to start people out into the world of shooting… especially females. girls just love that gun… all the women in my family love the carbine. my father has one and that is why i got one. (also the fact that he used to work at IBM, which is the model i was lucky enough to get) every woman i have ever taken to the range and let them shoot that rifle just love it! not a hard kicking gun, but still lets them see what shooting is all about. also lay a little bit of the fact that it is a historical weapon on em and they fall in love! always nice to have a gun in your arsenal that does that! All in all a great little rifle! wouldnt sell or trade for anything.
Comment by Brian — April 17, 2010 @ 5:35 am
I believe the M-1 carbine was designed to replace both the .45 side arm and the .06 in short to medium range such as island warfare witch it did very well. It was also designed to be shot from the sling position with the carbine in front.
Comment by tom — April 27, 2010 @ 7:13 pm
My issue weapon 1959 – 62 was an M2 carbine. I even got to fire it once on auto at a Ft. Meade range. Fun!
There is available a scope mount for the carbine that does not require drilling. The rear sight is removed and the base is clamped into that groove. Apologies, I can’t find the box and I don’t remember the manufacturer. I bought it from another online sporting goods store. It’s mounted on my Auto Ordinance M1 carbine.
Comment by Texas Jack — July 29, 2010 @ 11:24 am
I have a 1943 vintage M1 Carbine. Can someone tell me the best ammo to use for plinking and for target shooting. They could be the same manufacturer, price or qualities but I want to make sure that the ammo works for this vintage military rifle. I would prefer to buy on the CTD site
Comment by craig f — November 2, 2010 @ 4:43 pm
To craig f – as far as ammo any of the .30 carbine ammo in brass casings should be fine. I personally like the S&B but the UMC or Remington should be of good quality as well and all are available at CTD under the ammo section
Comment by phildo — November 29, 2010 @ 11:56 pm
My father was an instructor of both the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine, during WWII. Now that I have both rifles in my small collection I feel I have a large piece of history of my very own. But, between the two guns, I just love shooting the M1 Carbine. It is so very easy for my 63 year old eyes to sight on the target and hit what you want. It takes me right back to 1970, when I had to re-qualify on the range before going to Viet Nam. At the time, the range had no M-16s but a stock of M1 Carbines. With this simple weapon, I was able to qualify Marksman. What a thrill it is to take it out and still hit the area of a target you want to. A great part of affordable history is available to anyone with the M1 Carbine. Don’t miss the opportunity to get one if you can.
Comment by George Jasinek — May 20, 2012 @ 6:47 pm
I have several M1 carbines & clones. A WW2 in a replica paratrooper stock, an Iver Johnson with a surplus receiver, a 256 Winchester Ferret & a 5.7 Johnson. After the Korean War, lots of M1s were bought as surplus. Several companies made a good living selling surplus part M1s. Melvin Johnson (Johnson rifle inventor) came up with a M1 firing a 45 grain .224 bullet at about 2900 fps. This was called the 5.7 Johnson or 22 Spitfire. He encouraged the military to convert the existing M1s for all the reasons used for the M16. He was ahead of his time. To reload a 5.7 Johnson, run a 30 Carbine case into the resizing die and load it. No neck reaming required.
When the supply of surplus M1s and surplus parts dried up, companies like Universal made their non-milspec receivers and rifles. Ruger saw the need for a “new” carbine and designed the Mini 14 using the then current military round the 223. By the way, the 5.7 mis a hoot to shoot! The 256 Winchester (357 mag necked down for a 65 grain .256 bullet) is spiffy too, but not nearly as fun as the 5.7 and easier to reload and find brass for.
Comment by Dennis Crabtrey — May 22, 2012 @ 10:09 am
I retired from the Air Force in 1975 after 21 yrs and during those first 10 years the M1 Carbine was the weapon issued to AF personnel, plus the .45 or aircrews were issued S&W .38 specials with 2 inch barrels. I love the carbine. I have fired the M16 when was shipped overseas in 1968 and found it to be right on……easy to handle and fire, etc. But the carbine was outstanding. After retirement I went into law enforcement and was able to purchase an M1 Carbine with a date of manufacture of Oct 42 by Inland Div of GM. All serial #’s matched the metal was new I do not believe it had ever been fired. I have had it for 35 years now and the value has increased 10 times what I payed for it. I also was able to obtain an M1 Garand manufactured by International Harvester. Also in excellent condition, nice a real shooter. But not as much fun as the carbine. A wonderful pair never to be separated while I am living………….
Comment by Bill Fadely — August 12, 2012 @ 11:41 am