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#Post#: 74--------------------------------------------------
Thr M1 Carbine
DIR By: allmanav
Date: February 18, 2020, 6:18 am
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The “U.S. Carbine, Caliber .30, M1” was the most produced
American infantry arm of World War II. And it's back. Again. As
this is written, my cheek is gleefully stained with linseed oil
(either that or I have jaundice; not so gleeful) from test
firing the M1 Carbine and M1A1 Paratrooper Carbines as made
today by Inland Manufacturing in Dayton, Ohio. The guns look
great and capture the nostalgia and function of the originals
made from 1942 to 1945 (read an earlier review by B. Gil Horman
here and watch a video of it being fired at SHOT Show 2015). But
carbines are much bigger than their use by the “Greatest
Generation” during World War II.
Speaking of carbines, here are some things you may or may not
have known about the gun that started out as the U.S. Army’s
“Light Rifle.”
1. The M1 Carbine as a round is ballistically effective.
Remember, the M1 Carbine was designed to replace the M1911A1 in
the hands of support troops, machine gunners, etc., whoever did
not need a full-size rifle. No one doubts it is better than a
pistol at any but the shortest of ranges, and, unlike Marines at
“Frozen Chosin,” you can use modern defensive ammo. Our troops
back then used 110-gr. ball ammo. At 100 yards, the Hornady
110-gr. FTX delivers 1600 f.p.s. and 626 ft.-lbs. of energy. In
contrast, a 55-gr., .223 Rem. at 100 yards delivers 983
ft.-lbs. of energy. A 158-gr. XTP out of a .357 Mag. at 100
yards at 1073 f.p.s. delivers a mere 404 ft.-lbs. Anyone want to
call .357 Mag. puny?
2. If the Carbine was so bad, why did Audie Murphy use one?
American’s most decorated soldier of World War II, Lt. Audie
Murphy, when he fought off a German combined arms attack pretty
much by himself on Jan. 26, 1945, used a field phone, a .50 M2
Browning and his M1 Carbine. If you ever watch “To Hell and
Back” starring Medal of Honor recipient Murphy as himself, you
can tell he really knew how to handle a carbine.
3. It was the chosen weapon of our enemy.
During the early fighting in the Vietnam War, our main enemy—the
Viet Cong—armed entire units the M1 and M2 Carbines, guns they
took from the French, then from ARVN (Army of the Republic of
Vietnam) and local forces of the South Vietnamese. Guns given to
our allies were used against our troops. The AK-47 become more
common as more and more NVA got into the fight.
4. It was the only gun made specifically for U.S. Airborne
Forces during World War II.
The M1A1 carbine with its pistol grip and folding metal stock
was adopted in May 1942 specifically for use of American
Airborne troops. Inland was the only original maker (others were
later converted in the overhaul system) and produced 140,591
during World War II. It even came with a nifty web belt holster
called a “jump scabbard.” Okay, there is the Reising 55, too,
but that is a story for another day.
5. You can’t get them surplus.
The last big import wave of M1 Carbines came in from blue Sky
and Arlington Ordnance decades ago. In 1963, about 240,000 M1
Carbines were decommissioned and sold (without magazines) to NRA
members for a $20 each ($17.50 plus $2.50 S&H). There is a large
quantity of surplus carbines warehoused in South Korea, but the
current administration prohibits their importation. The good
news is that Auto-Ordnance and the new Inland Mfg. offer new
versions of the original “Light Rifle” in a host of variations
for both collectors and shooters.
6. Winchester—even though it was invented there—wasn’t the
largest producer.
Nope, that honor goes to the Inland Mfg. Division of General
Motors with 2,362,097. Winchester made 828,059, followed by
Underwood Elliott-Fisher at 545,616, Saginaw Steering Gear
517,212, IBM at 346,500, Standard Products at 247,000, Rock-Ola
(yes, the juke box maker), with 228,500, Quality Hardware at
359,666, National Postal Meter at 413,017 and Irwin-Pedersen
made a few thousand but had trouble.
7. It was the U.S. military’s first night-time sniper rifle.
When fitted with an ungainly infrared scope, the T3 Carbine was
used as night-fighting weapon in the closing days of the Pacific
Theatre of Operations during World War II. It’s also the main
plot device in Stephen Hunter’s novel “Black Light.” Darn, I
just ruined the book for you. Read it anyway.
8. The M1 Carbine was used by police, too
In the 1960s, Jim Cirillo, from the NYPD’s Stake Out Squad, and
author of “Tales of the Stakeout Squad,” used a NYPD-issue M1
Carbine with G.I. ball ammo. Cirillo was involved in more than
20 gunfights. Doubt the Carbine’s use for law enforcement? You
should ask one of the NYPD’s top gunfighters.
9. You can shoot the National Matches with one.
During the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, the Civilian
Marksmanship Program conducts the M1 Carbine Match to be
sponsored this year by Inland Mfg., on July 21. You can also
shoot them in some classes of NRA Highpower, but the bullet drop
is pretty severe at long range. That’s why the CMP match is
fired at 100 yards.
10. Carbines aren’t cheap.
The days of the $400 gun show Carbine are over. There are
dedicated collector’s groups (the Carbine Club) and books by
Carbine historian Larry Ruth as well as Field Editor Bruce
Canfield that have upped the collectability of the carbine
greatly. Good research does that. Original carbines, especially
in high condition, are rare, and they are a collecting field
unto themselves Even beat up guns go upward of $700 these days.
How ridiculous are the prices? In 2008, an Inland M1A1
“paratrooper” Carbine with ironclad D-Day provenance sold at
auction for $20,125.
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