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Thread: M1 carbine reliability confusion...

  1. #1
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    M1 carbine reliability confusion...

    Are m1 carbines reliable or not> I don't care if the bullet has stopping power or not, I mean does the gun go bang when I pull the trigger?

    I'm confused because I see equal supporters and detractors so I'm left wondering what is really going on?

    How can the M1 carbine be both a famous WWII US weapon and also an unreliable POS even with new current production models?

    What the heck is going on?

    I would like to onw an M1 carbine but I do not want to own an unreliable gun I could not trust my life to if need be. Plus I was thinking my wife might like it, but obviously I won't supply her an unreliable gun.

    TED

  2. #2
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    I have an Inland USGI M1 Carbine made in 1944. It has been 100% reliable for me. I will say, if you reload, you do need to be careful about case length, as the case will stretch upon firing, so you need to trim it before using it again. A case that is too long will not fire. The M1 is case length sensitive. Other than that if you do buy one, replace all the springs, and do a thorough cleaning, and lube.

    I like the M1 Carbine, and I even like the .30 Carbine round. You just need to know its limitation. I find it a good HD carbine, and a lot of fun at the range. I have had good success with Korean, military surplus magazines as well as USGI mags.
    Last edited by Pilot1; 05-03-18 at 06:59.

  3. #3
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    Think of the M1 carbine like a 1911. The military ones worked well. Early commercial ones using military parts worked well. As parts dried up companies started making their own parts and their own tweaks/cutting corners and that's when problems started. Most of these were made in the 70s and 80s. It just depended on what you got. Some people got a good one, some didn't, but typically the less USGI parts they had the worse they were. A batch from 1975 using mostly USGI parts worked well but a few years later quality is slipping due to more use of commercial parts. Quality was consistently dropping
    And I'm sure there are some good quality manufacturers but those rifles aren't cheap

    And just like the 1911 the M1 carbine is mag sensitive. Good milsurp mags work well, new Asian production..... not so much.

    Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
    Last edited by Arik; 05-03-18 at 07:03.

  4. #4
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    Commercial copies of M1 Carbines made by Iver Johnson, Universal, Federal Ordnance and Auto Ordnance to name a few can be problematic. I purchased an Auto Ordnance AOM130 a few years back that had terrible feeding problems. After a lot of work, including barrel replacement, I got the carbine to feed with some commercial ammunition and reloads.

    Unless a U.S. GI M1 Carbine is badly worn, they are usually reliable with a wide variety of commercial and surplus ammunition. A bad magazine catch and/or poorly manufactured magazine can cause problems.
    Last edited by T2C; 05-03-18 at 08:03.
    Train 2 Win

  5. #5
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    I have had two. One U.S.G.I. and one Universal (late model, a year before end of production). Both were 100% reliable. I should have never sold them, but I needed money. Oh well.

  6. #6
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    My cmp Underwood has also been 100 percent reliable and fun with commercial and reloads.

  7. #7
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    My USGI Saginaw SG is somewhat reliable. I'd say ~75%. But it's old and worn out. If I'm still 75% when I'm that old and worn out, I think I'll be doing ok.

    There are a lot of cheap, shitty, carbine mags out there. Honestly, I think that's the major weak link with reliability for these guns.

    USGI rifle with a good mag catch and good USGI mags will be pretty damn close to 100%. You're going to spend a lot of money for that, though, so if you're just looking for a handy HD weapon or range blaster, I'm not really sure it's a wise use of cash.

  8. #8
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    I've owned a few USGI rebuilds over the years. I've found them ammo finicky. My current Rock-ola prefers one manufacturer of ammo over the other. But all the finicky ammo issues has been with aftermarket ammo, not USGI ammo. You'll just have to try a particular rifle with different ammo.

    If you just want a plinker style rifle, you might have better luck with one of the new Ruger 9mm's. And the ammo should be cheaper too.

  9. #9
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    Historically (if y'all will humor somebody that has studied reports/unit histories), the M1 carbine was picky with magazines during WWII. Soldiers found out that wartime magazines wouldn't last and that they needed to be be babied unlike clipped ammo for the rifle.

  10. #10
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    I believe the original intent was M1 Carbine magazines were to be disposable like M1 Garand clips. Once empty, leave it on the ground.

    I have had the best luck with recent reproduction 15 and 30 round magazines manufactured in Korea.
    Train 2 Win

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