I'm kicking myself for not getting a M1 carbine from CMP when they still had them in large quantities.  Anyway, I recently inherited 2000 rounds of .30 carbine and I've always wanted one, but that's all I got... the ammo.  I see real M1 carbines are being sold for >$1600, but I'm not THAT interested.  I'm just looking for one that's fun to shoot (read: reliable, decent military accuracy).  Also, does anyone make good aftermarket triggers for the m1 carbine?  I'm guessing whatever trigger comes from the factory won't be all that good.

Don't bother with a commercial copy/reproduction.  The better modern reproductions (James River Armory, Fulton Armory, etc.) aren't under $1000 anyway, and the sub-$1000 commercial copies (Auto-Ordnance, Universal, Iver Johnson, etc.) are often not reliable and tend to use non-standard parts.

You can still find USGI carbines for under $1000.  Keep an eye on the classifieds sections of Milsurp forums like Gunboards, the CMP Forum, and the C&R section of the Arfcom EE.  You should be able to find a decent quality former CMP carbine from one of the more common wartime manufacturers (likely Inland or Winchester) for under $1000, with some patience.  I see them selling for $800-$900 fairly regularly.

Good to hear that I can get a real one sub-$1000.  Thank you.

Go USGI.  You can still find them.  If you don't mind an import mark that can drive the price down a little more.  I watched one (USGI) on gunbrokers recently that went for $750 that included mags and ammo.  Good luck.

Last time I went to the Nation's Gun Show there were probably 50 or 60 carbines priced around $1000 and they weren't selling. Should be easy to get into a nice one for cheaper.

Should have no problem finding USGI carbine for under $1k.  Most go 800-900 today.

Should be easy to find a GI M1 Carbine for under $1000.

Be sure to check the bore, many out on the market are ones from South Korea and are in pretty bad shape. Also be wary of import marked ones, especially Blue Sky. Blue Sky damaged many barrels stamping their import marking, actually stamping hard enough to disrupt the bore diameter.


Don't even bother with aftermarket triggers. The GI trigger is fine.

Good to know about Blue Sky

Good to hear more people saying you can get them sub-$1000.  I saw the $1600+ ones at J&G Sales and thought I really missed the boat.

Those will sit at those prices if they are just plain jane mixmaster M1 carbines.

FWIW I know someone with a Kahr M1 Carbine that runs fantastic and is super accurate.  They sell new for $650-700, I bet you could find a used one for around $500.  That's really not a bad deal, but I don't see them as much of an investment since they make more every day.  Having said that, I paid $900 for my Korean War era refurb that probably hadn't been shot between the refurb and the time I bought, as the park on the bolt was undisturbed whereas after probably 700+ rounds in the last year it's worn to be like a lot of others I've seen.  It also came with 2 USGI 15 round mags, an authentic sling and mag pouch, a USGI 30 round, and 150 or so rounds of new ammo.  

One of the best purchases I ever made, I put a new USGI recoil spring in and replaced the 15 round mag springs and it runs great.  Super cheap and easy to load for too, my load with H110 and Armscor bullets run around $.19/rd.  Supply has pretty much dried up, so what's out there will only go up in value unless you trash it.  Downside is that also means no more cheap surplus ammo and it's a bit pricey to buy new ammo.  At any rate the less expensive ones will be mix master refurbs but that's okay, especially if all you need is a shooter.

I see them locally often still under $1,000 for real USGI carbines . Usually the common makers . But all you want is a shooter . There are also Century imports and I think some other imports besides Blue Sky

OP, would you please post a pix of the headstamp on your surplus ammo?  There was a bunch of LC 52 out there that was Chinese made and of very poor, blow-up-your-gun quality.

This is the fake stuff.

Attached File

About three years ago my local Cabela's had several carbines in their rack over the course of a month or so.  iirc the most expensive was about $850.  

Eventually I found a Winchester for $699 but they had a sale going on that weekend and I walked out after paying $595 plus tax and $7.00 NICS (something CO has been doing for many years.  And CCW does not exempt anyone.)

Decent prices are still out there and sometimes in the most unusual places.

I got 1000 rounds of this... looks like decent plinking ammo.
Attached File




...and 1000 rounds of this... not something I would have bought, and I would feel guilty running it in a real M1 Carbine:
Attached File



...and these two boxes of round nose soft points:
Attached File

It's Berdan primed and corrosive.

I have used both PPU and TULAMMO in my two IBM carbines.  PPU is decent plinking ammo, and the TULAMMO gives me the second most consistent, and tightest, shot grouping of all ammo I have tried.  The best ammo I have used is Seller & Bellouit, the worst is Remington.  Next to my semi-1919 my M1 carbines are my favorite guns to take to the range, good luck with your search.

Good to know.  Thank you.

No Gun Tests readers here I guess. Check your local news stand ( Wal-Mart or Department Store) for the February copy of Gun Tests. They tested 2 Repo M1 Carbines. A copy of a 1945 Inland Manf. that retailed for $1079 and got a grade of A- . A copy of a Auto-Ordnance Paratrooper with a folding wire stock retailed for $941 and was graded A-. Both rifles use all newly manufactured parts that are supposed to be interchangeable with military parts. As far as ammo go's, Tula works fine in my M1 and M2 carbines.

Has anyone tried one of the new "Inland" carbines?

I've got a 1943 Inland made in the first run of a million, but I've been curious about these new ones.

There is a thread in the gD about the new Repos...

Topped it for all.

If you insist on a repro, buy one of the barreled actions from Fulton Armory. They are as good as any beater USGI gun, and finish it up with USGI parts. Still lots of excellent condition USGI parts out there, and carbines are easy to build. Not AR easy, but pretty simple if you have a barreled action from which to start with.