Bubba'd M1A1 Carbine - What to do? - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Bubba'd M1A1 Carbine - What to do?

Posted: 11/25/2019 12:37:03 AM EDT

Hey guys, I just picked up what I believe is a matching Inland M1A1, SN 810684. The catch is that sometime in its past someone decided that it needed a shiny nickel finish and tapped and drilled the receiver and modified the stock for a scope mount.

I bought this under the assumption that it was a folding stock retrofit, to plink with and maybe take it back to a parkerized finish and clean up the wood. Now that everything I can verify is checking out as a matching M1A1 I don't know what to do.

I would love some feedback on the following questions:

Does this look like an early matching M1A1 to you?

Is it worth too much to use as a plinker?

If so, should I take it somewhere to get professionally refinished/ cleaned up or leave it as is?

I'd appreciate any thoughts on this. I'm way out of my depth on this one.

(Rear site leaf is missing and front sight wings have been... disappeared)

(Scope mount carnage)

Posted: 11/25/2019 10:03:03 AM EDT

[#1]

Please excuse me while I go vomit and weep.

That truly is a sickening shame because everything looks correct for an M1A1. The lack of bayonet lug, push button safety, "L" shaped rear sight, legit paratrooper stock, correct handguard. The 30 rounder should be a 15, but that's not an issue.

You could try electrolysis to remove the nickel? Nickel plating is a bitch to remove any way you look at it. Then parkerize or Cerakote it. Replacement parts are easy to come by, short of the original A1 stock. As for the D&T holes, you could try plugging them and filing the heads down flush with the receiver before you refinish it. It definitely won't be an easy restoration, but that's what happens when bubba gets his hands on the rarest of them.

If you decide to get rid of it, I'm always looking for a challenge

Posted: 11/25/2019 10:13:14 AM EDT

[#2]

Just my opinion... I’d rock it like it is. It is a great example of a 60’s/70’s Black Panther/Patty Hurst type bank robbing weapon.

You don’t see them like that much any more. The nickel plating looks like it was done well enough.

There was a thread a week or so ago where a guy had plating removed and parkerizing done on a piece. It ate almost all the markings off.

Posted: 11/25/2019 10:18:53 AM EDT

[#3]

To far gone. Getting the nickel off will be a challenge. Drilled and tapped is theoretically repairable but not worth the effort or cost. Even if you did "restore" it, it will still just be an un-bubba'ed creation worth money only as a shooter.

Posted: 11/25/2019 10:34:56 AM EDT

[#4]

That, just makes me sad...…

My 2 bits, if you can afford it I would try sending it to Fulton Armory and see what they can do. Maybe they can get that awful nickle plating off it and repark it. Same with the drill holes, maybe they can fill them.

That stock looks rough. Keep it but I would plan getting another if you plan on shooting the poor thing.

I did this over the summer with a Blue Sky marked Inland and got this

https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Range-Report-New-M-1-Carbine-rebuilt-by-Fulton-Armory/2-501867/

I figured since that was a import marked Carbine better the new barrel and rework, it shoots like a new gun right now. I'm doing the same with 2 other Carbines right now, a 43 Inland with a worn out barrel (gauges at a "3" on the crown, that ain't good) and a made in Japan Howa version with a Inland barrel. It's expensive but I figure gives me shootable Carbines instead of wall hangers

Posted: 11/25/2019 10:43:08 AM EDT

[#5]

The highwood stock has been modified.

The carbine itself is nothing more than a shooter.

Rock it like it is or sell the folder and get a cheap beater stock and then rock it.

Posted: 11/25/2019 2:41:06 PM EDT

[#6]

Sadly that is only suitable for using as a plinker now. It would cost way too much money to restore it to anything resembling original condition and even then it wouldn't be perfect enough to be a real collectible. So by all means, shoot it and have fun with it, because it would be a shame to let it go to waste now.

Posted: 11/25/2019 2:52:10 PM EDT

[#7]

prime candidate for a farm/tractor/beater rifle....but that's about it. There's no easy, or cheap, way to strip the nickle off of there. It'll have to go to a plating shop (good luck finding one, especially one with a FFL) to have it removed.

ETA: that might be chrome actually...

Posted: 11/25/2019 5:15:39 PM EDT

[#8]

That looks hard chromed. It may also have a copper base coat under the chrome. Do not use Hoppes 9 to clean the gun.

Posted: 11/25/2019 8:27:50 PM EDT

[#9]

I bought a chromed/nickel (don’t recall the diff) plated Stevens 520-30 riot gun. I took it to a plating company and had them unplate it for me. I specified that they not buff or polish. It turned out well.

Posted: 11/25/2019 9:03:17 PM EDT

[#10]

Many thanks for the replies! Sounds like I shouldn't feel bad shooting it which I'm happy about. I'm excited to have such a cool piece of history no matter the condition.

You don’t see them like that much any more. The nickel plating looks like it was done well enough.

View Quote

They did do a good job. I feel bad using the term bubba because for all I know it could have been a GI bring back and he liked the look of nickel (chrome?). The sight work is more

.

I did this over the summer with a Blue Sky marked Inland and got this

https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Range-Report-New-M-1-Carbine-rebuilt-by-Fulton-Armory/2-501867/

View Quote

Looks good, might reach out to them. Even if I find a metal plating place I would be hesitant to do anything due to the already light markings.

That looks hard chromed. It may also have a copper base coat under the chrome. Do not use Hoppes 9 to clean the gun.

View Quote

Thanks I did not think of that. I will have to find something to compare it to.

So for now, the plan is to buy some 15 rounders, clean it up very gently, buy a new front and rear sight from Numrich, and take it out to the range. Hopefully there will be a respectable "after" picture I can share when I get done!

Posted: 11/26/2019 12:36:04 AM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
Many thanks for the replies! Sounds like I shouldn't feel bad shooting it which I'm happy about. I'm excited to have such a cool piece of history no matter the condition.

They did do a good job. I feel bad using the term bubba because for all I know it could have been a GI bring back and he liked the look of nickel (chrome?). The sight work is more

.

Looks good, might reach out to them. Even if I find a metal plating place I would be hesitant to do anything due to the already light markings.

Thanks I did not think of that. I will have to find something to compare it to.

So for now, the plan is to buy some 15 rounders, clean it up very gently, buy a new front and rear sight from Numrich, and take it out to the range. Hopefully there will be a respectable "after" picture I can share when I get done!

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:
Many thanks for the replies! Sounds like I shouldn't feel bad shooting it which I'm happy about. I'm excited to have such a cool piece of history no matter the condition.

You don’t see them like that much any more. The nickel plating looks like it was done well enough.

They did do a good job. I feel bad using the term bubba because for all I know it could have been a GI bring back and he liked the look of nickel (chrome?). The sight work is more

.

I did this over the summer with a Blue Sky marked Inland and got this

https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Range-Report-New-M-1-Carbine-rebuilt-by-Fulton-Armory/2-501867/

Looks good, might reach out to them. Even if I find a metal plating place I would be hesitant to do anything due to the already light markings.

That looks hard chromed. It may also have a copper base coat under the chrome. Do not use Hoppes 9 to clean the gun.

Thanks I did not think of that. I will have to find something to compare it to.

So for now, the plan is to buy some 15 rounders, clean it up very gently, buy a new front and rear sight from Numrich, and take it out to the range. Hopefully there will be a respectable "after" picture I can share when I get done!

Good luck. That reminds me of my 1st Browning Hi Power. It was a WWII bringback the owner had nickle plated in the 50's. Ugly as hell but it was a good shooter. Hopefully you Carbine can at least be a decent beater

Posted: 11/27/2019 12:14:42 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:

Does this look like an early matching M1A1 to you?

View Quote

If it has nickel finish and extra holes drilled in it, it isn't matching anymore.

Posted: 11/27/2019 3:56:17 PM EDT

[#13]

Not a recent mod. Probably done when carbines were bargain bin surplus. By the standard of the day, maybe the original finish wasn’t that great. Plating can cover pits that blueing or parkerizing won’t cover. If mechanically sound, have fun shooting it.

Maybe invent some backstory for it so people at the range don’t always pick it apart with their ‘expert’ opinions.

Posted: 11/27/2019 9:29:59 PM EDT

[#14]

I'd add new sights and shoot it as is. Good conversation piece.

Posted: 11/27/2019 9:48:54 PM EDT

[#15]

Research what scope mount was used, get some 15 rounders, throw a red dot on it & enjoy, OP. Carbines are neat - they don't have to be factory correct to be enjoyed.

Posted: 1/9/2020 12:35:33 PM EDT

[#16]

hydrogen embrittlement
look it up

Posted: 1/9/2020 1:02:55 PM EDT

[#17]

Nice truck gun

Posted: 1/10/2020 9:10:55 AM EDT

[#18]

Basically you bought a stock, that should be your main focus. Those stocks were also used in Korea and Vietnam with just any flavor of action in them. Overton was providing M1A1 stocks to the military into the early 60s they even had some cut for M2 carbines and made a new run of butt-plates. They used old stock to assemble them.

I'd just drop another carbine barreled action into the stock......The cut for the scope is a easy fix if you even would have to bother. Pic makes it look worse than it is. What has been done can't easily be undone so I'd just work with what you got.....Just have fun with it.

Take the nickled barreled receiver, replace the front and rear sights with .mil ones, plug the scope holes, and drop it in a repro para-stock (or regular stock) and you are done....And it will be super cool.....I'd own it.

Here is my M1A1 Overton stock, it has the M2 cut-out so any flavor of action rebuilt after WW-2 is fine for it....There's a NPM in it now.

Posted: 2/2/2020 9:22:50 PM EDT

[#19]

I believe there were a lot of these made called Enforcer model. Inland, Iver Johnson and Universal all made them. Some had very short barrels too. I have a former co-worker that had one of the short barreled Universal Enforcers. It was very fun to shoot.

Inland is still making one called the Advisor. Check it out.

Posted: 2/3/2020 8:55:33 AM EDT

[#20]

This thread makes me sad

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Bubba'd M1A1 Carbine - What to do?

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