M1 Carbine - M1 Hand Stamped?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - M1 Carbine - M1 Hand Stamped?

Posted: 11/2/2018 2:04:51 PM EDT

Has anyone ever encountered an M1 Carbine that has been hand stamped? It is a 1945 M1 and if you read the add and look at the pics it shows that the "1" after the "M" has been done by hand.

1945 M1 Carbine with hand stamped "1"

I can kind of understand something be stamped at a later time by why wouldn't they have stamped it M1 when making the receiver?

Posted: 11/2/2018 2:11:07 PM EDT

[#1]

They are actually rather uncommon and sought after by advanced carbine collectors.

At the time they made these they were making the M2 as well. Once the rifle was complete they'd stamp it with a 1 or a 2 depending on the configuration it was manufactured in.

Posted: 11/2/2018 2:19:33 PM EDT

[#2]

Looks legit to me. Arsenal refurbished at Rock Island Arsenal at some point between 1947 and 1958...

That explains the bayonet lug, which wasn't used in WW2.

Not a bad price and carbines are just great fun.

Posted: 11/2/2018 2:31:20 PM EDT

[#3]

Quote History

Quoted:
Looks legit to me. Arsenal refurbished at Rock Island Arsenal at some point between 1947 and 1958...

That explains the bayonet lug, which wasn't used in WW2.

Not a bad price and carbines are just great fun.

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That rifle was issued with the T3 bayo lug. You can see the proof P on the barrel about an inch after the bayo lug. These are not visible on rifles that had the bayo lug installed in the 1947 rebuild program. The rifle looks un-messed with and as issued.

Posted: 11/2/2018 3:09:36 PM EDT

[#4]

Interesting. So they wouldn't have stamped these to begin with? Or later production ones that they knew a model switch over was coming they just stopped stamping them until built?

Posted: 11/2/2018 3:57:21 PM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
Interesting. So they wouldn't have stamped these to begin with? Or later production ones that they knew a model switch over was coming they just stopped stamping them until built?

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Commonality of receivers between M1 and M2 carbines. They stamped it once it had either become an M1 or an M2 carbine.

M1 was semi-auto. M2 was select-fire. There are only minor differences, and the receiver could be assembled into either.

Posted: 11/2/2018 3:57:37 PM EDT

[#6]

Quote History

Quoted:

That rifle was issued with the T3 bayo lug. You can see the proof P on the barrel about an inch after the bayo lug. These are not visible on rifles that had the bayo lug installed in the 1947 rebuild program. The rifle looks un-messed with and as issued.

View Quote

Good to know! Thanks!

The stock shows Elmer Bjerke's proof stamp, and he was running the Rock Island Arsenal between 1947 and 1958, so it was definitely run through the arsenal during that period. It may have been rebarreled then, or maybe not, it has the 4 groove barrel, but sometimes, they disassembled the things, threw them in buckets, and then reassembled them. Or maybe they did nothing to it at all and just put his stamp on the stock.

Posted: 11/3/2018 2:01:08 AM EDT

[#7]

How rare is it to find an M1 Carbine without a bayonet lug? I guess I always thought they came with one.

Posted: 11/3/2018 8:52:35 AM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
How rare is it to find an M1 Carbine without a bayonet lug? I guess I always thought they came with one.

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The bayonet lug/barrel band was first installed on some M1's in later '44/early '45 time period. Prior to that, the barrel bands did not have a bayonet lug. Following the war, the barrel band with the bayonet lug was a standard update during the arsenal rebuild refurbish program. As we the installation of an adjustable rear sight from the original "L" sight.

Posted: 11/3/2018 11:12:35 AM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:

The bayonet lug/barrel band was first installed on some M1's in later '44/early '45 time period. Prior to that, the barrel bands did not have a bayonet lug. Following the war, the barrel band with the bayonet lug was a standard update during the arsenal rebuild refurbish program. As we the installation of an adjustable rear sight from the original "L" sight.

View Quote

That said, lots of M1 carbines found their way into duffle bags and sea bags coming back from the war. Those ones never went through an arsenal rebuild program.

Mine is one of those.

I have a very late HRA M1 Garand in the safe downstairs that was never issued and eventually found its way into the CMP. It's all original parts.

And that's what it comes down to for rarity. It's rare to find one of these that was actually used at some point that didn't get rebuilt.

Posted: 11/3/2018 2:10:07 PM EDT

[#10]

I found an IBM made Carbine last night that had no bayonet lug and it has the first sights used on carbines. I was betting it was a bring back. It was a low bid of $550 and within the last few hours its nearing 1K now. I think the carbine will be out of my reach as I move forward in collecting. I will keep reading and keep watching and seeing what I find. Until then I will enjoy my collection that I have as of now.

Posted: 11/3/2018 3:55:06 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
I found an IBM made Carbine last night that had no bayonet lug and it has the first sights used on carbines. I was betting it was a bring back. It was a low bid of $550 and within the last few hours its nearing 1K now. I think the carbine will be out of my reach as I move forward in collecting. I will keep reading and keep watching and seeing what I find. Until then I will enjoy my collection that I have as of now.

View Quote

Good thing about carbines is that it is so much easier to find one that's not been rebuilt compared to the Garand.

Posted: 11/3/2018 4:59:17 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
Good thing about carbines is that it is so much easier to find one that's not been rebuilt compared to the Garand.

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
I found an IBM made Carbine last night that had no bayonet lug and it has the first sights used on carbines. I was betting it was a bring back. It was a low bid of $550 and within the last few hours its nearing 1K now. I think the carbine will be out of my reach as I move forward in collecting. I will keep reading and keep watching and seeing what I find. Until then I will enjoy my collection that I have as of now.

Good thing about carbines is that it is so much easier to find one that's not been rebuilt compared to the Garand.

I would like to find one not rebuilt and not insanely priced. When they take off on auction sights they go like wild fire.

Posted: 11/4/2018 8:49:25 PM EDT

[#13]

Never heard of that. The armory must have ground the number off after the M stamp

Posted: 11/5/2018 11:00:22 AM EDT

[#14]

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Quoted:
Never heard of that. The armory must have ground the number off after the M stamp

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There was no number to grind. It wasn't there until it was built and hand stamped.

Posted: 11/5/2018 11:45:40 AM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
That rifle was issued with the T3 bayo lug. You can see the proof P on the barrel about an inch after the bayo lug. These are not visible on rifles that had the bayo lug installed in the 1947 rebuild program. The rifle looks un-messed with and as issued.

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Looks legit to me. Arsenal refurbished at Rock Island Arsenal at some point between 1947 and 1958...

That explains the bayonet lug, which wasn't used in WW2.

Not a bad price and carbines are just great fun.

That rifle was issued with the T3 bayo lug. You can see the proof P on the barrel about an inch after the bayo lug. These are not visible on rifles that had the bayo lug installed in the 1947 rebuild program. The rifle looks un-messed with and as issued.

IMO, that carbine has been corrected. If it went through the rebuild at Rock Island, it was stripped completely down and then rebuilt in accordance with the TM. That would have included upgrading the safety and mag catch.

Posted: 11/21/2018 10:48:28 PM EDT

[#16]

I have a 1945 Inland with a hand-stamped 1 from CMP. They were producing M1 and M2 from the same receivers - they stamped it based on whether it was assembled as semi or auto. Mine was correct when I received it.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - M1 Carbine - M1 Hand Stamped?

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