I have a relatively new to me M1/M2 conversion.
The gun seems to stovepipe a round once per mag using the 50s  USGI stuff I picked up from Royal Tiger.  This same 50s ammo is seemingly  100% when running semi-auto.  Happens regardless of which mags used. (USGI/Keepshooting/KCI)

When it fails, it seems to fail to fully eject the spent case or it is falling back into the feeding path.  It appears to not eject as strongly as the other ammo like it might be weaker.  Going by subjective feel, noise intensity and ejection pattern.

While I know changing ammo is an obvious fix, just wondering if there are some carbine experts that suspect it could be remedied by some parts swap.
I suppose I will change them and find out - changing the extractor/ejector/springs.  I have a bit of spare parts and the bolt tool.

It has run 240 rounds of 70s vintage USGI ammo 100% and several hundred more of commercial - Korean PMC, some winchester, and some phillipines ammo. mostly on full auto.

I picked up a pile of the 50s stuff kind of suspect being stored in Africa for 50-60 years may have led to not being the freshest food for it to dine on.
It seems like decent ammo - just not as reliable on full auto.



It is a 1964/65 vintage low 5 digit SN, Universal M1 that was converted sometime in 1965 oddly enough.  This is when Universal used a large number of US military configuration parts.

I don't care if its not a museum piece - its a fun gun and generally reliable

I would try changing springs as needed and see what happens. If the gun runs with other ammo full auto then I would say avoid using the 50's goat shed stored USGI. It might have aged enough with poor storage that it doesn't have enough "ommph" to run full auto.

1965 M2 trigger parts were common enough where all you really needed were those and $200 bucks for a tax stamp. I'm surprised they didn't just use those on a USGI carbine, they weren't considered collectors items then.

Thanks - Yeah its an odd duck being Universal.  No complaints from its operation however.  Seems to be a decent gun overall.

I'm not sure what someone was thinking was to choose it versus a real GI gun - perhaps they were fooled into some gun store hype false marketing that a "new" gun was "better" than a used gun??? not sure.  

1965 was a year full of riots and hostilities.  A machine-gun may have made someone feel better equipped?  Maybe someone got it for Patty Hearst's birthday

1965 if I had been a adult and had the dough I would have got some type of M2 myself. My uncle brought back a Rockola USGI M1 Carbine from Korea and put it in a MP40 style stock. I got that when I turned 18 (cough cough ) and kept it until my ex sold it when we split 2003. That was his "riot rifle" in the 60's

Gen 1 Universals are sleepers in Carbine land. I've toyed with getting 1 if I saw it decent price with the USGI trigger group but figure I have enough "shooter" Carbines now.

I did do one of my Fulton Armory Carbines in that MP40 style stock



That thing would kick ass with a M2 trigger pack

I always liked those MP40 style para stocks.

I always lusted after the one for sale by "Paragon" in the 80s for my first 10-22 It was $49.99 back then and was too much

Funny coincidence, I did just get a retractable wire stock and a broken Plainfield "tommy-gun" retractable stock that needs a rear grip, lots of repairs and refinishing.

I want to cut the Universal "M2" conversion to 12.5 like a "Advisor" with a cone Flash Hider.  and would like to have several retro para stocks on it.

My wife says I'm like a little girl getting all excited getting a new outfit for dressing up a doll - That analogy is probably apt - I love playing with my guns and dressing them up.

I got lucky with mine, found it on a estate sale for $150 plus shipping. Anytime I've seen them at gun shows or GB they wanted twice that and they were always beaten up.

I had a Plainfield "para" model on my 1st Plainfield. It was serviceable, but watch the wire in the wood. I've seen that other type before but it and me never "clicked".

I'm not sure about cutting down M2 myself. Recoil will be interesting.

Some 50's marked USGI [LC] ammo is really counterfeit chinese corrosive shit. Have a pic of the case base and boxes? [case marked LC 52, box will have 7.62mm inked on it]

It is NON-corrosive fake LC 52.

If it's berdan primer it's Chinese...boxer is USGI.

I was able to liberate the stuck wire mechanism in the Plainfield.  There are two steel guide tubes that fit within the wide wood channel for the wire stock.

It was full of gunk and some rust.  soaked it in Lacquer thinner. freed it up so its nice and springy.  The wire stock latches with two curved cuts in the wire that catch it in one open position and closed.

The stress it puts in those thin wood channels for the wire stock is enough to cause them to crack open over time.  

The original grip is about 1.25" x 3.0 at base x 4.75" tall.  Need to find a scrap of walnut hobby boards, etc that will work.

The grip attaches crap-ily with two wood screws from the underside of the wire stock groove guts on the rear grip - these work loose grip falls out.  There isn't much real estate to make an improvement.  Have to cross this when I get to it.

I actually used some of that Chi-Com LC52 in the late 80s.  It wasn't corrosive and I even still have some Chinese fake Radway Green 308 in 300 rd tins from the 80s.that is also not corrosive and rumored to be corrosive.  I wouldn't be surprised if Chicoms probably had batches of both corrosive and non corrosive ammo.

This is old boxer USGI that is from Royal Tiger has.  Its still for sale at their website.  Its surplus from Ethiopia when they bought out their M1 carbine rifles not long ago  and one of the few online retail sources of milsurp 30 carbine currently.  It works - just not as well as the other stuff.  Once I get back to the gun (Its in NFA jail) I can swap springs and parts to see if it improves.

I also had some asian LC52 that was non-corrosive. I think I still have a box or two lying around.

Reporting back on this that replacing the bolt parts fixed it's ammo sensitivity woes.  It now runs the USGI/Ethiopian 50s surplus fine.

I replaced all of the following on the bolt (extractor, extractor spring, extractor plunger, ejector+spring) - the old plunger came out in two pieces!  This may have been why it was sensitive - but odd it ran as good as it did.

I got old new USGI parts for the bolt on ebay and got more spares.

Gun runs fantastic.

Thanks for the input.

I was able to re-assemble the bolt in just two attempts!

Good to hear