The IAI is basically giving you a NEVER fired rifle that is in the same shape as others costing $1000 for $500 or less (they used to be $399 but there is a company that has been buying them all and raising prices artificially.)
I had one and it shot 2-2.5inches at 100yds with the iron sights, and it jammed every 5th round, I know it was a simple problem that any gunsmith could fix but my brother needed money and sold it before we could have anyone look at it. (it was his gun) I have the AGI M1 Carbine video and it mentions the problem I was having and relates it to extractor tuning, simple couple of minutes with a file I think.
The IAI's Barrel and chamber are match grade. (I've seen them compared them and believe this to be true, the IAI has a crown and sharp rifleing where the GI has a muzzle end and rough lines).
[b]If you have looked at surplus M1's you will realize that 5 inches at 75yds is an average M1, the carbine was DESIGNED AND BUILT AS A PISTOL REPLACEMENT SO THIS IS NO PROBLEM BY GOV'T STDS.
The rifeling is sometimes barely there, not visible for an inch from the muzzle back, with sometimes even sloppy 2-land rifleing. Barrel quality is Sten Gun esque (I fired a sten equipped with a dot sight and std barrel once and achieved 6inch groups at 100yds from a bench). [/b]
As far as I am concerned I would rather spend 1 trip to the smith getting a 2.5MOA carbine to function 100% than live forever with a 5-7MOA gun.
[b]I have talked to several Veterans of WWII who said the M1Carbine was the ticket for close in jungle fighting, small, light, manuverable, with high capacity, low recoil, and good stopping power. My grandpa was a BAR gunner in the Phillipines and said that the soldiers coveted the M1 Carbines.
There are people out there who would have you believe that the M1 carbine was an underpowered disaster of a weapon (these are deer hunters mostly with no 30carbine experience other than looking at a round and laughing) The round fires with twice the power of a .357 Magnum, and with hollowpoints it will drop deer like a bad habit. (Most of these same people would ooh and aahh over a .357magnum revolver totally oblivious to the fact that the 30carbine they just mocked was TWICE AS POWERFUL.)[/b]
"There were many in infantry unit too, until they were "lost" and replaced by the M1 Rifle."
Do you even believe that? Sounds like those aforementioned Deer Hunter's urban legend. The Army doesn't let anyone "just lose their weapon", (where are you going to find a new one? Steal it from your buddy?) from what I know about Infantrymen, most of them aren't dying to pick up a weapon that is twice as heavy as what they put down. (I can tell you one thing, 2 months ago I gave up my 11lb issue A2/203 and picked up my new 9lb M4/M203 and I WAS HAPPY AS A CLAM, (notice I am not too concerned about the 14.5's terminal balistics [esspecially knowing that many veterans killed plenty of gooks in Vietnam with XM-177's with 11.5inch barrels.]) Lower weapon weight and morale will improve, I can't wait for the next EIB road march(with no more 11lb bitch cutting into my neck for 3 hours).