-alNRDI\ ___SPUBLICATIONS la Copyright 1961, 1985, 1990, 1992 [National Rifle Association of America 11250 Waples Mill Road Fairfax, Virginia 22030-9400 ‘Third Edition ‘Ninth Printing, September 2004 ‘The Cover: Accouterments courtesy of Todd Lewis Design by Michael R. Bloom Photograph by Carl B, Neustrand CAUTION: The material contained herein is reprinted from past issues of the AMERI- CAN RIFLEMAN magazine, a copyrighted publication of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). Therefore, while technically sound and historically relevant, it may have been updated by research more recent than the original date of publication, All technical data in this publication, especially for handloading, reflect the limited experience of individuals using specific tools, products, equipment and components under specific conditions and circumstances not necessarily reported in this publication, and over which the NRA has no control. The data have not otherwise been tested or verified by the NRA. The NRA, its agents, officers and employees accept no responsibility for the results obtained by persons using such data and disclaim all abitty for any consequential injuries or damages.THE NEW M-1 LIGHT CARBINE ADOPTION OF THE WINCHESTER LIGHT CARBINE by the Army has already been announced Throuth the newspapers, but very little detail on the gun itself has beew forthcoming. This is'no apology for Jor some observant foreign interet Fimer pledge every editor Do intnces new name for anew werpon,“U: 8, Cabin, caliber 30, Mele” es a story of strate interest to every gun-lover in these turbulent, story of the lessons to be learned from two years of war fon the Continent, and of the ability of United States in- ventiveness to go the Europeans one better long have taken stock of so-called ‘machine-pistols” with which European nations have armed their shock troops: Finland's Suomi, Nazi G rmany’s Schmeisser, her Neuhausen and Solothurn, and Rossia’s neat litele tommy gun, All of these posses cer tain characteristics in common. Short and easily handled, they largely replace the pistol in the countries of their adoption. Light, accurate, fas firing, they give to groups nominally armed wich handguns an offensive value which they never could have with pistols alone. Ammunition is of handgun type, which means tremendously reduced weight sutomatic type; some may be fired cither semi- or full automatic. More important, the European belligerent’s tommy gun is ideally suited to the job of the non-rfle-carrying soldier Army men All are of semi in today’s fast moving, hit-and-run warfare the soldier whose job demands a personal weapon lighter than the rifle, more ac- curate than the short-ranged, offen sively useless pistol. U.S. Army's to the challenge re~ solved itself into a reply which will go far vo ward making our soldier the best armed in the world—"U. 5, Carbine, caliber 30, M-1.” Not intended as a replacement for the but rather as This is the new 30 caliber carbine, ‘which will replace about 80 per cent of the ‘Auto pistols now in ser ‘We sladly abide by the desire of the War Department, ond in these cseporation to achieve those exds to which every Americen is now being directed. the sore of job neither the rile oF pistol can do cffectively, the new carbine gives a great first impression. Trim and neat, it looks like business over every one of ies stubby 36 inches, should make a tremendous hit with the 80 per cent of pistol armed fighters whose 45's will be replaced in its favor. No sissy, the new packs a rounds staggered in its long box carbine wallop—15 magazine, speeds its 110-grain jacketed bul lec at a mean velocity of 1,900-feet a second, Like that of our Mc fle, che new cartridge is a .30 caliber affair. ‘The resemblance ends there. Generally it follows the design of the 45 pistol ear- tridge; the case is long and straight, without bottleneck, and positions on the mouth of the case, as does the .45. Developed in collaboration with the engineers of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, the new cartridge is loaded with 0-geain jacketed bullet, pushed ahead of 14.5- sruins of duPont military powder. ‘The primer is a standard, commercially available, non-cor- Pressure isin the the rosive, non-mercuric type. neighborhood of 40,000 pounds « square inch. When the initial test board convened on May Ist, anxious sponsors brought to Ordnance ‘men a hatful of pilot models, of which six were selected for test on the sandy Aberdeen firing ranges— arms of a type entirely new to the U. S. military picture. By no means tied down with Ordnance-imposed restric tions as to what the new arm should be, samples ran the gamut of basic self-loading mechanisms. The Savage and ‘Auto-Ordnance were short recoils the H. & R. and Wood- hl, blow-backs; Hyde's and the Springfield gas-operated, Te was evident enough that Army's ordnance men were troubled with no prejudice in favor of one basic system or another, wanted only a gun that would do their job. By the end of initial tests, Ordnance was able to decide ‘on three models for final consideration: che Hyde, Spring- field and H. & R. In addition, two Tate comers, Tuner and Winchester, would be put through their paces, In outward appearance the five arms remaining are Harrington & Richardson's, an adapea- tion of their sub-machine gun, is a design of Eugene C. Reising, one of America’s top-flight small-arms designers. 1 much the same,Other entries the Army's tests were (top to. bottom) the ‘Turner, Springfield, Hyde and Harrington and Richardson arms y has a 15-inch The arm submitted by veteran George Hyde, nearly 2 half-pound lighter, is gas-operated, draws its gas fom a port about SYe-inches from the muzzle, is shorter than the H. & R. by five inches. inchester's entry works on a recent and proven prin ciple of taking gas off close to the chamber, before cooling can take place, thus preventing carbonization of the piston and gas port, Seven and a half inches shorter and four and 2 half pounds lighter than che Army's Garand, Win- chester’s carbine weighs 4.63 pounds. The Springfield has already been described in Te AnteRicaN RI'LEMAN; no information on the Turner was available at the time of writing Weighing 5.8-pounds, ic is 38 inches lo barrel, operates on a delayed blow-back system. sustained firing, exposure to weather, ‘Tests for accuracy burial in gritty dust bring owe merits and faults a8 re Tentlesy as would months of hard field use. Through these final tests one weapon stood out increasingly, stand- ing more abuse, holding up longer under sustained firing, breaking fewer parts. By the time the test personnel had handled all of the weapons, witnessed all of the gruelling tests they were required to undergo, members of the group were unanimous ia their opinion. ‘The Winchester was vored best suited to military service Adoption of the new carbine will mean much to our Army. Offensive fire power, meaning in the final analysis potential aimed shots per minute, will be increased by nearly 33 per cent. Actually the increase of fire power will be greater even than that 33 per cent would indicate, Previously men in rear echelons depended upon riflemen for protection. Armed with the carbine, these men be- come an offensive threat themselves, relieve supporting riflemen for other tasks. It is a far ery from the carbine of Grandfather's day, obsoleted 35 years ago, to the semi-automatic “U. 8. Car- bine, caliber .30, M-1.”" The return of open, shifting war- fare, the development of highly mobile fighting units and employment of parachutists and air-borne troops as shock forces have made the position of troops behind combat zones extremely vulnerable. Far from being safe behind four modern doughboy may find himself face to face with armed, determined enemy the lines fighters at any time, and anywhere in a zone of opera- tions. With the new carbine, his chances of protect- ing himself and the success of his mission are increased tenfold.Who Designed The M1 Carbine? By E. H. HARRISON Senior Technical Advisor THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN has taken more than 30 years for the ‘complete story of the creation of the MI carbine to come 10 light, but at last thas, For the frst time, rue account of the able firearms experts who carried out this Successful development in haste under war time pressure can be given The historical fact-finding resulted from publication of the tile. by Technical Euitor M_D. Waite, “All The Way With The MI Carbine.” (The American Rife nan, Sept-—-Nov. 1974), giving. the re rmarkable history of the development and huge production of the U.S. cal. 30 car "That article merely mentioned (p. 42, Sept. 1974) the action of Winchester in developing the carbine which won an o ‘al competition and sas then prodiced in wast quantities. The Tate Edwin Pugsley the Winchester Repeating Arms Company ‘ise president who submitted this design {0 the government, and David M. Williams, ‘sho invented. the well-known gas. tappet ‘operating mechanism on the barrel, both were mentioned. Subsequently, The Amer can Rifleman received 4 letter stating that another Winchester employee, of the same Siename as the letter writer. “invented the Carbine. and. should. be credited with its Sesien The American Rifleman thereupon con: tacied Edwin Pugsley, then retired, who supervised the MI" carbine program throughout, He stated as follows: The carbine was invented by 0 single ‘man, but was a combination of ‘parts of fzuns already produced by Winchester, and the work of several of our best’ me- chanics of which Mr "father was fone.” He then revounted the carbines hi tiny from the beginning, describing its in Seption and then detailing the work of those who took part by mame and by the contribution of each, The account contains allusions which he new would be familiar to The American Rifleman sia to whom i was addressed Where these may not be rewily nde sfandable to the reader, brief explanations tne inserted in brackets Following is Pugsley’s account in his ‘own words, assembled from three letters in which he gave this. history. 10 The “American Rifeman. 1 hud charge of the Washington con taets for the Company prior to and during Work! War Hl, and begun spending con siderable time’ in’ Washington, Prior 10 World War IL it sas quite evident that war clouds were forming rapidly, and. at meeting of some of the Winchester exect! tives with Mr. Toba Olin present, T told the troup that I thought we should be actively Working on a military rifle and not get aught without one as we fad been in Word War [At that time we had 0 new rmdel guns ready for production. One sas 2 bolt-action sporting rifle easily converted to a miltary atm. Tt was in fact later browght out fist as the M/S4, and later Fefined into the M70, Winchester hid hid ho experience with heavy caliber bull ac tions other than the 303 Enfield. ay all of fur guns were lever action-—most of them Unable to handle as heavy’ a round as the 30206 although we did furnish a few of ‘our Model 95° for this caliber. The other choice was a new type of auloloading shot The shotgun won out, and we were told to proceed with the. development. How ‘er, die {0 my continued imistence on 3 military bolt aetion, Mr. Olin softened a bit dnd sai, “Al right, go ahead. but don't Spend any money." replied that this as Tike the old lady telling her daughter who ‘wanted to g0 swimming that she could, but saying, “Yes my darling daughter. leave your clothes on a. hickory Timb but don't zo near the water? However. T went ahead to see what we could do. “Ed Browning [Honathan Fdmund Bros: ingl half brother of Ton and. Mat. had Disclosure of details of the MI carbine "development came as technical “last testament” from Fd win" Pugsley. an allime figure in firearms development. He died Nov 19. 1975, at 90, after a long career withthe Winchester Repeating Arms Co, At his retirement in 1950, he headed the research department of Olin Industries, Winchester at that time bought his personal arms colle tion, assembled. during half a. cen tury, to round out the outstanding company collection begun in. 1866 by Oliver F. Winchester, First mock-up version of Winchester cal. rifle with single-column six-shot magazine. 30 gas-operated developed an sutoloading military rife and hhad. submitted it to Washington, T went down to see it and to hear what results 1 could of the governments test. It was ob- ious that the gun was not right but ie had a few interesting features that I thought might be developed. T bought the model find hired Ed Browning to come to Wi: chester and continue working on it. [While fengaged in this work Browning died follow ing an. appendectomy in New Haven on May 16. 1939, at ape 80.) ‘about the same time I met Marshall Williams and after a long and. arduous negotiation hired him too. When he came fo: New Haven, the fist job [assigned to him was to see what could be done with the Browning Automatic [lett unfinished by the death of Brovening) In a short time he brought me the revamped gun, eal. 30°06. In the rearward travel of the bolt it dis appeared into the pistol grip. and the over All Tength of the fille was’ shorter by the length of ene 30-06 round. Willis had incorporated his shortsiroke piston in the new gun, which worked very well. Due t0 its shortness it was a nice gun 10 handle [immediately got in touch sith Col. St ler who came up fiom Washington the next morning. and we spent the morning shooting the new 30-06 gun.” Major (later Colonel) Rene R, Studler was Chairman of the Ordnance Subcom: mittee charged with providing for test of Tight rifles, the original name for the arm eventually adopted as the carbine. See the frtcle "AIL The Way With The M1 Car- bine” mentioned earlier] “siudler got me 10 one side and told me confidentially that none of the light Files which had been submitted was sats: factory and that Winchester just had to put in-a model for the next test. Due (0 our evelopment work onthe. transformed Browning. and the work on the Garand, we had paid no attention 10 the govern: tment bid for a Tight rifle At Studler's in- SitenceT agreed: that Winchester would have a gun im the next test as T saw from the work on the transformed. Browning that we could get the weight down to the required § Ibs particulary using the small carbine cartridge. We had already de Neloped the carbine cartridge and had re ceived an order which we were currently ‘making “As soon as Studlr left, {called together the group T wanted 10 put on the new light fife: In the group were Bill Roemer, mychief draftsman, Marsh Williams, Humis: ton, Clarkson, Warner, head of the Expeti- mental Shop, etc. I'showed them the 30 ‘06 gun on whieh we had been working, and, since we had used Williams” short Stroke piso, I put him in charge of the troup. I told them that the sky. was the Timit as far as speed was concerned. No single man was responsible for the inven: tion of the carbine, but basically it had several fentures of the .30-06 Winchester fun produced by a group of our best sechanics, T had to go to Washington and was sone three days, expecting 10 find a Tot of ‘work done on my feturn. 1 was disgusted to find that due to Willams being unable to pull the design out of his head fas ‘enough 10 keep the mechanics busy. noth ng had been” accomplished. replaced Williams with Roemer, putting him in charge of the group. That group, 2s you Know, tore the cover off the ball and in five days we had a sample of the new small rile destined to bevome the .30 Cal. Car bine. “L called Studler up from Washington, and he came the next morning. ‘We shot the gun sll the morning. and Stadler said he would take it back to Washington with him, but I refused to let him have it be cause of the fact that some of the puts had. been soldered and. some were’ not properly hardened due to the rush in which the sample un had been made, However Told him that T would bring the gun down to Washington for a demonstration whenever he wanted it He called me that evening and wanted ime in Washington the next morning by 10 Slock. T went before a group consisting ‘of some 20:30 high level brass an demon strated. the gun. Gen. Courtney Hodges Uthe Chief of Infantry] was chairman of the meeting and, while T had never met him before, I knew him by. reputation as an excellent shot and member of the Tn lermational Rifle Team, When he hefted the rile his remark was, ‘This feels like a File" Someone remarked that the gun still to Winchester and belonged wouldnt work, Gen, Hodges quietly re plied that if Winchester had sent t down maybe it probably would work—one of the finest compliments lever heard “Immediately after the meeting 1 as sembled the men whom T wanted {0 put on the job, which included Bill Roemer, Fred Humiston, Clif Warner, head of the Bx: petimental Shop, and one or iwo others Among our most expert and fastest_me nics, These men were supposed to make second model to be. submited 10. the sovernment test, They were to follow the Sesign of the forerunner. Bill Roemer im: mediately started making sketches of the paris. However. a few of the simpler pats twere made without sketches by men like Humiston who were able to visualize the part needed, “When we made the second model we riled a yery small gas port, as T remem. ber 080", andthe gun would not go through a 'magazine-fll without a failure We had worked all the previous night, and the last train for Aberdeen lft at midnight Sonday. ‘Studler called up from Washing tom to ask how the gun Was going. and I told him I didn’t know. He wanted t0 be sre that we were going to have a gun in the test and sid that we would not less it worked better than it was working at the moment. “Three of us went out w a diner for a sndwich on Saturlay noon, and we were & pretty discouraged bunch, T finally” de- Sided that the gun was not getting eas fenough, and discussed it with the other two, Tthen decided that we would take a chance and enlarge the port. T knew th IFT had guessed wrong the gun would be ‘out of the fest, but it was not fit {0.0 in as it was. We all agreed that it was & Feasonable chance, ad we retired (0. the big’ Machine Shop on the first oor. The Experimental Shop with sensitive dell press was on the Mth oor, and there were ho elevators running. Williams thousht he nds under only to ‘could hold the barrel in his the ig drill press and tried it cal Final trial version of Winchester cal. operated rifle 30 gas- break the drill off short in the hole. Con: sternation set in but Twas not too worried fas T'was sure we could shoot it out, which we did, With the larger gs port the gun ran 300 rounds without stutter, and I {old the erew that we would catch the mid night for Aberdeen The next question was who should take it down, ‘There were several. possibilities. Normally 1 would have sent it down with Williams because of his greater experience in government testing. However. by this time he had ost interest in the gun and was busy making a new model, 1 finaly chose Humiston because of his familiarity with the gun and his outstanding capabil ties as a mechanic. It was his first assign: sent of this type. He ook the gun to the test, and it performed so. mach better than any of ils Competitors that it got well ahead of the feld, Then one evening about five olock he called. meat my shore house saying they had broken the operating ug olf the boll, T told him to come. back to New Haven that night and be in the factory 5 early as possible the next morning. 1 knew that we had two or three dys" lead over the field, and there was possibility that Wwe could get a bolt back into the gun be- fore it would’ be called on to be tested again, ‘The government refused 10 let us take either the gun or the broken bolt Tmmediately after Humiston's call f got Jn touch with Bill Roemer and Clit Warner and toll Warner to bring into the factory immediately any help that he needed 10 rough out new Bolt. We all met at the Experimental Shop at about sic that night and. started roughing out the new bol Roemer had 3 fev sketches but nota com: plete drawing: however, we rough-turned the outside, drilled the firing pin hole and id Whatever rough operation we could, leaving the plant well after midnight. The next morning Fred Humiston came. back from the test [at Aberdeen Proving Ground} ‘and. fnished the semi-machined holt by that night, relying on ‘memory Wherever details were missing. He took the 30 MI carbine of early manufacture had a 15-ound detachable box magazine and L-type rear sight, but lacked bayonet attachmentbolt back 10 the test, and miraculously i fi ted and finished the test. The gun was the unanimous choice of the entire Committee without a single dissenting vote, Contractors were called in immediately to get i into pro- duction, “Due to the fact that t was a new type of ‘gun, many of our former Winchester patents ‘could be reissued, hich was done, and sev- feral men took out patents on various parts, myself among them, The .30-'06 revised Browning model, which might be called the ‘grand-uncle of the carbine, is still in the ‘company museum, “The adoption of the different mecha nisms comprising the carbine, whether cov- ‘ered by patents oF patent applications or mechanisms generally known 10 the trad, was determined in conference by the team tunder my supervision. As examples, I might ‘mention using the guard and its components complete from the old Winchester M/190S including the interrupted trigger, the housing of the return spring copied directly from the Bang gun, the short-stroke piston belonging to Williams but later” acquired by Winchester, the takedown device taken directly from one of my double-barel per- ‘eussion shotguns, and the cutting away of both sides of the receiver wall from the Garand, thereby greatly simplifying the jection, “IL was very important that Bill Roemer found that the Winchester Model 1905 trig ger guard complete with interrupted trigger ‘mechanism could be fited with very litte a teration to the carbine. This saved making a special trigger guard and inventing a new sn terrupted tigger device. The interrupted trig ger was necessary to get only one shot each {ume you pulled the trigger. Without it you could not release your finger on the trigger {quick enough to prevent a small burst of two fr three shots. The Model 1905 mechanism ‘was all completely tested out and had been ‘nthe market for some time. This saved us at least a week in producing the fist carbine in something lke five days, “Ici interesting to note that in the pro- duction of the carbine fewer changes were made from the original Winchester design than in any other military rifle we produced Changes in the Garand. were continually being made during its production, but this ‘was not the case with the arbine.” ‘This story in detail of Winchester’s ac ceptance of the carbine challenge and devel- ‘opment ofthe successful carbine inthe Win- chester plant, fils out M.D. Waite’s “All ‘The Way With The MI Carbine” (see Amer ican Rifleman, September and November, 1974), giving the history of the whole ear= bine "competition and the successful carbine’s large-scale production and use. [tis imeresting 10 see how closely these histories Fittogether Pugsley's account is facinating in itself, ‘made as i is from the standpoint ofthe Win- chester engineers and mechanics who carried ‘out the development, and recounted by the ‘company office who directed their work and was one of them. .30 M1 Carbine Designed by Winchester and standardized for use by the USS. Armed Forces in 194, the .30 Carbine and the cartridge designed for it have seen much use, both military and sport- ing, in the intervening decades. ‘The MI Carbine was originally intended to replace the 45 cal. pistol in the hands of those troops whose duties pre- cluded the issue of a full size infantry rifle, but who ‘could effectively carry a shoulder-fired weapon. Though the MI Carbine always suffered from comparison with the power and effectiveness of the MI Rifle it was, nonetheless, a useful military arm; one that served its intended purpose, and served it well. Some six million carbines were made between 1941 and 1945, and they remained in service use until long after most of their contemporary military small arms had been eclipsed. ‘Among civilian shooters, the Carbine’s ight weight, hand- iness, good balance, and lack of unpleasant recoil have given it considerable appeal. It is a fun little rifle to own and to shoot. Sad to say, the carbine is not adequate for use as a deer-hunting rifle. With only about 900 ft. Ibs. of energy, at the muzzle, the carbine cartridge cannot be depended upon to produce a quick, humane kill on game the size of a white tail deer, It is a popular round, however, among small game or varmint hunters and those who enjoy informal target shooting with autoloading arms. Military specifications for 30 Carbine ammunition require ‘a maximum pressure corresponding to 40,000 c.u.p., which is also the normal working pressure for sporting loads, Max. Case Length: 1.290" Trim-to Length: 1.285" ‘Max, Overall Length: 1,680" Primer Size: Small Rifle Bullet Diam:,.204 LOADS FOR THE .90 M1 CARBINE [tose mag tes aco eno ‘| wnaThe M1 Carbine HE U.S. Carbine, Cal. .30, MI, ‘commonly known as the MI carbine, is @ gas-operated semi-automatic shoul: der weapon with detachable box-maga- zine. Developed by Winchester, it was adopted by the U.S. Service in October 1941, and saw extensive use in both World War II and the Korean War. It was used by many personnel (officers, ‘non-commissioned officers, administ tive personnel, and service troops), and was produced for the Government in incredibly large numbers To meet requirements of airborne troops, a modification of the MI Carbine designated MIAI was standardized in May 1942. The MIAI Carbine has a folding metal stock, but its barrel and action assembly is identical to that of the MI version, The M2 and M3 Carbines, standard- ized in September 1944 and August 1945 respectively, were fitted with a selector switch permitting either semi- or full- automatic fire. They were regularly is- sued with a 30-round capacity box mag- azine interchangeable with the 15-round ‘magazine. The M2. and M3 Carbines, being capable of full-automati fire, are classified as “*machine guns” under the National Firearms Act. Under the Act, $200 fee must be paid to the Federal Government before one can legally own, sell, or otherwise transfer a weapon 0 classified During the World War II period there \were many modifications and improve- ments made to parts and accessories for the various models. These included bay- fonet attachments, grenade launchers, sights, and design changes in parts in- cluding the safety, barrel, hammer, and bolt, Prime contractors for production of U.S, cal. .30 carbines were: Winchester Repeating Arms Co.; Inland Div. Gen- eral Motors Corp.; Rock-Ola Corp. ; Na- tional Postal Meter Co.; International Business Machines Corp.; Underwood Elliot Fisher Co.; Saginaw Steering Gear Div., General Motors Corp.; Standard Products Corp.; Quality Hard- ware & Machine Corp. ‘The carbine proved extremely popular with most troops, and many civilian gun enthusiasts have since become intrigued with it. There are several reasons for this popularity, principal ones being that The caine i as-operaed, and has a shor-stoke pinion. As soon a lle a) is forward of gas orb) in barrel, gs from the Buriog powder expand trough gas port ino gs clint sod thrusts the piston (e) rearward. The piston sires the operating slide (@y staring tito motion, and Ae piston i stopped ater about 3/16" ave by the piston nt. As the operating hide sats othe ear, ‘he operating slide spring (e) begins tobe compressed. The operating side moves about 5/16" before it cam contacts operating lg of ble. This allows operating side to gain speed wo overcome neta of the locked tot, and also gives ime fr bullet 1 clear muzzle, allowing prewar in bare tobe reduced to outside pressure before bolt Bepins to unlock As operating slide continues othe reat, it compeesca the operating slide spring and cans the bolt counterclockwise to unlocked poston Extacton and ‘ection of fred cartridge ease, withdrawal of firing pinto safe poston inside bol, and cocking of ‘hammer occur as bolt moves rearward. When operating side and hot move forward pushed By the ‘omprese operating slide spring, the bolt sips top ron from magazine and shoves it iat chamber. ‘When bot reaches forward positon, cam in operating slide rotates bot clckwie so that locking legs ‘on citer side of bolt head engage locking shoulders in receiver. The Ml carbine i of semiautomatic type (eigger must be squeezed and then released foreach shot) 6 the carbine is light, handy, possesses a sporting rifle balance and’ appearance, and develops little recoil Service ammunition manufactured for use in U. 8. Cal. .30 Carbines included a grenade-launching cartridge, tracer ccatridges, and a ball cartridge with full- jacketed, ‘semi-round-nosed, flat-based bullet with nominal weight of either 108 ars. or 111 grs. depending on presence fr absence of hollow cup in the base ‘The 108-gr. cup-based bullet was man- ufactured prior to Feb, 14, 1942. Av erage chamber pressure of the ball car~ tridge is 40,000 pounds per square inch with nominal muzzle velocity of 1970 feet per second. Corresponding muzzle energy with 108-gr. bullet is 930 foot- pounds, and with 111-gr. bullet is 956 foot-pounds. Following is the performance of the Cal. .30 Carbine Ball Cartridge MI, based on the official firing table: Range (yds.) 0 100 200 300 Velocity (Eps) 1974 1580 1265 1062 Energy (ft-lbs) 961 61S 394278 Trajectory height (in) — 14 7.0 20.5 In handling the carbine, the user must ‘To load magazine, press cartidge down with hum un caught under magazine lips. Re peat this procedure uni magazine i fal, Unload ‘magazine by pushing turds forward and out one ft time. The 1S-round magazine is normaly {sein the Ml earine, tthe 0-oud magarine forthe M2 and MB wil also work inthe MI Safety (a of carbine is engaged when rtated So that safety lever points down as shown, “Toload, engage safety, and inert loaded magazine (©) into magarine opening, making su magacine Snaps into place. With forefinger of right hand hooked over operating slide hale) pull op ating slide tthe rear and release i ciosing thebot Striking ear of operating slide handle with hel of hand eps to cloeand lock bot. To make pece ready fr fing, rotate safety to disengaged Position (safety lever to rear) To unload, engage Safety. depress magazine catch (@) and remove ‘magazine, pll operating slide othe ear and lock iti this postion by depesing operating slide Stop () So that engages detent it the receiver. Inspec chamber make sure eatbine is unloaded, and wnload magizine. To operate as a single leader, pall operating side wo rea and lookin hs position by depressing operating sie sop. Place {round in he chamber, seating it with thumb. Pall operating side sgh o rear andreas it When operating slide i locked in rear potion, ‘vod iting but of carbine om ground or jarring by otber means this is able o release opeating sike, and if cartridge isin chamber of loaded ‘magazine isin carbine, the carne ill be ina ‘estenty made ready to fe. Rea sight i adjust able for elevation by sliding pesure (Fon is ramp. Aperture is adjustable for 100, 200, 250, and 300" ys. Windage Is adjusted by turning windage Knob (). One click of windage moves Stik of bullet on target approximately foreach Woy of range, The ser sight base bas gradu tions for windage aa G Fist step in disassembly isto fully react, tot to enc cabin, check to make sure that chamber and magarine ae wnoaded, and allow bol to clove, ‘Then grasp magazine with right hand, depress magavine catch with right thumb, snd remove magarne Lift handguard off barrel and, bile holding Stock at pistol grip, raise barel about 13 unt oceive i leased from rec plate (a0), Then separate brrel and reciver from the sock Feldatripped carbine includes bolt group (a), handguard (b), bare and receiver. group (2 ‘operating side (€), operating sie spring (ely operating slide spring guide (), tock assembly it ling and oie housing prop (h)trgger housing retaining pin ) and magazine () Feld sinpping i all ha s ordinal reqied for cleaning and lubrication, but detailed disassembly is sometimes necessary to make repairs or ajsinens or for removal of preservative grease, Reps fe adjustments, pariculrty those wich affect the trigger pull quite the services of a gunsmith “Trigger pall mist not be less than 4 bs. for safe operation Unsmap and remove sling from front sting swivel: For fel striping it is at necessary to remove sling fom the oler, which serves 8 fear sling swivel. However, if complete removal Js desired, remove lower loop frm adjusting brckle, and witha fre end of sling fom around ler. Then remove oiler 10. Pr operating sie spring guide sighy torear umf dvengnged from operating slide, and then pall to right and forward and vith guide and sping from well i eceiver. Tn some receivers where operating side spring factions ina housing in ngh sie of receive, retract guide and spring, swing the housing out find down away fom receiver, and. withdraw Using a screwirverorearridge re, loosen front and sre abou 1/107, use screwdriver to depress front band locking sping (ao) and Slide fron band forward. If from band sticks, place rea of bayonet lg over edge ofa table, ‘lps locking spring, pl downward on cabie, fn hand wil ie forward Remove tigger tong reining pn iu pin sticks, use operating spring guide as a punch) Sie gpr Muong pup ora1 forward face of operating slide stop (a) is on wih a ase of a pening tp tes Te pars gle Ig) epraig SEC ha yp anon ml ide ge Wile Hing ner, all ger and 15 cease hammer forward. Insert operating-stide sing pei eof fama spring pgs In png a ing it ose hae sow ang espn, ncn har inne ad pee 18 azine catch, insert operating-slide spring fies sn, cogs tl fa shi mapa came pane nd pal tmpebe cach nic Png moecly td my » Move operting slide lightly forvand to align lft guide hg on heavy forward part of operating slide opposte relief cut (artow) in retaining guideway on bare. Thenotte operating fie counterclockwise to fee guide lus from Feainng guideway. and remove operating slide from barrel 16 Then press on top of sear with thumb as shown tn a tig pin Heme Su od Tol ear brns a ed of opting {hd pa uct snap ltd 14. Grasp operating lug of bolt and draw bolt to ear ut is foe is jut hack of receiver locking shoulders, Rotate bolt counterclockwise to disengage st from left guideway in receiver Then rotate ol clokssis, and itp and ie to remove fom receiver. This i the lest sep in Bol siping 1.7 Rotate upper rear of tigger upward and forward, aod remove tigger throogh op of trigger housing. In doing this, the tigger spring fs unseated ffom bole in lower rear of tiger housing. To replace trigger and spring, position spring so tha lop end rests in lt in upper rear lof tigger. Prong of spring point upward and bear ‘pon upper edge of hoe fiphtfoeinger over tp of tiger and spring 10 bold them in position, press down and to feat as shown, When colls of sping ae seated in hole in trigzerhousing, pall bic on ngerpiee of i Do not pll back on tigger until cols oft spring ae sated or the spring wil By out cc € b <= s d Cer Wer Tiger gop dene. Pans 19 _are hammer spring (a), hammer spring page, hr) tame Saree (oo. tages fn tigger ting 0), mapne cache plete esc eige sying Fe say magnet per any ns mie cach).always bear in mind that it is automat- ically cocked and loaded after firing each shot, and special care must be taken that safe’ handling practices are diligently followed. Before the carbine is used with live ammunition, the user must fully und stand the weapon's functioning, and Tis Hes ome tlt dsasembly tol 1 20 dismount bolt assembly. However, this tool isvay catch and kita sey tassel tla town, Ho ba so ta Solo a xincor sped gst pc foamed ina vey ad eps racer pager Sinamal sreeiver shown. Hol ger over js a enero ses ous and take cr that err pnger oe tt fy om and some io sh ng pou of bl an move ‘Stic sping fs ol wit al pc o Sit pening crc sing pangs ore Plugs or extn caning pil be tare ifn faton exc sping get mst fc ear and fo of fa pas nd sre to ctr Bosh wh ol Removing gas pision is no ordinary ee ‘ied, but should i Be necessary t0 0 50 to clean gas port in barrel oF for fhe reasons, tse only the ea piston na removing tool (23 Prong wench) which is avaiable fom some Shrpos ams dealer Clamp Barrel im a vise with rotted jaws, engage wrench prongs in rear of fs piston at, and unscrew nat counterclockwise from gas cinder. Considerable force is required fo unscrew nit as staked in pce. I piston ts sticking cinder, soak with penetrating oil for about an hour an tp gaslinder with wooden block. When mt and piston ae removed, clean fas cylinder, piston, and en port i barrel with it solvent dry prs, nd cout them hy ith preservative ol, After reassembly, take cylinder Thay in one of the 3 places provided hhandling must be practiced until mas- tered thoroughly with an empty carbine Always point the carbine in a safe di- rection, and keep the safety engaged until ready to fie. Load and unload the carbine in a safe place, preferably when other people aren't around, and unload it immediately after use. Conversion of the Carbine to hat some other cartridge is a difficult oper- ation and no plans or other conversion data are available from the NRA. Carbine magazines, parts, accesso- ries, and ammunition with full metal jacketed or soft-point bullets are aval fable from commercial suppliers. Com- ponents for reloading carbine cartridges are also available = Bol group dsasmblo. Pas ate Sig 21 ‘bolt (b), extractor (c), extractor sping ge (raping sd cr) pia 22, Hold operating slide as shown and, wing the operating slide spring guide. push ut operating side stop. Use small screwdriver oF ch Wo remove operating slide stop spring “The catine bor ca elec only om 25 the muzzle. Before cleaning bore, remove inguin an alleges se re ack ints poston aopening opening sie tp ‘Then tape habe 0 make se at ae Ioied Ose cane cringe al Se tom sup ams dee a ge od {Tm ngpcttre wh af abr let fra mineor poe of whe ad or paper fied bcch Ugg aan snl ett A: Wi ow rector o mor or an be tips fm hed Carn cr ate {save power fuing. Dry bore with cle rasa oe wih pach sated nvr esate emone pone ory ouctons bor poor ong 13, Grasp mazarnc in eft hand with base up, and with rounded end of base tovaed yu. With eft thumb, press up on rounded end of magazine base unit can be moved from retaining tones in magazine with the operating side sping ue. Drop ot magazine sping. grasp flange on Follower. and rotate flower out ott of the the magazine Cal, 30 Carbine MI Ball Cadge (above) tnd the 303 Winchester (on U8" gr). The cabin bl eanridge has no Wentying cole con the bullet tip. Carbine acer caries have ‘eo orange bullet tp, the dummy catdge has holes in the cae, and the grenade launching ‘aig has crimped ease mouth and 0 bullet Tis not advisable to fire tracer cartes as there is danger hat burning tracer composition wl tat fre, especially in wooded areas. Also, many Stes prot the wse of acer ammunitionTHE ARMY RELEASES MORE DOPE ON ITS NEW “BABY GARAND,”— The M-1 LIGHT CARBINE By HARRY F. LYNCH’ UT Sis of the American Anny were armed wich pial Primary a defensive army fe wes amon Unlea 0 oflenie weapon at « dutanoe. Forchermors ‘lds carrying sides only, wore ues tothe ofese when tie mision had bse complete Included inthis Category re aminunivon “carr artillery personnal motores and: many others ‘The ince ia che oni of mem amigned ty che amnion exrying deta lon, has bem in diet ros to che trends incense in fepower tough. the hole enploynent of automatic and emi-utemati ti, machine gu, 40 and Simm, moras and arous cape of urlley., Whi sntomotie vccis sow lngy take the place of foot solders ae ammunition caer, the face that division t- Gay is soponed to ue op 600 ton af ammunition in comey-toat hoo at ‘gain only 39 tas in World War indicates the rmagnitede of thi dea Replacing the ital wth che Garand, Springhill or cohedias pea oat oe ‘sen don, a Ordeance Department of the U.S. Army demanded anew maty ‘wenn wrghing not over ve pooh sith 0 siecle Rage tp to 300 yard wih which to som twee pes Forming mone foe bork defense an fee Fall automatic firepower was steric Seed in favor of the semi-sutomate with ts baer con: wel, The Carbine cali 30 Ml was the answer By Telacng the pil with the Carbine, the ofnve fee 10 sr. bullet and carvidge of Carbine (ef) compared with the regular’ 150. grain, 20°08 power of the Infantry regiment will be increased nearly fone thied America’s three principal Army rifles are the Spring- field, the Garand and the Carbine. The latter has but sixty-two parts, which is fewer than either of the other two. As every rifleman knows, semi-automatic weapons are of two types: (1) gas operated, and (2) recoil oper ated, the latter in straight blowback (unlocked breech) and ‘delayed blowbacks (locked breech.) ‘The Garand and Carbine are both of the gas-operated type. ‘The weight of the Carbine is approximately five pounds as compared to about nine pounds for the Garand. ‘The Carbine is magazine-fed with fifteen rounds, while the larger weapon is clip-fed with eight rounds, The Carbine Inds DivanHendy weapon for airborne infanty is the MT Carbine, cartied on the backs 2 Toading «75 min. held igh) With Jeep and bis. sun Troops await signe! for stack inches long and the Garand 43 inches in length. While the range of the Carbine is in the neighborhood of 2000 yards, the L-type rear sight, consisting of two arms at right angles, each pierced with an aperture, is set for only 100 and 300 yards, as this weapon is designed for close work. ‘The front sight is the blade type, protected by wings The jacketed bullet of the Carbine weights 110 grains and its muzzle velocity The cartridge is only 1%¢ inches long and the case is not necked, but ie tapers slightly for its entice length. When fired this ammu- sition develops 2 maximum pressure of 41,000 pounds per square inch according to the powder used The bolt, the action and the functioning of the Carbine and Garand rifle are quite similar, a small portion of the is 2000 feee per second. powder gases being taken off through a port in the barrel and used in a separate cylinder to drive an operating slide ‘The movement of this slide unlocks the bolt and forces it back, thereby ejecting the empty cartridge case and ‘compressing spring by which it is returned to the firse position. In the meantime, the magazine spring forces a fresh round of ammunition up into the boleway and when the bolt comes forward it pushes the round into the chamber to be fired ‘At the same time the piece is cocked and ready 7 Lugs forged on the bole lay behind recesses in the receiver to lock the bole in place. A few degrees rotation is enough to free these lugs and unlock the bole, The movement is accomplished both ways by a camway cut in the oper ating slide, in which one of these lugs Fides. Trigger, sear and hammer, rotating about thei respective pins ate so in locked as to hold back the hammer when Pressure on the trigger releases the hammer which driven forward by spring pressure against the firing pin, through which its blow is transmitted to the primer of the cartridge the piece is cocked, As a safety precaution, this action cannot take place un- less the tang of the firing pin is seated in the receiver This seating cannot be accomplished unless the bole is sufficiently rotated into its locked position. ‘The operating slide is designed for a shore rearward movement before the cam recess engages the operating lug on the bole. This delay between firing and unlocking Ll the bole is sufficient to allow the bullet to pass from the muzzle and relieve the pressure in the barrel before the bole opens. The rotation of the bolt not only unlocks it, but also cams the hammer back from the rear end of the firing pin and causes the point of the firing pin to recede within the bole To explain the action of this gun a little more fully wwe might add thac the bole is pushed vo the rear by the u‘operating slide, the empty cartridge case is withdrawn from the chamber by the extractor and is finally thrown clear and to the right front by the spring-actuated cjector. [At the same time, the rear end of the bolt bears against the hammer and forces it back, thus compressing the hammer spring. ‘The rearward movement of the oper- ating slide is terminated when the rear end of its inertia block strikes against the forward end of the receiver and the bole stops when it reaches the end of the bolt hole in the receiver. The boltway then being clear, a fresh round is forced up into line with the bole by the maga- zine follower and spring. The operating slide having reached the end of its travel, reverses direction and the What Did Carbine Makers Make? Reading about the program that resulted in the manufacture of MI-series of Cal. 30 Carbines during World War If makes me wonder, what did the contractors, who made carbines during the war, make in peacetime? ‘Answer: OF the 10 fms that contracted to produce MI car- bines during World War Il, only one was actually inthe business ‘of manufacturing guns as @ peacetime undertaking, That one was ‘Winchester, of New Haven, Conn, Another firm, Irwin-Pedersen ‘Arms Co., of Grand Rapids, Mich., was organized to make guns ‘through the combined talents of gun designer J.D. Pedersen (the Pedersen Device of World War I, the Pedersen rifle that was nearly adopted for use by the U.S. Army, Remington's Model 10, shotgun, Models 12 and 14 rifles, Model 51 self-loading pistol, and others) and the Irvin brothers, makers of household and fice furiture in Grand Rapids, Mich, “Two divisions of General Motors Corp., Saginaw Steering Gear in Saginaw, Mich., and Inland in Dayton, Ohio, made car- bines. Saginaw’s peacetime product was exactly asthe name in dicates — steering mechanisms for General Motors automobiles, plus other similar, gear-driven automotive assemblies, Inland started out making wood stering wheels, switched to plastic, or hard rubber, and steel stering wheels and accessories, again for ‘GM cars, Inland, interestingly, made 2.3 milion carbines of all, types — more than any other contractor. Standard Products, too, was a supplier of automotive com= ‘ponents, especially of plastic, or rubber, and steel intemal parts — primarily window channel. Stundard’s corporate headquarters was in Detroit, Mich. Standard carbines. were made in the ‘company’s plant in Poet Clinton, Ohio, (Of the other contractors, LBM. and Underwood-Ellot- Fisher (UEP) were manufacturers of data processing equip- ‘ment, business machines, typewriters, accounting machines and cash registers, LBM. carbines wore made in Poughkeepsie and Endicott N.Y. U.EF. operated facilities in Harford and Bridgeport, Conn. ‘Two contractors were located in Chicago. The first, Rock-Ola Manufacturing Co,, made electic, coin-operated amusement ‘machines — “Jukeboxes” — and arcade games. According 10 Lary Ruth, in his book War Baby, the word Rock-Ola isnot a contraction. The firm's founder was David C. Rockola, who added the hyphen to promote correct pronunciation of both his ‘own and his company’s name. The second Chicago-based fim, (Quality Hardware & Machine Co,, was primarily 4 manufacturer (of machine tols and sheet metal forming equipment ‘The last major carbine maker, National Postal Meter (N.P-ML.) of Rochester, N-Y., made Post Office Department-approved mail ‘metering equipment and automated mail handling machinery Like Irwin-Pedersen, N.P.M. began its efforts by forming a sub- sidiary, Rochester Defense Comp. to make carbines. When that arrangement proved unsatisfactory, the parent corporation dis Solved the offshoot and assumed direct contol of operations under its own name, compressed operating slide spring drives it forward and the bole pushes the cartridge into che chamber. At the same time, the rim of the cartridge case is engaged by the extractor, and the base of the cartridge forces the ejector into the bole and compresses the ejector spring. ‘Again the cam recess in the operating slide comes into play against the bole operating lug, this time rotating the bolt clockwise into the locked position. ‘The forward movement of the operating slide continues until the rear wall ofits inertia block contacts the piston in the cylinder. ‘The Carbine is then ready to be fred again; and the cycle ‘can be repeated as fast a8 the trigger can be pulled until the magazine is empty. Carbine sub-contractors The identities of the makers of MI Carbines are pretty well known, but Iam told that many other firms made both major and ‘small parts for these guns. Would you cite some examples? ‘Answer: None of the primaty contractors for the MI Car- bine made ail of the parts for these handy firearms, Best among the prime contractors was Underwood-Ellio- Fisher (UEF)) which made 35 of an MI Carbine's 55-58 parts in its Harford and Bridgeport, Conn. plants. At the other end of the spectrum, ‘Quality Hardware made only receivers, depending on govern: ment supplied parts and parts from other contractors and sub ‘contractors from which its guns were assembled. Subcontractors involved in the carbine program umber in the hundreds, and made everything from pins and springs to receivers and barrels, For example, Reese Button Hole Machine Company in Boston, Mass., made rear sight leaves, firing pins and magazine catches for Inland Division. In Chicago, IL, Lud- low ‘Typograph Co. made triggers, hammers and magazine ‘catches for Quality Hardware. The Wadsworth Watch Case Co,, in Dayton, Ry., made magazine catches, ejetors, extractors and firing pins for Saginaw Steering Gear. Among more familiar, firearms-oriented manufacturers, Redfield, Lyman, Hunter Arms Co., REE. Sedgley, Neidner Rifle Corp, and others all sub contracted with one or more of th primary contractors. ‘As noted, not all of the prime contractors made all of their own receivers. Inland used receivers made by Saginaw. UEP. tured to Inetype Corp., Universal Winding Co., United Shoe Machinery Co. and Singer Manufacturing for production of receivers. Union Switch & Signal (U.S.& §.), a railroad control ‘equipment maker from the Pittsburgh, Pa. area, made consider: able quantities of major components forthe carbine and supplied them to other earbine builders. U.& S. supplied receivers, bolts, and operating slides to I.B.M., National Postal Meter (N.P.M.) and Quality Hardware. IBM. also got receivers from Auto Ordnance Corp. Nor did all the primary contractors forthe MI Carbine make barrels for their products. Winchester (understandably) did so. So did LB.M,, Inland, U.E-F. and Rock-Ola, ad all ofthese lat- ter four contractors supplied bartels to NPM. Quality Hardware, Saginaw and. Standard Products. In addition 10 primary contractors, Marin Firearms, Buflalo Arms Corp. (a subsidiary of Howdale-Hershey Corp. of Buffalo, N.Y.) and Brown-Lipe-Chapin Division of General Motors supplied barrels to the government for further distribution to carbine contractors ‘that lacked barel making Facilities. ‘This does pose a dilemma for collectors. Can a carbine be as- ‘sembled with all the correct parts? Larry Ruth, from whose book, War Baby, much ofthe above information was drawn, points ut that over’ 4.3. million individual carbine components were ‘swapped between contractors for use in the assembly of finished carbines. Ths factor, he notes, plus the fact that there were 1,772 ‘changes to drawings and 187 changes to specifications made in the course of carbine production, “yields an astronomical num- beer of possible combinations of “correct” component pars that ‘could have been assembled into any given carbine." The answer to Ruth's rhetorical query is probably, “No!”How Many Carbines? ‘Though the MI Carbine probably had scant influence on the outcome of World War Il, it does stand as a monument to the productive ‘energy, capacity and adaptability of American industry atthe time. Over a span of just 38 months (the first carbines were delivered in June 1942, the latin August 1945) nine primary contractors established manufacturing facilities, tooled up and tured out some six million carbines ofall types — M1, MIA, M2 and T3/MB. How many were actually produced by each of these contractors and the serial numbers allocated to cach contractor are subjects of some interest to carbine owners (because the windage-adjustable rear sight, approved in February 1943 and found on most carbines today, obscures the maker's name) and collectors. The list below has been compiled from several sources of information on carbine production and seems tobe accurate within eason, However, not all sources agree on the numbers of carbines made, Compare, for example the numbers given in M.D. Waite’s All The Way With The MI Carbine, page 19, with the quantities reported below. Waite’s source attributes a greater number of carbines to Inland, and a lesser number to Winchester, than does more recent research, and indicates a greater total production as wel. Who is correct? Who knows? The important consideration is that more MI carbines were made during World War Il than any other piece of Ondnance-designed equipment, except the MI Steel Helmet. Six million is nice round number, And the allocated serial number ranges are handy, 10. Carbine Serial Number Allocation and Production LBM. 3651,520%0 4008999 Saginaw Steering Gear-Saginaw, MI (1.B.M. delivered 346.500 carbines vs. 388.479 serial numbers allocated) 3.250,020103,681.519° 834.619 10 6071 18 Inland Division, General Motors Corp. * Saginaw Steering Gear-Grand Rapids, MI Li05, A320 XA36 4879s26t05549821 176252010 1875.039° 3212.20 3250019 1t099 A381 XASO 1,299,689 0 649,867 (Saginaw - both facilities delivered $17,212 carbines vs. 788070 seri A310 XAI0 10010 999,990 (6629,88¢10 7.234883 _ number allocate, nclading resid fom the Ivin-Poersen contract) XAI2t0 XA .912.520103212,519 7,369,661 19 8069,660 (lnlnd delivered 2,392,388 cabins of 3.424.509 contctd or) Standard Products Co. 1,982,520 1 2382519 Tenia Pedersen Atma Co? eet estas (Standard delivered 247,188 carbines vs 370,000 serial numbers alloeated.) (Ps reponed to have assembled 3.542 carbines vs. 112.519 serial numbers allocated: None of these carbines had been aceeped by the goverment atthe 19049910 149,999 4,010,000104074,999 time the LP contact was terminated in March 1943) 2382520102912519 6.099.896.1998 National Postal Meter Co.? (Underwood delivered Si516 carbines vs, 825459 seal numbers Lés00001 1519999 4ers0I0w40T99» 4425,00.4A32059 1937,520101.982519 40RD O00 0 $425,099 Winchester Repeating Arms Co.” (NPM dlvred 13.017 carbines 3 502,00 seria numberallcted) G9 10 4075 00m4075009 6449, 86840 6609.83 LO. 1.339999 SSH9NR2IOSHMOIK 7.254888 7308600 Quality Hardware & Machine Co. (Winchester delivered 865404 carbines vs. 949.503 serial numbers 1,380,000. 1.562519 1.875.04010 1.907.519 443210000 4.532000" allocated.) '562.52010 16620019 130792010 1937519 4,799,526004.879325 (Quality Hardware delivered 359,666 carbines ws. $22,404 serial numbers allocated) Rock-Ola Manufacturing Co. 166252010 1.762519 6.071.189 106,098,688 455210010 4.779.825 _ 6,1991689106,200,688 (Rock-Ola delivered 228 30 carbines vs. 248,496 serial numbers allocated.) Footnotes: |-Inland Div produced M1 carbines, plus 100,000, MLA.Is; 200,000, M2s and 811, M3s 2. Irwin-Pedersen contract assumed by Saginaw-Grand Rapids in March 1943, after LP had assembled 3.542 guns, none of which had been accepted by the government Saginaw Steering Gear delivered carbines in the 1,762,520 to 1,875,039 range using both I-P and Saginaw ‘marked receivers, 3. few eatly National Postal Meter receivers are marked “Rochester”, for the Rochester Defence Corporation. A few very late receivers are ‘marked “CCC”, for Commercial Controls Comp. 4, Some Quality Hardware carbines in this serial range were assembled using receivers made by Union Switch & Signal Co, Swissvale, Pa ‘5. Saginaw Steering Gear carbines inthis serial range were made at both the Saginaw and Grand Rapids plants 6. These serial ranges were initially allocated to Irwin-Pedersen Arms Co,, and were taken over by Saginaw-Grand Rapids. 7. Winchester made MI carbines, plus 17,500, M2s and 1,108, M3s, Note: The above data was compiled from A Collector's Guide 1 the MI Garand and MI Carbine by Bruce Canfield, Guide to Collecting the MI Carbine by Robert Gibson, MI Carbine Design, Development and Production and War Baby!, te lst two written by Larry Ruth.Carbine Safeties Answer A eross-bolt, oF ing, safety was ely wed onthe Mi Carbine Is cnn an the mugacie postion Ths" fc was obvied by bow during pedocon anda pt of hud PME eos-bot safeties forthe MI Carbine ae sometimes aval elt in sup fir ame or panes They ae released ‘while interchangeable with the rary safeties and ean beeasilyistaled ‘The latest safety for U. S. carbines is of rotary design. This type of safety is to rear when It isin fre position In removing satety, hold magazine catch with thumb to prevent it from flying out, {and pull magazine catch retainer plunger rearward witha screwdriver To remove the rotary safety, remove the magazine "and make sure the carbine is Unloaded. Holding the carbine bottom upward, place the lett thumb against the magazine catch fn inser the point ofa small screwdriver into the hole in the bottom ofthe trigger housing. Engage the screwiriver forward of the rmagavine catch retainer plunger, and pll the plunger rearward, Remove the magazine catch and slide the magazine catch planer assembly forward, Remove the safety catch The cros-bot safety can then be installed in the tigger housing from either side, The ‘roxsbolt safety has two large notches, one With a hump in the middle, ‘The hump must face forwand so that i engages the safety plunger. 1.0. 4 Carbine Feeding Cartidessometines donot feed property inmyat! Carbine. The lets site the barrel hove the chamber causing soppages. How fon tise corrected? "Anawer: Fares to feed propel in an Mi Carine are usualy cats by defective magazin, rough ule ramp onthe receiver tra magazine catch hat lows the front of the tmagicne 10 tip down, To. avoid feeding icuies we only magazines tat ae clean and in good condiion, The magarin. lips Should not be bent, the follower should work tp and dow rely inthe magazine body. and the retaining gs on he bac ofthe magazine should ot be wor or bred. A magazin can te cleaned by rinsing it insolvent Tee bale ramp on the recive is ough, smoot t with fine abrasive paper. Check the magiine cate, and replace ii ‘The ext maparne catches ar the ater pes that were strengthened: t0 beter hod the SOround. magazine devised for the. M2 Carbine, These catches are marked “M* (for tein MI and MIA carbines) oF Mor the Maveron) LO. Carbine Magazine There is some rust and dirt in the magazine of my MI Carbine, How do 1 disassemble the ‘magazine clean i? ‘Answer: To disassemble the magazine, tum it bottom up, and press upward slightly on the front (rounded ent) of the base with the thumb, Then use a screwdriver or the end ofthe ‘operating slide spring guide 10 push the base forward off the magazine body. While doing this, hold the fingers ver the magazine bottom to prevent the spring from flying out. Aer re ‘moving the spring turn the magazine tp up and rotate the follower out ofthe lower rear of the magavine boy ‘After cleaning and removal of rst wipe the magazine with a lightly eed patch and reas: semble, Be sure thatthe long flange and ramp OF the Follower face to the rear of the magazine land that the fee limb of the magazine spring is atthe fea. Check the reassembled magazine for Smoothness of function by pushin follower and releasing it. — LO. a b— Long flange (b) and ramp (a) of follower should face toward rear af magazine. Carbine Barrel The lands in riy Cal. 30, MP Carbine Darrel do not extend all the was 10 the mule appears thatthe bore has been reamed out 10 4a-depth of about 1's the barrel defective oF Yeas it reamed ou for some special purpose? "Answer: According to Army’ TM 9-1276, con the series of Cal, 30 Carbine, dated February 1953, all rebuilt carbines must be counterbored atthe muzzle end of the hare. This counterbore is intended 10 eliminate tool marks, nicks, burrs and similar damage tothe muzzle ofthe barel and, as esl, to mprove ‘Counterhored barrels are also seen on some foreign military ries, especially” German Model 98 Mauser rifles from World War I. The counterboring was for restoring accuracy and was done 10 bartels which were damaged or excessively worn athe muzzle, — LO. Carbine Malfunctions The bot of my MI Carbine often fails 10 bush the last round out ofthe magazine. If he {ast round is. pushed ‘out, it usually jams Denween the bolt and the barvel. How can this be corrected! ‘Answer: An improperly assembled magazine nthe most common cause of the ‘malfunction you mention. The free limb ofthe ‘magazine spring. that contacts the follower should be toward the rear. If iis no, the upper rear of the follower will not be supported propery, and the bolt will tend to override the last ound, CA ‘The free limb (arrow) of the magazine spring should support the rear of the magazine follower. Another cause of this malfunction is excessive vertical play in the trigger housing. This can be caused by inadvertently sub sttuing the hammer pin forthe trigger housing pin when reassembling a carbine, This eauses ‘erica play ofthe tigger housing because the hammer pin is of somewhat smaller diameter than the trigger housing pin. — LO.Carbine Markings have an MI Carbine marked “BA” on the left side of the bunstock, What does. this ‘marking mean ‘Answer: The marking denotes that your cabine was rebuilt at Benecia Arsenal. California. Other facies engaged in the rebuilding of US. military small ams (though rot necessarily the rebuilding of earbines), and their identifying marks, are listed below Anniston Army Depot aN ‘Augusta Arsenal aA (Ogden Arsenal os Mt Rainier Ordnance Depot = MR. Faitan Arsenal RA Fed River Arsenal RR Fock Isiand Arsenal FIA ‘San Antonio Arsenal SAA Springfild Armory SA A rebuilt carbine is one that has been completly overhauled by & depot or arsenal to restore it tessentiall new condition At the time of rebuild, various ‘modifications, adopted. but not applied. are auded wo bring the carbine upto date. 1,0. Carbine Operating Slides In my MI Carbine there is a cam on the inria block of the operating slide. The operating side of another MI Carbine 1 have seen does not have such a cam. What is the Durpose of this cam? Is it the correct part for Answer: Your MI Carbine has an operating slide that canbe used imerchangeably in MI, MIA, M2. and M3 Carhines. The cam on the inertia block serves ro purpose onthe MI and MIAL Semi-automatic crbines. Inthe M2 and MB, Selective fire versions, the cam operates the Aisconnector lever during fall ato fring. Either of the slides you mention is an appropriate replacement “part for an ML Carbine. However, slides having cams were Fined during repair of ebuild on, and are not original —"LO, a x ‘The operating slide atthe toy MiAT Carbines. The Lower slide, with 2 ‘cam (arrow) on its inertia block is for M2 ‘or M3 Carbines. M1 Carbine Bayonet Lug Can you explain why my U.S, ME Carbine ‘has a plain from band without the bayonet lng feature? All other MI Carbnes that {have seen ‘have been adapted for attachment ofa bayonet ‘Answer: Though production of MI CCarbins began, in eames, in the fall of 1942, the carbine was not adapted 1o lake a bayonet tani May “1984. Inthe meantime. three Plain barrel bands were used lof which were replaced by the “72” band (with integral bayonet a), The earliest band was a simple stamped steel strap that rapped around the carbine fore-end and handguard and was clamped in Place by a vertical screw that also acted as an aale for the sling swivel. The second type (Ordnance part no, B21260) was similar tothe cal band, but approximately 1/16" wider The thid ype (pat no. 7160010) was wider sil, so that the bind retaining spring reached up through a ole i the hand instead of reaching Forward of i, and was clamped by horizontal serew atthe boton ofthe band. The T2 band (part 10.7160963), that permitted use of the Dayonet, was a further adaptation of the third ‘ype Though carbines "are stil Cleaning Carbine 1 am advised by fellow shooters that an M1 Carbine should be held bottom side up when fleaning the bare. What is the reason for this Is it necessary to use water when cleaning the bore? ‘Answer: Cal. .30 canrdges for the MI Carbine have non-corrosive primers, and it i therefore unnecessary to use water for cleaning [Nitro-solvent or bore cleaner shouldbe use to dissolve powder fouling The ore ofthe MI Carbine can be cleaned only from the muzzle end 0 do so, remove the ‘magazine, lek the operating slide (and bolt) 10 the rear and make sure the chamber is cleat M1 Carbine Spring Housing My surplus MI Carbine difers from others have seen in thatthe operating side spring fits into removable tbe on the receiver rather than a decpedrilled hole. Can you explain hy this diferenc exists? Answer: Some early MI Carbine receivers were ited with tubular, detachable side Spring housing, rear stud of double hug arangement held the housing in place. Among ‘encountered withthe older bands, most were refed with bayonetcapable bands atone rebuild or another. BR. EE ar—e—* Three of the four types of carbine bands that_may be encountered: part no. 18212600 (top), part no. 7160010 (conter), and part no. 7160863. (bottom). The earliest type is not shown. Then swab the bore with nto-solvent of bore cleaner on a cleaning brush or cloth patch. In fling this, hold the carbine hotom side up 50 that hore cleaner doesnot ener the gas pot. Alter the bore is swabbed, dry it with several patches. Then inspect it withthe aid of 8 bore reflector, a small miro, ora pice of ‘white cloth or paper placed inthe breech at an angle to reflect light. Use preservative oil om & patch to oil the bore and hold the carbine top Se up so that oil flows ina the gas por. ‘Aways push the brush or patch al the way through the bore before the direction i reversed. and guide the cleaning rod with 1 thumb and Finger to avoid damaging the rifling atthe muzale, LO. prime contractors, Quality Hardware & Machine Corp., Rock-Ola, and Winchester are known to have made this ssl receiver, Taformation is not avaiable as 10 why’ the receiver construction was changed: however. Tater production receivers were standardized with 4 deep longitedinal hole for the slide Spring, Receivers using the removable housing swore withdrawn from service when turned in foroverhl ‘The fat that your carbine 6 so equipped does no effect its serviceability. — R.WiL ——= UA inne Disassembled Mt Car ee 1 receiver (this specimen made by Quality Hardware & Machine Corp.) with detachable operating slide spring housing, spring, and spring guide.[A good Idea of the comparative sizes of the Mt rifle and Mi carbine Is provided by farms. in the hands of two Marine Corps infantrymen in action during the brutal By M. D. WAITE Technical Editor THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN 10 the American GI of World War T, it was usually a ease of love at first sight when he was introduced to the trim little MI carbine, and espe- cially so if his shoulder ached from lugging a 104b. MI rifle over hill and dale. Often called the “baby Garand” by the troops, the Winchester-designed MI carbine with its variations was pro- duced in greater quantities than any other US. military small arm. In the hhands of American and Allied soldiers, it added punch to the all-out offensive ‘against the Axis powers, ‘American industry manufactured the astounding total of 6,117,827 carbines of all types from 1942 through 1945. This was a production miracle by any standard, If laid buttplate to. muzzle, they would have extended for more than 3400 miles, or some 600 miles 6 fighting at lwo Jima. This Marine's carbine has the original straight 15-round magazine. THE M1 CARBINE farther than the airline distance between Seattle, Wash., and Miami, Fla ‘The speed ‘with which the M1 car- bine was developed and readied for quantity production is a striking tribute to the energy and patriotism of every fone involved, and especially to Major (later Colonel) Rene R. Studler, Ord- nance Department, chairman of the ‘Ordnance ‘Subcommittee charged with the development of the new arm, who guided the operation through to its suc- cessful conclusion. The genesis of the MI carbine goes back to the aftermath of World War 1 when all major powers reappraised their infantry small arms. In this country the need for a weapon intermediate between the standard infantry rifle and pistol was realized, but there were differences of opinion as to the form it should take. As an expedient, perhaps, the U.S. Army adopted the Thompson subma- chine gun in 1932, Chambered for the 45 ACP cartridge, and capable of both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire, ‘this arm was regularly furnished with both a 50-round drum magazine and a 20-round box magazine. Although pop- ‘ular with the troops, it was both hea and awkward to carry. A serious tacti- ‘cal disadvantage was that it was cham- bered for a pistol cartridge with limited effective range. In March, 1938, the Chief of Infan- tty stated the need for a suitable light rifle to the Chief of Ordnance, noting that approximately one out of every five combat soldiers would be serving some form of special weapon or carrying am- munition for them and could not be encumbered with the standard servicerifle. The fre power of the infantry rifle ‘company was then being increased sub- stantially by the inclusion of organic Tight machine guns and 60 mm mortars. In the search for a suitable light. weight intermediate arm to increase both the defensive and offensive capa- bilities of infantry and to arm support ing troops, Infantry Board tests had been made with pistols and revolvers both with and without holster-type shoulder stocks, but these short-range arms did not meet the requirements. In spelling out the desired characteristics for the proposed new weapon, the Chief fof Infantry stressed that it should have fan effective range of at least 300 yds. In September, 1938, the Chief of In- fantry wrote to the Adjutant General, again citing the need for a special ine fantry weapon. Subsequently. the rec- commendations of the Infantry Board were placed before the Ordnance De- partment Technical Committee where they were considered carefully ‘The characteristics of the rifle pro- posed by the Chief of Infantry were as follows: 1, Weight of the rifle with 20 rounds cof ammunition was not to exceed 5 Ibs. 2, It should have an effective range of at least 300 yds. 3. It should be magazine-fed. 4, Semi-automatic functioning was es: sential, and full automatic fire was de- sirable 5. It should be fitted with a sling so that it could be carried over the shoul- er. ‘The problem of ammunition supply for the proposed light rifle was cons ered by the Ordnance Department to be of critical importance, and it was felt that any benefits accruing from the weapon would be offset by the addi- tional difficulties in supplying its special ammunition. Thus, the proposal for the new light rifle was tentatively set aside by the Ordnance Department, and it was suggested that a commercial rifle might offer a satisfactory alternative as the basis for development of a suitable During the ensuing year and a half, the using services again repeated their requirement for a light rifle, but noth- ing came of this until the exploding war in Europe brought this need into sharp focus. In particular, the extreme vulner- ability of rear area establishments to airborne and armored thrusts became a matter of grave concern. When the re- ‘quest for a light rifle ‘was broached again in 1940 by the Chiefs of Infantry and Field Anillery, it was approved by the Secretary of War Aug. 27 of that year and the Chief of Ordnance was di- rected to develop a suitable light rifle as soon as practicable. It was noted again that a modified commercial rifle ‘might prove suitable, ‘The characteristics of the proposed light rifle were substantially identical to those outlined by the Chief of Infantry in 1938, Tt was desired that it be ca able of both semi- and full-automatic fire and that its weight not exceed 5 Ibs. ‘The fire selector system was to be con: trollable by an adjustment not conveni- Simpson blowback-operated rifle. Springfield Armory. Garand top-feed gas-operated rifle Springfield Armory. Garand bottom-feed, gas-operated rifle. Springfield Armory. ently accessible to the user: a special tool of Key was suggested to change the selector sistem for the type of fire needed, thereby placing. the full-auto- matic fire capability under the direst control of unit commanders to. main- tain fire discipline and conserve ame ‘The optimum cartridge capacity for the magazine was in doubt, but this was reconciled by a requirement calling for tests of magazines holding from 5 to 50 rounds ‘A realistic accuracy requirement es- tablished for the light rifle called for service accuracy comparable t0 that of the standard infantry rifle up to 300 yds, Service accuracy at that time was defined as the ability of a rile 10 con- Sistently group its shots within a ft square at 300 yd Tn October, 1940, the Ordnance De- partment prepared an information cit- ular for dstribution to. gun designers land. commercial arms. manufacturers. Entitled. "Miltary Characteristics For Light Weight, Semi-Automatic Rifle As Possible Replacement For Caliber 45 Pistol And SubsMachine Gun", this cir- cular was sent to over 25 individual gun designers and arms manufacturer Accompanying it were drawings giving ‘maximum cartridge and minimum cham. ber dimensions. Concurrent cartridge search In seeking a suitable cartridge for use in the new rifle a survey of commercial and military rounds was made, but none proved suitable, Among cartridges con- Sidered were the 9 mm. Luger, 38 ACP. and 45 ACP. The .32 Winchester Self- Loading cartridge came the nearest 10 meeting the requirements and formed the basis for the projected round. The initial specifications for the cartridge designated “Cartridge, Caliber 30, Short Rifle, MI", were drawn up by the Winchester Repeating Arms Com- pany and the Ordnance Department, It general characteristics were as follows: Bullet weight—110 ers. Charge weight—14.5 gs, IMR 4227 Primer—Winchester No. 116 Chamber Pressure—31,000 ps. Muzzle Velocity—1860 fps. It is highly significant that the specifi- cations called for a noncorrosive primer as all other U.S. military small arms ammunition was then being assembled ‘with corrosive primers. The insistence ‘on a noncorrosive primer for the new cartridge ultimately saved the taxpay- ets millions of dollars, Had the ammu- nition been corrosive-primed, untold numbers of carbines would have deter 7Savage long-recoil operated rie, Hartington & Richardson-Reising blowback operated rife ‘Auto-Ordnance Corp. shortrecoll operated rifle forated rapidly from rusting under the rigors of combat, and soon would have failed to function despite the anti-cor- rosive qualities of the stainless steel gas piston. This was borne out later in tests of the MI carbine with specially-pre- pared corrosive-primed ammunition. In retrospect, an effective and reliable gas- operated Semi-automatic carbine could rnot have been developed in the short time available unless a noncorrosive- primed cartridge had been used. ‘The initial procurement order for the new cartridge given the Winchester R peating Arms Co. called for the ma facture of 250,000 rounds. No lubr ccant was specified for the cartridge since it was desired that the proposed rifle not require lubricated ammunition. “The information circular sent out by the Ordnance Department in October, 1940, had set Feb. 1, 1941, as the date for submission of trial arms, but prob- Jems in manufacture of the ammunition caused this date to be advanced to April 1, 1941, and then to May 1, 1941 Ordnance Subcommitee appointed To provide for trial of rifles that might be submitted, the Chairman of the Ordnance Technical Committee ap- pointed an Ordnance Subcommittee on April 16, 1941. Chairman of this com= mittee was Major Rene R. Studler, Ord- nance Department, Membership of the Subcommittee included representatives ‘of the Infantry. Cavalry, Field Artl- lery, Armored Force, and the Ordnance Corps. The Ordnance Subcommittee met 1, 1941, in the Social Security Woodhull blowback- operated rte. ee Building in Washington, D.C. Pilot model arms were submitted by the fol- Towing ‘Springfield Armory Savage Arms Corp. Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Mig. Co. Harrington & Richardson Arms Co. ‘Auto-Ordnance Corp. Wooshutl Corp. Bendix Aviation Corp. John H. Murph. ‘The Subcommittee was charged with examining the arms and determining those suitable for subsequent engineer ing testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground, A'10 phase test program was designed to dotermine the. general serviceability ff the various rifles submitted. Tt cov- ered such factors as. disassembly. pro- cedures, muzzle flash, recoil. velocity and energy determinations, relative a curacy, endurance firing, full-automatic firing, “and performance under dusty conditions. Major (later Colonel) Edwin H. Har- ison, Ordnance Department, a member of the Subcommittee (presently Senior Technical Advisor of ‘The American Rifleman) had direct charge of the Aber- deen Proving Ground tests of all rifles, He supplied an officer who provided Proving Ground support to the Service tests conducted later at the same place He thus had more immediate knowl edge of the development than any other fone person, and made this knowledge available in the writing of this account OF the nine rifles presented to the Subcommittee, seven were accepted for the preliminary test. Two rifles were submitted by Springfield Armory, one ‘being blowback-operated. Designed by Clarence E. Simpson, it weighed 6 Ibs. 10 ozs. with its 18-round magazine. Al- though capable of full-automatic fire with conversion, the Simpson rifle was rejected because of its excessive weight and the fact that its design precluded reduction in weight to bring it within the 5.1b. weight limit. Springfield Ar- mory had expected this, but had pre- pared and submitted the rifle so that the feasibility of a blowback-operated faction for this requirement might be explored. ‘The other Springfield Armory rifle was gas-operated. Designed by John C. Garand, it featured a top magazine feed. The magazine was canted 30° to the right and the sights were offset to the left. Ejection was from below. The top feed system permitted the use of box magazines holding up to 50 rounds. By use of a screwdriver or nose of a pointed bullet, the fire selector could be changed from full-automatic to semi- automatic and vice versa. Partial dis- assembly of the rifle was required (0 change the fire selector mechanism. Manufacturing cost of this rifle was estimated to be approximately one- fourth that of the MI rifle, The rifle was short and handy and the design was simple, with only 41 parts, As first submitted, its weight was 5 Ibs. 6 ozs. including sling and S-round magazine. Barrel length was 16". Accuracy of the rifle in subsequent trials at Aberdeen Proving Ground was satisfactory at 100 yds, and outstanding at 300 yds. The Savage rifle weighed 5 Tbs. 10 ‘ozs, with sling but not including the magazine. It Was furnished with a 10-Hyde-Bendix, gasoperated rifle First version. Turner all-metal gas-operated Fife, First version. round box magazine, two 20-round ci ccular magazines, and a 50-round circu- Jar magazine. Its operating mechanism was based on the Browning long-recoil system similar to that of the Remington Model 8 and Model 81 semi-automatic rifles, and Browning-type_long-recoil shotguns except for omission of the barrel friction brake. “The Savage rifle was composed of 83 parts, including all screws, pins and Springs. It was slow to assemble and disassemble, but its performance was good. Accuracy at 100 and 300 yds, ‘was excellent The Colt rifle designed by Val A Browning, was of multiple-weight, blow. back-operated type. It weighed 5. Ibs, 8 ozs, with its 10-round magazine. The barrel was only 1034” long. Weights in rear of the recoiling parts were divided so that the work of stopping the moving parts was dispersed slowly against the firers shoulder. It was claimed that this construction reduced the felt recoil and made the operating mechanism more durable, ‘The trigger mechanism of the Colt rifle was of unusual, double-stage de- sign in which the first pull gave semi- automatic fire only. Heavier pressure had to be applied to the trigger to make ‘Author carried an M1 carbine as a staff officer in 70th Tank Bn., 1st Cavalry Division in the Korean War. Here he examines U.S.M4E8 medium tank ‘damaged by Chinese anti-tank mine near Chorwon, N. Korea, Sept., 1951 Hyde-Bendix gas-operated rife Final version Turner gas-operated rifle with conventional stock. Final version. the rifle fire continuous bursts. When the last shot had been fired, the maga: ine dropped free from the receiver, By removing a screw, the empty magazine would remain in place. Because of un forseen circumstances, the Colt rifle was not offered for trial at Aberdeen Prov. ing Ground. The Harrington & Richardson rife designed by Eugene C. Reising, weighed 6%4 Ibs, and was blowback-operated, Tt was essentially a modification of the Reising cal. .45 submachine gun then being manufactured by Harrington & Richardson. Cyclic rate of fire was about 600 rounds-per-minute. There ‘Were approximately 48 parts and these would have been unusually easy to manufacture. Shooting accuracy of this rifle was satisfactory The rifle submitted by the Auto. Ordnance Corp. weighed 5 Ibs. 5 ozs with 20-round magazine and muzzle brake. Its operating mechanism was of short-recoil type and a special tool was required to change the fire sclector mechanism. Cyclic rate of fire was esti ‘mated to be about 600 rounds-per-min- tute, Its locking system was based on the Thompson principle in which a bolt lock dropped from the breechbolt to Jock that part into the receiver. Accu racy of the Auto-Ordnance rifle at both 100 and 300 yds. was excellent Blowback-operated, the rifle sub- mitted by the Woodhull Corp. weighed 5 Ibs. 1314 ozs. less sling and magazine. It was furnished with 5-, 10., 15-, 20. and 35-round magazines. F. W. Wood hnull, the designer, pointed out that it was’ based on a simple adaptation of the Winchester Model 1905 sel-Joading 9rifle, the conversion having been done by the firm of Griffin & Howe, Its cyclic rate of fire was 550 rounds-per-minute. There was an integral muzzle brake in the barrel. Accuracy and functioning of the Woodhull rifle were not entirely satisfactory, and the heavily weighted bolt striking the back of the receiver gave an unpleasant, jolting quality to the recoil, George J. Hyde designed the gas- operated rifle presented by the Bendix Aviation Corp. This rifle weighed 6 Ibs. 2 ozs. with T0-round magazine and leather sling. In this system the operat. ing gas was tapped off the barrel ap- proximately $14” from the muzzle, and the mechanism was extremely well made. A special tool was required to change the fire selector mechanism. Of uncom- plicated design, the Hyde rifle func- tioned satisfactorily. Accuracy at 100 yds. was excellent, but dispersion at 300 yds, was excessive ‘The rifle offered by John J. Murphy was designed by J. C. White and had been tested previously by the Ordnance Department as a full-size infantry rife. Of .276 caliber, it met none of the re- quirements established for the proposed light rifle so was not approved for trial at Aberdeen Proving Ground Firing tests for acceptable rifles were scheduled to be held May 8.31, 1941 with three days allocated to each rifle At an Ordnance Subcommittee meeting May 29, 1941, it was decided to remove the necessity of full-automatic fire from the performance requirements as test- ing had revealed a lack of controllabil- ity in full-automatic fire. With the climination of the full-automatic fire requirement, the requirement for a 50- round magazine was dropped also. A 20-round magazine was considered to be the largest needed for semi-automatic fire Firing demonstration held A general firing demonstration for rifles that survived the preliminary trials was held at Aberdeen Proving Ground June 16, 1941. During a meeting of the Ordnance Subcommittee that afternoon, the Harrington & Richardson (Reising), Woodhull, and Savage rifles were re jected from further consideration in their present forms. (With the excep- tion of the Savage rifle, modified ver~ sions of the other arms were submitted for later tests, but all were rejected eventually.) Tt was the opinion of the Subcommit tee thatthe Springfield Armory (Garand) and Bendix Aviation Corp. (Hyde) rifles Offered the greatest promise for future evelopment, The Subcommittee recom- 2» Winchester gas-operated rifle. First ‘mock-up version. mended certain design changes in both rifles. At the request of the Infantry representative, Springfield Armory was directed to manufacture five rifles with bottom magazine feed, and the Bendix Aviation Corp. to manufacture five rifles ‘with conventional stock form without a separate pistol grip. These changes resulted in a second Springfield rifle heavier than the first model and lacking some of the original ‘design advantages, and a second Bendix rifle having an inconveniently long. re- ceiver. In particular, though the second Springfield rifle still turned out better than any other tested at that time, it 1was not the equal of the first Springtield ‘entry. Had it not been for the extraordi- nary good fortune of the later last- minute Winchester entry, this would have required the adoption of a rifle which was not the best available. Situa- tions like this result from a using service specifying not only what an item must do, but how it must be designed. it was directed that one rifle of each type be fitted with a muzzle brake and that five 10-round and five 20-round magazines be supplied for every rifle. The request for muzzle brake-equipped rifles evidenced renewed interest in a rifle capable of full-automatic fire. Harrington & Richardson on its own initiative had the designer alter its rifle to gas operation, with as few other changes as possible, and resubmitted the rifle in that form. ‘The service tests of the modified rifles were scheduled to begin Sept. 15, 1941 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, conducted by Infantry personnel and witnessed by representatives from the other Arms. Inthe interim, an all-metal, ga operated rifle possessing considerable merit was presented for examination by RJ. Turner. The Turner rifle weighed 4.2 Ibs., less sling and magazine. It was of highiy unusual design, with the gas cylinder on the right side of the barrel land a very short and compact action of about the dimensions and appearance of a medium-size padlock. (Some of the Proving Ground personnel jokingly asked Turner whether he was a padlock designer.) These features made the rie very short, handy and light. However, its late appearance gave the designer little time to refine the functioning. The rifle was given the preliminary tests Aug. 18-20, 1941, These revealed cer- tain minor faults, but the inventor was advised that he could resubmit the rifle for further trial if the deficiencies were corrected, ‘The Chief of Infantry recommended that no rifle having the gas cylinder on top or at the side be considered for adoption unless it was unavoidable. Winchester entry On Aug. 8, 1941, Edwin Pugsley of the Winchester Repeating Arms Co., submitted a light rifle for consideration by the Subcommittee. This gas-operated rifle utilized the tappet or short-stroke piston principle invented by David Marshall Willams to unlock the bolt which was conspicuously like the bolt fof the MI rifle, The mode! rifle weighed slightly less than 5 Ibs., including its six-round vertical-column box magazine and sling, Tt was not a true pilot model since it had many parts assembled by ‘welding and brazing; it was essentially ‘a mock-up to show the general pattern and action design. The Subcommittee ‘was so impressed with this rifle that it was decided 10 send it to Aberdeen Proving Ground for limited firing tests Winchester was encouraged by the Sub- ‘committee to produce from one to five Fifles for the forthcoming tests At the time of the first light rifle trials, Winchester was deeply involved jn the manufacture of the MI service rifle under an educational contract of der and was unable to enter an arm it the trials, However, Winchester engi neers had accumulated a valuable back- ground of experience in the military rifle field. In 1940 they had developed successful prototype rifle which had proved the soundness of the Williams Short-stroke piston principle. Winchester engineers required only 13 days to assemble the model arm sub- mitted to the Subcommittee by Pugsley Following successful completion of its initial firing tests, Winchester had little more than a month to produce a second model for the final service tests. The fact that it did so was a remarkable achievement ‘The second Winchester rifle did not arrive at Aberdeen Proving Ground luntil the afternoon of Sept. 14, 1941 Preliminary testing of this rifle was be: gun immediately and was completed without difficulty by 6 pm. During a 1000-round functioning test, the Win chester rifle had only four stoppages.Rifles declared eligible for the Service trials were the Hyde-Bendix, Springfield bottom-feed, H&R-Reising gas-operated, ‘Turner, and the Winchester. The Auto- Ordnance Corp. rifle had been with- drawn previously by its manufacturer. ‘The Service test program extended ‘over seven days and was indicative of the rigorous tests which prospective U.S. military arms must undergo and pass before adoption. Testing was conducted by personnel from the Office of the Chief of Infantry and the Infantry School. The officer in charge was Lt. Col, Walter G. Layman, Inf. The seven- day test program involved the firing of many thousands of rounds from each rifle to determine both accuracy and functional reliability, Among the details, covered by the test program were dis- assembly and reassembly procedures, effective rates of fire, cleaning and pre- servative materials needed, and ability ‘of the rifles to function when exposed to dust, dirt, mud, and rain. Other tests investigated performance capabilities of the rifles when heated from firing and when fired without lubrication. Methods fof carrying the rifles and ease of getting them into action were studied also, “Three days after the trials had begun, the field of contention had been narrowed down to only two competitors, the sec- ‘ond Springfield Armory rifle and the Winchester, The Winchester rifle was chosen unanimously by the Test Board. It was unquestionably the right decision, In transmitting the test report to the Chief of Ordnance, the Chief of Infan- try wrote as follows September 29, 1941, Subject: Test Report of Light Rifle, Cal ber 30 “To: Chief of Ordnance 1. Enclosed herewith is Report of Serv- ice ‘Test of Light Rifle, Caliber 30, in ‘uplicate, a8 conducted by a. Test’ Board “appointed by the Chief of Infantry in ac- Cordance with letter Chief of Ordnance, Sabject "Light Weight Rife”, dated June 4, 1941. This report consists of an original Service Test Report, Volumes I and Il and a Supplementary Service Test Report, Volume Ti °2 The Chief of Infantry concurs in the recommendation of the Test Board, that the Winchester rile with minor modifi tion, be adopted as the standard light rife for vse in the military service. "3. The Chief of Infantry further recom: ‘ends that the following modifications of the subject rifle be made! 8. Addition of a knurled buttpate Winchester gas-operated carbine as approved for service use. bs, Stock to approximate the dimensions at ‘drop of comb and heel and length of pull ‘of the Rifle Caliber .30, Ml, except smaller in size, Other stock dimensions on subject rifle are satisfactory Strengthen forearm walls to increase Fieiity. Change ditection of ejection to right front. Install a front sight similar to that on the Rifle, Caliber 30, MIL f. Insta a rear sight capable of being ad- justed for ranges of $0-yd. increments from 100°to 300 yds. inclusive, sight piture size same. as on test model. The tear sight to be adjustable for three points of right and left deflection. That a. 1S-round clip be adopted as Standard. ‘Such clip 10 be constructed to he as near rustfree as possible. The basis of issue to be sx clips per rifle 4. The Chief of Infantry considers that the new light File willbe utilized by nearly ‘ranches of the service. The best man ner of carrying the weapon will depend to {great extent on the primary duties of the sonnel earrying the weapon. Therefore, is recommended that the method of sentatives of all the using arms and serv- feces for study and recommendation of the earliest practicable date. ', The Chiet of Infantry is now en in further studies as to carrying both ammunition and rifle by in fantrymen. Recommendations concerning this point will be made subject of a sepa ‘Courtney H. Hodges Major General Chief of Infantry In_view of the above recommenda tion by the Chief of Infantry, the Ord- nance Subcommittee recommended as follows: a, ‘That the caliber .30 Tight rifle submitted by the Winchester Repeating. ‘Arms Company. modified substantially in accordance with the recommenda- tions of the Chief of Infantry as. re- corded herein, be adopted as a standard article, In the event itis impossible to procure a rear sight which meets the Above characteristics, the rocker type Sight similar to the one on the model Will be acceptable until the desired sight is tested and approved. '. That the weapon discussed herein and recommended for adoption as indi ‘cated in. sub-paragraph a above shall hhave the nomenclature as follows: Car- bine, Caliber 30, MI.” ‘Acting upon the recommendation of the Ordnance Subcommittee, the M1 carbine was approved for adoption and standardization by the Secretary of War and the Adjutant General Oct, 22, 1941. A production priority of “Essential— ‘Three Stars” was given the new arm and its procurement was contemplated from commercial sources, The estimated unit cost in quantity production was $50 which included essential spare parts, ‘On Sept. 30, 1941, the Ordnance Committee had approved the standard zation of the Cartridge, Caliber 30, Short Rifle, MI, and assigned it the nomenclature Cartridge, Carbine, Cali- ber 30, M1. It will be recalled that DuPont IMR 4227 had been the pro- pellant specified originally for use in this cartridge, but this powder had proved too bulky to give the required velocity and Hercules 2400 powder gave excessive muzzle fash. ‘Accordingly, all but 50,000 rounds of the original 250,000-round lot were loaded by Winchester with DuPont EX- 4809 powder. The odd 50,000 rounds were loaded with Hercules 2400 pow. der. The charge of DuPont EX-4809 powder gave an instrumental velocity ff about 1800 fps, at $3 ft. from the muzzle. Because of difficulty with the 31,000 psi, pressure level, the pressure level for the cartridge was raised to 38,000 psi. and later to 40,000 psi. ‘The instrumental velocity was inereased to 1900 fps. at 53 ft, from the muzzle, with an average chamber pressure not exceeding 40,000 psi. The above in- strumental velocity. was equivalent to a muzzle velocity of 1970 fps. Hercules 3950.88 powder was approved as an alternate propellant for the MI carbine cartridge. During World War Il, the MI car- bine ball cartridge was manufactured by the Western Cartridge Co., Winchester Repeating Arms Co., Remington Arms Co,, Lake City Ordnance Plant, and by the Kings Mills Ordnance Plant. The commercial firms involved were allowed to use their own noncorrosive priming mixtures The original bullet used in loading the ball cartridge was of cup-base type with nominal weight of 108 grs. It was man- tufactured up to Feb. 14, 1942, when it was superseded by a flat-base bullet nominal weight of 111 grs. The original ccup-base bullet tended to upset in firing leaving a ring of gilding metal in the front end of the chamber. Adoption of the Mat-base bullet eliminated this prob lem, (The designation Cartridge, Ball, Carbine, Caliber .30, M1 was assigned fon Sept, 14, 1944, to differentiate that round. from the ‘tracer and grenade Taunching cartridges that had been de- veloped later.) . aM2 carbines were supplied in vast numbers to South Vietnamese troops like these, shown, making an especially warlike exit from a UH-34 helicopter In 1965. Presumably, ‘the current regime in Hanoi stil holds | ‘We production of the MI carbine in World War Il dwarfed. any previous effort in manufacturing US. military or Sporting firearms. In the short span of 32 years, the total production of these handy, fal. 30 carbines reached 6,117,827 "The accomplishment constituted an American industrial feat of the kind that repeatedly staggered the Axis powers and faved. the world, Nine of the ten firms Wwhich contracted to make hundreds. of Thousands of MI carbines were totally in- experienced in firearms manufacture. ‘The fone exception was notable one: the Winchester Repeating Acms Co, As noted previously, the MI carbine evolved from Winchester concepts and designs. With America’s entry into World: War 1 imminent, Winchester received an ot der for 350,000 carbines on Nov. 24, 1941, but it was obvious that Winchester with’its already-heavy’ military small arms ‘commitments could not shoulder the whole burden of producing the carbines. Winchester engineers worked closely with the Inland Manufacturing Division Of General Motors Corp. in establishing production of the Mi carbine there. This twas before March 25, 1942, when the Government entered into a patent lense agreement with the Western Cartridge Co,, Winchester Repeating Arms Division ‘which authorized manufacture of the MI Carbine on a royalty-free basis. Under the ferms of this contract, the Government reimbursed the Western Cartridge Co. in the amount of $886,000 for the expense involved in development of the carbine and other pertinent. costs ‘Carbine production was coordinated by the Carbine Manufacturers Production Committee which included representatives ge stocks of M1 carbines and Mt rifles. fof the contracting firms. This group first met in April, 1942, That December the froup was renamed the Carbine Industry Integration Commitee. Ten prime contractors engaged in car- bine production during World War. TL ‘with Winchester the only one with previ ‘ous. arms-making “experience. The ‘other Prime contractors were: Tnland Manufacturing Div., Gen, Mo. tors Corp. Saginaw Steering Gear Div.. Gen. Mo: tors Corp. Rock-Ola Co, National Postal Meter Co. fost MI carbines made during ‘World War IT were distributed abroad later as “military assistance” (OF foreign ald, official figures indl- cate. ‘The US. Army Armament ‘Command, Rock Island, TL, states that more than five milion went that route. ‘The Army still carries ‘over 100,000 on inventory. Another 240,000 were sold to NRA Members in 1963-67 through the Director of Civilian Marksmanship program. None’ is available through DCM. "The Army confirmed the offic production figure of 6,117,827 Mi ‘carbines "made before, during and s00n after hostilides. Dr. Dale Bird: sell, Chief, Army Materiel Com- ‘mand Historical" Office, theorizes that approximately 700,000 were Tost in World War II or the Korean conflict, ALLTHE WAY WITH THE Mi CARBINE PART TWO By M. D. WAITE, Technical Editor THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN International Business Machines Corp. Underwood-Elliott Fisher Co. Quality Hardware & Machinery Co Standard Products Corp. rwin-Pedersen_ Arms Corp. The Saginaw Steering Gear Division of the General Motors Corp, assumed opera tion of the Irwin Pedersen Atms Corp. when that firm ran into production iti- calties, Some parts, including barrels, were sup plied to [prime contractors who were not {equipped to make them. The Buffalo Arms Corp. International Business | Machines Corp, and the Marlin Firearms Corp. pro: duced barrels on a Government Free Is sue basis for use by prime contractors. “There. were. more than 62 components in a typical MI carbine, and no manufac: turer produced all of them. The Interna tional Business Machines Corp, and Qual ity Hardware & Machinery ‘Co made but ‘Wo components, Winchester made 18, Underwood Elliot Fisher Co, made Rock-Ola Co, mide 13, Inland Manufac: turing Division, National. Postal "Meter Co, and Standard Products Corp, made four each. The Saginaw Steering Gear Di vision manufactured 24 components, but the remainder of the components for all prime contractors were subcontracted. In arly 1943 over 1600 subcontractors Were fengaged in the carbine program. The MIAI carbine Early in 1942 there was a requirement for a carbine with folding stock for use by airborne troops, Springfield Armory, Win chester, and. the Inland) Manufacturing Division ‘of the General. Motors Corp, pooled their efforts inthis project. InMarch, 1942, Inland completed a proto- type carbine with metal folding stock and submited it to the Infantry Board for test. ‘After correction of minor deficiencies, the carbine with folding. stock was standard- ized in May, 1942, and given the designa- tion Carbine, Caliber -30, MIA. The MIA2 carbine [As noted previously initial production fof the MI carbine sas made using the Winchester ‘Ttype dual-range aperture rear sight because a satisfactory. adjust Motors facturing Division of General CCorp., with the prototype sight completed inthe latter part of 1942. Designated T21 this sight required a modified receiver with enlarged bridge for its dovetail base, The Carbine with modified receiver fited” with the T21 rear sight was designated MIE: After service tests and modification, it ‘was standardized. in Janvary, 1943" as Carbine, Caliber 30, MIA2. The M1 car bine was then deciared Substiute Standard. ‘The great demand for the M1 carbine precluded manufacture of the ine. For that reason the T21 Sight was modified so that it could be used fon MI carbines in manufacture and in the hhands of troops. Adoption of the modi fied rear sight caused obsoletion of the MIA2 carbine in November, 1943 The MIEI carbine ‘The MIEI carbine was a development of the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. fnd was designed to correct certain. def Slencies in the trigger mechanism of the fviginal M1. carbine that had caused an excessively heavy trigger pull. The rede- Sign required a new hammer and hammer Spring, which maintained a tigger pull of M1 carbine of attachment. from 414 to 6 Ibs. These parts were made interchangeable in existing carbines “and, in May. 1943, were approved for produc tion and use in MI, MIAT, and: MIA2 carbines. The MIA3 carbine Following adoption of the M8 grenade launcher in March, 1943, it became neces- sary 0. develop carbine with folding Sock of greater strength than that of the MIAI carbine. In tests by the Ordnance Dept, the stock of the MIAI carbine had broken in launching one grenade. Earlier the Murray Corp. of America had devel- ‘oped a stamped folding stock assembly for fan MI carbine designated MIE3.. This Stock was later modified to utilize round bar components and a lock similar 10 that of the M3 submachine gun stock. Sul later, 4 sliding type stock was developed which ‘was identical to that of the M3 submachine fzun, The MI carbine with this stock was ‘designated MIE4. From this design came fan improved MIE3 stock which success- fully resisted the firing of ‘grenades and was better suited 10 the fring of ball am munition than the folding stock “of the MIAL carbine ‘After additional modification, the MI carbine fitted with the improved. folding Stock was designated Carbine, Caliber 30, MIA3 "in December, 1943. The MIA carbine was then made Limited Standard However, by the time the necessary en fering drawings had been made, the fhumber of MIAL carbines on hand. met fntiipated requirements through 1945, For that reason it was not deemed ad- visable to begin quantity production “of the MIAS. The MIES carbine In the latter part of 1942, a research project was begun on the possibility of Using cast steel components in the carbine. M1 carbine with fulladjustable rear attachment, and 30-ound magazine. ‘early manufacture, with Ltype rear sight, push-button safety, and lacking bayonet Inland Manufacturing Division eventual manufactored "50 carbines with all parts ‘of cast Arma steel except the barrels. liminary tests by Inland showed that Atma steel was not satisfactory for the receive. Later, 48 carbines designated MIES were assembled with Arma steel_ components find sent to Aberdeen Proving Ground for fendurance esting. ‘The operating slides, bolts, hammers, sears, Wiggers, tigger housings, magazine catches, and_ front sits of these carbines. were cast from ‘Arma steel, As a result of these and other tests, Arma steel was deemed unsuitable for ‘any carbine component except the trigger housin The MIE6 carbine ‘The MIE6 carbine was a laboratory instrument fited with 24” barrel for use by Frankford Arsenal in testing propellant powders for flash and smoke. Other than the barrel, the arm was a standard MI carbine, The MIE? carbine ‘At the request of Headquarters, Army Ground Forces, a projet was initiated in June, 1943, to modify the MI carbine for "The modification involved sniping us. fiting the M1 carbine with a Weaver M73BL_ telescope sight. The preliminary ‘mount did not stand up in test and a modified mount brazed 10 the receiver of the carbine was developed. by Inland Manufacturing Division. Sample. carbines With the improved Redfield. Jr. mount Were tested at Aberdeen Proving’ Ground in January, 1943, They. were satisfactory in stability’ and sirength, but the problem fof "case ejection interference remained, ‘Additional modifications corrected this dificulty, but lack of further service in terest in| lightweight sniper’s rifle re- sulted in dropping of the development. sight, rotary safety, bayonet MIAL carbine 2! The T2 carbine ‘The Carbine, Caliber 30, T2, was de- veloped by” Springficld Armory. Item: Ployed a new type of gas system based on the gs expansion principle ultimately incorporated in the Mi4 rifle, The action ‘of the slide and bolt assembly was much Tess violent by comparison with the tappet system of the standard M1 carbine. Carbines, Caliber 30 T2EI and T2E2 were developed in turn by Springlield Ar Imory 10 study the possiblities of the gas expansion principle. but despite the im provement offered, the advantage gained Was. not. sufficient 10 warrant’ quantity The T3 carbine The Carbine, Caliber 30, 73, was de- signed atthe request of ‘the Engineer Board for use with an infrared night sight- device known as. the Sniperseope Three model carbines were submitted to the Engineer Board and, as the result of tests, the MIET type of carbine with fore- end. modified for attachment of the bracket for the infrared light source was approved as a procurement type in Feb- ary, 1943. It was given the designati Carbine, Caliber 30, TS. "Sniperscope." ‘After’ subsequent standardization of the M2 Sniperscope, Headquarters, Army Ground Forces recommended standardira: tion of the T3 carbine for use with that device. The basie carbine was to be the MI-or M2 modified to permit semi-auto- ‘matic fire only ‘The M2 carbine In May, 1944, a program was begun to produce’a’set of components which would provide optional fullautomatic fire when fssembled into standard carbines: Parts of the carbine requiring. modification were the hammer, sear, operating slide, teseer housing, and stock. Additional parts re- quired were a. change lever and. spring, Sear trip, spring and plunger, and an sctuating lever. The carbine was set for full-automatic fre by moving the change lever to its forward position, “The conversion kit incliding the modi fied and additional parts ‘was designated Kit, Carbine, TI. Tt was developed. by Inland Manufacturing Division with the collaboration of the Ordnance Dept. The modified carbine incorporating these parts was designated Carbine, Caliber 30. 4 ‘A 30-round “banana” magazine was de. veloped in conjunction with the T17 Kit ‘The greater weight of this magazine re quired redesign of the magazine catch and Incorporation of additional supporting nibs in the bodies of ‘both 15-round and 30. ound magazines. "A number of T4 carbines were later manufactured for study. In_ September, 1944, this carbine was approved as. a Service Test type. In subsequent tests the operation of the T4 was so satisfactory that the. various service boards recom: ‘mended its adoption in place of the MI ‘carbine m4 — ‘Above, MIA3 carbine with folding metal stock extended. Below, M2 carbine with M4 bayonet-nife ‘The TA carbine was designated Carbine, Caliber 30, M2, and. was standardized in September. 1944, The MI, MIAI, and MIA3 carbines were reclassified as’ Lim led Standard, The M3 carbine ‘The Carbine, Caliber 30, M3, was a modification of the M2 carbine to incor- porate the M2 Sniperscope and the T23 flash hider which had een developed in 1944 for use with the M2 carbine. Adopted in August, 1945, the M3_ carbine was capable of both Semi-automatic and full- fvtomatic fire. Tests had shown that fol Automatic fre did not affect performance ff the electrical and optical elements of the infrared sighting device Bayonet Attachment ‘As originally manufactured, the M1 carbine had no bayonet attachment, In 1944, the decision was made to devise an attachment for use of the Mé Bayonet Knife on the carbine. This required: modi- Caliber .30 Carbine Production 1942-1945 Inland Manufacturing Division, GMc. 2,642,097 Winchester Repeating Arms Co. "818,059 Underwood ElliottFisher Co. 545,616 Saginaw Steering Gear Div., GMC. 517,212 National Postal Meter Co. 413,017 Quality Hardware & Machine Co, 359,665 International Business Machines Corp. 346,500 Standard Products Co. 247,160, Rock-Ola Co. 228,500 Total 6,117,827 pal fication of the upper bund assembly to provide the necessary fitings. The new assembly incorporating a strengthened front band adopted in 1943 was adopted in May, 1944, to replace other upper band assemblies in’ service Field experience with the M2 carbine soon. demonstrated the need for an anti climb device to hold the muzzle down in full-automatic fire. The prototype models ‘were made at Springfield Armory. Tt was found that the muzzle depression effect was more important than reduction in re coil. The TI3 recoil check recommended for adoption in September. 1985, provided maximum muzzle depression effet. Tt was vented at the top so that escaping gases forced the muzzle of the carbine down ward Several accessory items were designed ‘and. produced for tse sith the varios car bine "models. ‘These included aplastic magazine cap. blank fring attachment, TO-round cartridge clip, bolt wool, tigger assembly tool, and a piston nut wrench, ‘A significant change’ was made in the safety: mechanism in March, 1948, when the original push bution safety was re- placed with a rotary safety. The original Safety was positioned so. close to. the ‘magazine catch that it was not uncommon {or the soldier to press the magazine catch inadvertently when attempting 10 move the safety t0 “fite" position, causing the ma ine to fall out “Many changes, some slight, were made jn the design of various. carbine parts, including the bolt. The later, improved bolt had a round body which distinguished it from the earlier Aat-top bolt. MI carbines of early: manufacture will be found with a tubular housing surround- ing. the operating. slide spring. assembly. ‘This housing was dispensed with in later production carbines. Tn addition to ball cartridges, a variety fof Special carbine ammunition types Was‘The Ms carbine was used exclusively with the Sniperscope Set No. 1, and so had no rear sight. The Sniperscope, with Its huge battery and. vacuum. tube power pack, ‘Seems absurdly primitive today, but it was used, despite its full 321b. system weight developed and manufactured. These in clude erenade launching. blank, racer frmor piercing, high pressure test, and tummy rounds, Both stl and brase cased ‘ammunition Was produced in this caliber Unlike some military: small arms that pas oUt of the picture quickly. the MI tbine seems destined to remain in world ‘wide use for many years to come. Aside from ils important role in World. Wat Tl the various models of the carbine also eave yeoman service during the Korean War snd the later Vietnamese. confit. A. favored arm with smaller statured Oriental soldiers, itis a standard military and Para-miiary arm jin-many foreign mil {ary units and. police organizations. The MI carbine hasbeen manufactured in Japan for military use and is made com mercially in this countey in both sporting and. military versions. In 1963 4 quantity of MI carbines’ in. serviceable condition was released for sile to members of the NRA through the Ofice of the Director ‘of Civilian Marksmanship. Those able to purchase ‘one of these fine litle ries a that ‘considered themselves very fortunate . The principal sources of information ‘and illustrations for this article were Col. E. Hl. Harrison, USA, Ordnence Corps, (Red). Senior Technical Ad- Hews The Am Wall, Arms Historian, Cosgrove, Army Materiel tharles H. Yust, Jr Aberdeen Proving Pent Wohl, author ry of Garhi US. Carbine, Branch, Industrial Dit Ordnance Dept July. 19433 Record of Army Ordnance Research and Development, Vol. 2 Small Arm and Small Arms Ammani- ion, 0.6.0. R&D Servier. Jan. 1946; and” miscellaneous technical manuals i under seapiore of thr War Dept. Dept. of the Arms Accessories for the M1 carbine make up an interesting sub-feld for collectors. The piston ni ‘wrench (a), magazine dust cap (b), trigger spring removing tool (c), 1Oround stripper olip (@)' and bolt disassembling tool (e) are all familiar items. Carbine Stocks The stack of my MI Carbine has a slot on the upper eft se nex 1o the receiver: What is its purpose? A friend says that the stock is for ‘an M2 Carbine, and improper forthe MI. 1s he ‘Answer: The sock is prope forthe MI ‘Carbine, M2, M3, and later MT Carbines use the same stock, The slot you mention is a ‘clearance cut forthe selector ofthe M2 and M3 tersions. ‘The selector is used to sct those abines for semi-o full-automatic ire. “Most MI Carbines have the older stock, without the clearance cut. 1.0. (Clearance cut (arrow) for selector. M1 Carbine Bolts My MI Carbine has a rou friend has one with @ flavtop there a diference berwee they tmerchangeable Answer: The Mlat-op bolt (No. 587148) is the eaier type, for use in MI and MIAL Carbines, The round bolt (No, 7160492) wa introduced in 1943 for use in M2 and M3 Carbines. The round holt has greater cam Fing ate atthe tear, but it is interchangeable with the flat-iop bolt in MI and MIAT Car ott, but a ot Why is reve bolts? Are bines During World War I, the use of flat-top bolt was restricted to manufacture and arse nal rebuild of MI and MIAL Carbines 10 in sure supply of round bolls for M2 and M3 Carbines. — M.D.W Flattop bolt (lower) with round bolt iee Fs guy 4 ‘i, 5 Con te HM