U.S.G.I. Carbine , cal 30, M1

GunnSmokeer

GunnSmokeer

Senior Member
What’s the current (2017) story on price and availability of genuine mil-surp M1 carbines?

What about those new commercial reproductions, supposedly still mil-spec with 100% parts compatatability?

Finally, for a shooter-grade rifle with no collector’s value, but just for fun, training new shooters (and petite women) to shoot, or to have some kind of M1 carbine just because you like the looks and dimensions of it, how about an older commercial one— Universal, Plainfield, Iver Johnson, etc?

Are there any decent ones available for a reasonable price?
 
JeffinPTC

JeffinPTC

Senior Member
I paid $630 plus 10% Anniston tax for the rack grade I got in the CMP raffle last year, and $730 + last summer for a service grade. If you jump thru all the CMP hoops, they sometimes have carbines at the store in Anniston. Follow this link for availability:

Recommend you buy Canfield's book. Spend $40 now to avoid getting ripped off later. For example, he says some of the import guns have the importer name stamped into the barrel far enough to affect accuracy, and he passes judgement on the knockoffs.
I fondled the new "Inland" carbine last time I was in Cabelas in Acworth and was not impressed with the fit and finish.
Your Mileage may vary
Jeff
 
bullgator

bullgator

Senior Member
They're certainly fun to shoot. The military guns are really expensive these days. I believe there are a couple of the milspec commercial manufacturers that make really good guns. Off the top I'm thinking Inland and Kahr/Auto Ordinance.
 
Balrog

Balrog

Senior Member
I collect M1 Carbines. I would avoid the commercial models. The CMP carbines will be entirely functional. Better off to go to with them.
 
PappyHoel

PappyHoel

Senior Member
Balrog said:
I collect M1 Carbines. I would avoid the commercial models. The CMP carbines will be entirely functional. Better off to go to with them.
Click to expand...

Is the cmp store in Anniston considered the south store? Also everyone keeps saying go to the forum for rifle availability. That's nonsense, I can't make heads or tails of that forum.

In addition to that...if I wanted to order a rifle and have it shipped where do I find the model numbers and details to write on the forum. Very confusing operation for 2018.
 
JeffinPTC

JeffinPTC

Senior Member
Yes, South Store in Anniston, North is Camp Perry, OH.

Carbines are only available thru the CMP auction site or, rarely, in the stores. Recently M1A1 paratrooper (folding stock) were on the auction site, $2K+. but probably the only way to guarantee you have a USGI M1A1, although some of these may have been Korean rebuilds with the metal stock.
Very confusing operation for 2018.
If they made it easy, anybody could do it.

Really recommend you buy a book and school yourself so you don't get ripped off. I recently saw a M1A1 advertised that was not an Inland receiver. Only Inland made the originals.
The Canfield and Reisch books are my go to, and are the ones the CMP store sells
 
king killer delete

king killer delete

Moderator
JeffinPTC said:
Yes, South Store in Anniston, North is Camp Perry, OH.

Carbines are only available thru the CMP auction site or, rarely, in the stores. Recently M1A1 paratrooper (folding stock) were on the auction site, $2K+. but probably the only way to guarantee you have a USGI M1A1, although some of these may have been Korean rebuilds with the metal stock.
Very confusing operation for 2018.
If they made it easy, anybody could do it.

Really recommend you buy a book and school yourself so you don't get ripped off. I recently saw a M1A1 advertised that was not an Inland receiver. Only Inland made the originals.
The Canfield and Reisch books are my go to, and are the ones the CMP store sells
Click to expand...

We had them laying around in Nam. Good little gun. Had one in my jeep with my M16.
 
BradW

BradW

Member
Go with the CMP. If you do mail order, you can "unofficially" put a yellow post it note about what you might be looking for. Doesn't guarantee you will get that, but they typically do their best to honor it. From my understanding they are backordered on their field grades by 6 months, but you can put your name in and wait, or get all your paperwork together and go over to Anniston and pick one out. I did mine by mail order with the yellow post it note, got a very nice Feb '45 Springfield in GI wood with all original parts save for the bolt and trigger, rated +1/+1. You aren't going to get one at their prices at the local gun show.
 
GunnSmokeer

GunnSmokeer

Senior Member
Not CMP

CMP says per their website that I checked today, that all supplies of M1 carbines are “exhausted” and they do not anticipate selling any more.
 
JeffinPTC

JeffinPTC

Senior Member
The online Sales page has said they were sold out for years. I picked up a service grade S'G' carbine at the Anniston store in June for $785 +10% tax. If you will follow "South Store Report" link in earlier post, you will see they occasionally have m1903a3s, Harvester and Winchester Garands and other goodies.
At the time I understood they had one guy cleaning and inspecting, putting out 10 or so carbines a week at the store only.
If you're not in a rush, the GCA Journal had an article in the Fall 17 mag about 90K Korean returns of Garands and carbines, and 90k in the Philippines.
No word on availability dates.

FWIW from Mark Johnson's wife on the Philippine rifles...
From the end of April 2017.....
We don't anticipate having these up for sale until late this year/possibly early 2018 depending if and when the Secretary of the Army transfers the rifles to CMP.

http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=213464

more wild rumors and Speculation here:
http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=219416&highlight=korean

If you're interested in Garands, $25 for a GCA membership and $10 for the DVD on their homepage is a good investment. I think the Carbine Club has fallen on bad times.
http://www.uscarbinecal30.com/
 
Last edited:
rosewood

rosewood

Senior Member
I got one of the thompson M1 carbines a few years back. Love it. Was nice to be new and not beat up and it is supposedly 100% interchangeable with mil-surplus whereas the Universal I traded in on it was not mil-spec.

Seems like the price on it was about $550 before the trade in. Guessing if you can find one it will be significantly less than those originals you have found.

Rosewood
 
Bobby Jackson

Bobby Jackson

Banned
I know a guy who bought 3 Mil carbines at a estate sale last week at a group price of $3000. and swears he got a great deal. And with his extensive knowledge of them I assume he knows what he bought.

I really cant imagine a gun that you could pickup in the 70s for $50 or even $100 bringing $1000 each...Amazing
 
GunnSmokeer

GunnSmokeer

Senior Member
Yeah, I got my DCM M1 Garand rifle (not CMP, but the Army's Department of Civilian Marksmanship) for $168, back in the middle 1990s, I believe.

I don't know if .30 carbines were available then. I wasn't in the market for one anyway. I know they had some Kimber bull-barreled .22 target rifles for under $200.
 
pavogrande

pavogrande

Member
How about $17.50 plus $3.50 postage to your DOOR in 1961 -
An IBM and an Inland, both arsenal refurbs from Raritan --

My grandkids are going to love the ROI -- :)
 
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