Carbine USM1
Technical détails
Caliber: .30 US Carbine (7.62x33 mm)
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Overall length: 904 mm
Barrel length: 458 mm
Weight: 2.36 kg without magazine
Magazine capacity: 15 or 30 rounds
History
The M1 carbine is an interesting little weapon. The original request for a compact and lightweight shoulder arm to replace service handguns for second-line (non-fighting) troops was first issued by US Army in 1938. The idea behind this request was that a shoulder arm, such as carbine, firing ammunition of moderate power, will have more effective range and will be much simpler to train the users to fire it accurately, than the standard .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol or revolver. This request was probably the first recognition of the need in the Personal Defense Weapon in the modern sense. Request was shelved for some time and re-issued in 1940. It included the new cartridge of .30 caliber but of power far less than of US general issue .30-06 ammunition. The cartridge, officially named the "cartridge, ball, .30 caliber, M1", was developed by the Winchester company. It was a straight-case, rimless design with round-nose bullet weighting 110 grains (7.1 gram) and muzzle velocity of 1860 fps (~ 570 m/s). Muzzle energy was about 2 times more than of .45ACP pistol cartridge but still almost 3 times less than of .30-06 rifle cartridge. In the modern sense the .30 carbine cartridge can be called an "intermediate" but the lack of the muzzle energy and round nosed bullet limited the effective range to about 200 meters or so. Anyway, it had still much longer range than any pistol round of its time, along with moderate recoil. Many companies submitted their designs for US Army trials but the winner eventually became the Winchester. The design of the Winchester carbine is often contributed to the David "Carbine" Williams, who was the developer of the gas system. But, according to some sources, this carbine was born as a spare-time hunting carbine project of some engineers at Winchesters' workshop, and, when military request appeared, this design was resurrected and adopted for intended use. In any case, Winchester began to deliver its first carbines to the US Government in the July, 1942. Some other manufactures also were selected to produce the M1 carbines, such as Inland Manufacturing Division of the General Motors Corp., Underwood-Elliot-Fisher Co., Saginaw Steering Gear Division of the General Motors Corp., National Postal Meter Co., Quality Hardware & Machine Co., International Business Machines Corp (IBM), Standard Products Co. and Rock-Ola Co. During the period of 1942 - 1945 total of more than 6 millions of carbines were manufactured. Since 1944, the only companies still manufacturing M1 carbines were Winchester and Inland. After the end of the WW2 production continued for some time, and M1 carbine and its variations saw some serious action as a first-line weapon not only during the WW2, but also during Korean and early stages of Vietnam war. M1 carbines also were widely exported by US Government to numerous friendly nations, mostly in South-East Asia. M1 carbines saw limited use in the post-war West Germany and France. It should be also noted that M1 carbines are still manufactured by various small US companies for civilian sales, using both military surpulus and newly made parts. Large numbers of surpulus M1 carbines also were sold at the civilian markets in the post-war period.
In general, M1 Carbine was a really compact and handy weapon. It was lightweight and short enough to be more suitable for jungle combat, than a full-size battle rifles such as M1 Garand. It also offered relatively high practical rate of fire due to large-capacity, detachable magazines and low recoil. The M2 modification, which had a select-fire capability and a magazines of larger capacity (30 rounds, interchangeable with the older 15-round ones), could be described as an "almost an assault rifle" ("almost" is added due to the lack of effective range). Had Americans a little trouble to soup it up slightly in the terms of power and range, they could have a true assault rifle 20 years before they actually did, and probably with much less headache. But they did not, and M2 was manufactured in relatively small numbers and was mostly used during the Korean war. Another modification was the even more compact "paratrooper" version, M1A1, with side-folding metallic buttstock and a pistol grip. This version also was produced in limited numbers. The last modification was the M3, which originally appeared as an experimental prototype T3. It was no more than a M2 select-fire carbine, fitted with special mounts to accept night-vision sighting devices (IR sights). Intended use was as a short-range, night-time sniper rifle. M3 also was used in Korea and, probably, Vietnam.
It must be noted that during the war in Korea M1 carbines received some bad fame due to reliability problems in extremely low temperatures and also due to underpowered cartridge, which was sometimes unable to effectively penetrate the thick winter uniforms of North Korean and Chinese soldiers at extended ranges.
Technically, M1 Carbine is a gas operated, magazine fed, semi-automatic or select-fire (M2) short rifle. It uses the short-piston stroke gas operated action, designed by D. Williams. Gas piston is located under the middle of the barrel and has a travel of about 1/3 inch (8 mm). When gun is fired, the powder gases are bleed from the barrel into the gas chamber and propel the gas piston violently to the rear. The gas piston thus gives a sharp blow to the operating slide, which is located inside the stock and is linked to the rotating bolt, more or less similar to one found in M1 Garand rifle. The bolt has two forward lugs that locks into the receiver walls. The safety on all M1 carbines and variations is located at the front part of the triggerguard. On the earliest carbines the safety was in the form of the cross-bolt push-button but latter it was replaced by the lever-type switch, because in the heat of the combat the safety button was sometimes confused with magazine release button, located next to the safety. The fire mode selector on the M2 and M3 was located at the left side of the receiver. The cocking handle is permanently attached to the operating rod. Sights on the earlier M1 carbines had a flip-up rear diopter (peep-hole) with settings for 150 and 300 feets, and later rear sights were replaced by drift-adjustable diopter. Carbines were issued with sling and sometimes with additional pouch that was mounted on the buttstock and allowed to carry two spare magazines on the gun itself.
FYI, here are the individual production runs for both the M1 and M1A1 Carbines for each of the ten contractors(for WWII only):
Inland
Production(all models): 2,625,000
M1: 2,485,000
M1A1: 140,000
Winchester
Production(all models): 828,059
M1: 828,059
Underwood
Production(all models): 545,616
M1:545,616
Rock-Ola
Production(all models): 228,500
M1: 228,500
Quality Hardware
Production(all models): 359,666
M1: 359,666
Grand
Rapids(Irwin-Pedersen/Saginaw)
Production(all models): 223,620
M1: 223,620
Saginaw Gear
Production(all models): 293,592
M1: 293,592
National Postal Meter
Production(all models): 413,017
M1: 413,017
Standard Products
Production(all models): 247,160
M1: 247,160
IBM
Production(all models): 346,500
M1: 346,500
Production Totals Overall: 6,110,730
Lastly, here are all of the blocks provided to each individual contractor by the U.S. Ordnance Department, their block manufacturing dates and their cost per manufacturer.
Inland
Division of General Motors
1 - 5 ~
November 1941
11 -
999,999 ~ May 1942 to September 1943
2,912,520
- 3,212,519 ~ September 1943 to January 1944
4,879,526
- 5,549,921 ~ January 1944 to August 1944
6,219,689
- 6,449,867 ~ August 1944 to November 1944
6,629,884
- 7,234,883 ~ November 1944 to August 1945
7,369,661
- 8,069,660 ~ January 1945 to August 1945
Inland
Division of General Motors average manufacturing cost: $39.60 per M-1 Carbine
Winchester Repeating Arms Co.
6 - 10 ~
December 1941
1,000,000
- 1,349,999 ~ September 1942 to February 1944
4,075,000
- 4,075,009 ~ February 1944
5,549,922
- 5,834,618 ~ February 1944 to November 1944
6,449,868
- 6,629,883 ~ November 1944 to January 1945
7,234,884
- 7,369,660 ~ January 1945 to September 1945
Winchester Repeating Arms Co. average manufacturing cost: $37.75 per M-1 Carbine
Underwood-Elliot-Fisher
1,350,000
- 1,449,999 ~ November 1942 to July 1943
2,352,520
- 2,912,519 ~ July 1943 to February 1944
4,010,000
- 4,074,999 ~ February 1944 to March 1944
6,099,689
- 6,199,688 ~ March 1944 to May 1944
Underwood-Elliot-Fisher average manufacturing cost: $47.82 per M-1 Carbine
Rock-Ola
1,662,520
- 1,762,519 ~ November 1942 to November 1943
4,532,100
- 4,632,099 ~ November 1943 to March 1944
6,071,189
- 6,099,688 ~ March 1944 to April 1944
6,199,689
- 6,219,688 ~ April 1944
Rock-Ola
average manufacturing cost: $58.00 per M-1 Carbine
Quality
Hardware Machine Corp.
1,550,000
- 1,662,519 ~ February 1943 to May 1943
1,875,040
- 1,937,519 ~ June 1943
4,432,100
- 4,532,099 ~ July 1943 to August 1943
4,632,100 - 4,879,525 ~ September 1943 to May 1944
Quality
Hardware Machine Corp. average manufacturing cost: $45.52 per M-1 Carbine
Grand
Rapids(Irwin-Pedersen/Saginaw)
1,762,520
- 1,875,039 ~ March 1943 to September 1943
3,212,520
- 3,250,019 ~ May 1943 to January 11, 1944
Saginaw
Gear
3,250,020
- 3,651,519 ~ May 1943 to February 1944
5,834,619
- 6,071,188 ~ February 1944 to May 1944
Saginaw
Steering Gear Division of General Motors average manufacturing cost: $38.00 per
M
-1
Carbine
National
Postal Meter
1,450,000
- 1,549,999 ~ January 1943 to September 194
1,937,520
- 1,982,519 ~ October 1943 to November 1943
4,075,010
- 4,432,099 ~ November 1943 to May 1944
National
Postal Meter average manufacturing cost: $69.43 per M-1 Carbine
Standard
Products
1,982,520
- 2,352,519 ~ March 1943 to May 1944
Standard
Products average manufacturing cost: $53.79 per M-1 Carbine
International Business Machines(IBM)
3,651,520
- 4,009,999 ~ October 1943 to May 1944
International Business Machines(IBM)average manufacturing cost: $39.60 per M-1
Carbine
**All information herein is from my self-knowledge and compiled from Craig Riesch's guide "U.S. M1 Carbines: Wartime Production". (4th Edition)
Craig Riesch's guide for collector's is the best you'll find out on the market for everything U.S. Carbine Cal. 30 M1. I highly recommend this book.
Well, this is all from me! I hope this helps anyone out wondering about M1/M1A1 Carbines and, I hope you enjoy the information. Its here for your use.
Enjoy!
Regards,
FRISCAN
US Rifle Oilers
International Silver Co, Meriden, Connecticut, produced most, and perhaps all,
of the M1 oilers!
I say "perhaps" because we are not sure about the early Winchester production
ones, marked "SW" in a circle, on the cap and not on the bottom like all the
others.
To identify the manufacturer (the assembler, I should say) of the M1 for which
it is intended, it is very simple: on the bottom of the oiler, in a circle, are
letters, an I for International Silver, along with the letter-code assigned to
the manufacturer.
- IS ------------------------- International Silver
- II ------------------------- Inland
- SW ----------------------- Winchester (early marking)
- IW ----------------------- Winchester
- IU ---------------------- Underwood
- IQ ------------------------ Quality HMC
- IR ------------------------ Rock-Ola
- IN ------------------------ National Postal Meter
- ISP ----------------------- Standard Products
- BK ----------------------- Blake Manufacturing Corporation
There is no IB oiler for IBM, as one might think.
The Saginaw and IBM were equipped with IS oilers. Harrison attributes this
marking to the Worchester Taper Pin Co. However, the Carbine Club believes he is
mistaken, as this is the marking that International Silver put on all its oilers
during 1944.
Because the oilers manufactured by International Silver were satisfactory, the
company had asked permission to no longer mark them in order to simplify
production. This was refused, but he was allowed to affix his own marking, IS,
in place of those intended for the various manufacturers, which was still an
appreciable simplification.
Most of the "late war" M1s (1944-45) and the M2s are therefore equipped with IS
oilers.
Between 1945 and 1949 (documents are missing to be more precise), Blake
Manufacturing Corporation produced oilers marked BK as spare parts, as part of
the post-WW2 renovation programs. Many of these oilers are found on the M1s and
M2s of Korea, and also Vietnam.
For the sake of completeness, we must mention the oilers produced around 1958 by
Polley Brothers & Verson, Inc., in Dallas, Texas, which have on the bottom the
most beautiful marking: company name in full: POLLEY BROS & VERSON, INC. DALLAS,
TEXAS surrounding a target crossed by an arrow and framed by the words PRECISION
BUILT.
All in modesty!
Finally, we can specify that the leather washer ensuring the sealing of the cap
was officially changed for a synthetic rubber washer by a document dated October
17, 1951.
by Feder504, February 27, 2009, on the Militariacollec Forum
Calibre .30M1
