M1 Carbines?

[1986s4]

I really like mine. A CMP Underwood marked version. It has had trouble with extraction since I got it. It's seen several smiths who didn't specialize in M1's but what I should do is pack it up and send it back to the CMP gunsmiths.
Ammo costs aren't really all that far off of 5.56/.223. One buys .30 carbine by the 50 round box, most 5.56 is sold by the 20 round box. One can find .30 carbine for aprox $14.00/50 and up online. Comparison to 5.56 per round cost is close depending on the quality of each. I've had good luck with the Keep shooting brand mags, 50/50 with the Korean mags, all my surplus mags are G2G. Spare parts are available.
A very enjoyable carbine to shoot and I suspect at the close ranges it was intended, very effective.

[Coyotesfan97]

I still kick myself for not buying one when they were cheap even at gun shows.

[Buckshot]

Why are some of you struggling with feeding SPs when we have Gold Dot, Critical Defense & Cor-Bon available for the M1 carbine? They can be tuned up to be reliable with the old exposed lead SPs but if you're using it for defense, come on and join the 21st century.

[Tabasco]

Why are some of you struggling with feeding SPs when we have Gold Dot, Critical Defense & Cor-Bon available for the M1 carbine? They can be tuned up to be reliable with the old exposed lead SPs but if you're using it for defense, come on and join the 21st century.

Ok. I'll admit I have a Universal M1 Carbine. Got it in 1980 when I was 15 and the Internet didn't exist. Who knew? Anyway, it runs just fine with everything except Remington 110 gr. softpoints. They seem to have a blunt profile, more rounded than the FMJ, Gold Dot SP, and other types of FMJ. Seems that after a few rounds, lead builds up on the feed ramp and they start hanging up. A palm to the charging handle and they go into battery and and "Bang!". Getting better with my Dremel at polishing, so when I take it back out sometime in the future, we'll see if that fixes it. I remember AR type rifles having the same problem with lead exposed soft points awhile back. Somewhere. Gold Dot SP rounds seem to work just fine.

[Lester Polfus]

I think the Gold Dot load for M1 carbine is no longer being made, and a quick check of the internet seems to agree with me...

[Buckshot]

It might be only made in small runs - it is still listed in the current Speer LE Catalog

[mrozowjj]

What kind of accuracy can you expect from an M1 carbine? And what's the trajectory like on the .30 carbine? What's a reasonable distance to make hits at? 200? 300?

I've always kind of wanted one but I always put it off because ammo and mags and finding a good one was a bitch and commercial offerings were more expensive.

That Fulton Armory M3 is pimp but it's so much money.

[Trooper224]

Stated max range is 300 yards, but that's rather optimistic. 100 yards and in is more the ideal, with four to six inch groups being average.

[ACP230]

I shot my M1 Carbine in a couple of 200 yard NRA High Power Rifle matches in the '90s.
All the bullets hit the target and none keyholed. My scores were comparable to ones I posted
with an M1 Garand. I don't remember what the group sizes were.

Those on the line, and I, were amused by the pause between the "pop" of the Carbine firing
and the pause between that noise and the slap of the bullet hitting the target. The M1s and
M1As on the line were louder and had no real distance between the muzzle blast and the
impact downrange. In prone brass landed in the middle of my back quite often. Also
amusing to me. Would have been less amusing if I wasn't wearing a shooting jacket.

[mrozowjj]

Stated max range is 300 yards, but that's rather optimistic. 100 yards and in is more the ideal, with four to six inch groups being average.

So basically a PCC