My Carbines, Old and New - with a twist
You all know that I am a huge fan of the M1 Carbine as a defensive weapon. I carried one for much of my LEO career as a trunk weapon, and has been a primary home/farm defensive carbine for me during my LEO career, and the 15 years since I retired. I have killed deer at 100 yards with it, and have no doubt it would do the same to two legged Goblins or Zombie's at that range.
Through the years, though, I have looked for an M1 carbine replacement with more "Pizzazz!" For some reason my 7.62x39 AK and Mid-length AR 5.56 build, just seem to be "too much" for a home defense carbine, and not nearly as handy for a wilderness camping rifle. Nothing seemed as "correct" as the M1 Carbine that I always go back to. I tried Mini-14s and Mini-30s, but until recently, they were not an option. With their whippy thin barrel and dismal (flimsy rear and mile high, unprotected front blade) iron sights, accuracy was not even close to my Inland M1 Carbine.
Then I had a chance to shoot a new Generation 580 series with the heavier stepped/tapered barrel and M1 Carbine style factory sights! OMG! It is like an M1 Carbine with a hard on! Shooting 77 grain MK 262 MOD1 5.56 ammo, it will do at 300 yards was an M1 Carbine will do at 100. I promptly traded in an excess 9mm as a down payment and picked one up a used one at my favorite local gunshop. 2014 Production, 99.9% finish, for $750 out the door.
I still have (Ruger factory and Thermold) "legally possessed by me in California prior to 1-12000" high capacity magazines from my prior Minii-14 forays.
As you can see, the size, handling, and weight are comparable between my Inland M1 Carbine with a 30 rounder in the weapon and two 15s in a stock pouch, and my new Mini with a factory 20 rounder in the weapon, and a single 30 rounder in a stock mag pouch. Even camping out in my mountains, as with the M1 Carbine, if I can't handle the situation with a high cap mag in the weapon, and another 30 rounds in a pouch on the stock, I need prayers more than I need more ammo!
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...oynyz2ib-1.jpg
Jeff Cooper, in his 1975 Guns and Ammo Magazine review of the newly introduced Ruger Mini-14 compared it to the M1 Carbine, thinking of it as a logical evolution of the M1 Carbine concept, comparing its handling as identical to the M1 Carbine.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...opp36pr7-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...oz7elltv-1.jpg
6 Attachment(s)
David Marshall Williams design
Yeah, I know, he didn't invent the carbine let alone do it in prison. But I find it somewhat comical that Clarkson typically gets all the credit for the Winchester .224 entry for the light rifle trials that chose the Armalite design.
Being a retired cop I got fed up with all the "Carbine Williams" bravado and decided to make Williams a special needs project to document what his real involvement was in killing the deputy sheriff that landed him in prison, what he really did in prison, and what he really did afterwards.
The research took me to the NC Museum of History, NC State Archives, Fayetteville Court House, the Williams homestead, the MGM Collection by The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science, Special Collections, Margaret Herrick Library, Beverly Hills, ... along with the Cody Museum and their McCracken Research Library in Cody, WY.
When the American Rifleman issue with Canfield's article on the G30 hit the mail boxes, I was literally doing a photo shoot of the G30 and parts at the NC Museum of History.
The end result was a heck of an experience and the six web pages I have on Williams with what I found, including downloads of copies of many of the documents.
http://www.uscarbinecal30.com/Williams.html
Check the 4th page for what he did during his time at Winchester. I was able to shoot a limited number of pics of a few of the prototypes and carbines. Would have liked to have done a photo spread at Cody and the NC Museum of History as it only needs to be done once but they have the rules they do for a very good reason. And their own photographers who are rightfully territorial about their means of income.
My main goal at Cody was to get pics of the carbine prototypes and others concocted by Williams to show people which carbine he did invent. That carbine prototype and the rifle that preceded it were the design Clarkson came up with for the Winchester .224.
The Winchester G30 Rifle
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....id=65486&stc=1
NC Museum of History
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....id=65487&stc=1
Pic I shot with their permission
The Williams .30 Carbine Prototype
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....id=65490&stc=1
McCracken Research Library
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....id=65488&stc=1
On display at Cody Museum, pic I took
A Williams prototype for a .30 Carbine for sporting use
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....id=65489&stc=1
Cody Museum
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....id=65491&stc=1
Pic I took. This one is in their vault and not on display. More pics on the website.
Very educational research project.
And yes, there was ample proof beyond a reasonable doubt and unto a moral certainty Williams was the one who murdered Deputy Alfred Pate of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. The hung jury was a sanity trial, not a criminal trial that would have followed. 11-1 for sanity. Retrial on sanity was set to go when Williams wisely took the guilty plea for the jail term instead of going for the death penalty. Check out the documents on my web pages. I was also able to locate a couple family descendants of the deputy and shared what I found with them.
Though you may or may not know me for my websites, I would much rather be doing these kind of research projects and photo shoots. But to not share them would let all the work and history die with me. Which would negate the value of all the work I did.
Jim