Too GOOD to be TRUE ? ? ?

[fn111557]

I posted this on another forum but I’ll post it here also, you can NEVER get too much advice good or bad. Let me know if this is a good general guideline to follow.
Thanks
Fred

I am looking for a REAL NICE shooter for my first M1. I am mostly doing window shopping for when the BIG gun show comes around in November. From the looks of things on CMP a “RACK GRADE” runs around $500 (pretty beat up looking), a “SERVICE GRADE” if you can find one goes for over $1000 (most I have seen wish they looked as good as this). With that in mind, if I find something looking this good, solid feel to it, and under my self-imposed $750 funds, I should jump on it? I would like to pull the trigger on this, but it seems too nice to be real. Will some of you EXPERTS please look this over and let me know if this is what a GREAT DEAL is like or if I am overlooking anything.
Link to GB auction I found (not mine) if this is against the rules I’m sorry.

USGI Caliber .30 M1 Carbine Inland Div 5-digit S/N : Semi-auto at GunBroker.com

Information

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[FTD1167]

Try the CMP Trader boards. Under WTB. Lots of very nice CMP rifles traded and sold everyday.

[Rustship]

I personally stay away from re-imports, because they seem to not hold a lot of value. I think there are plenty in your price range that are not imported. Just be patient look around on the Internet, and you can find some good buys

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

The 2 mags are worth $15 each, repo case $20, IS oiler $10. That drops it down to $550 for a shooter.

If that is what you are looking for, I think it is a fair deal. The import stamp is a minus, but you could sell that barrel add about $100 and get a non import barrel. But why? If it shoots good, that was what you were after.

And a five digit at that. I'm surprised someone hasn't bought it just for that.

Now, if you had thoughts of trying to put it back to WW2 configuration, it has too many things to replace and would not be worth the effort.

That said, just a warning. You mention for your first M1. Once you get one, you probably will want more. And nicer to boot, that will cost bigger dollars. And then the fun begins.

Good Luck.

[painter777]

Would be nice to know the muzzle wear...

Charlie

[painter777]

Seller states....
M2 stock (?) I don't see a cut out on the left rail for the selector switch or any type of potbelly. almost looks like a RSG stock when looking at the frt end, but the recoil plate fit looks more like a PU stock.
Who knows.... might be some hard to find parts inside that could be easily swapped or sold off to off set the cost.
If the barrel's bore is ok.. Well worth the asking price.
Shipping is only $20.
Seen one the other day, shipping was $100....... Right !

Charlie

[painter777]

Fred,
For the money here is a better deal.....
A last serial number block for SG.......
Ends today.

M1 CARBINE SAGINAW SG WWII : Curios and Relics at GunBroker.com

[AZCarbineFan]

I think the inland is a great buy, it's an early one, and the receiver is in real nice shape with crisp markings, not washed out by repeated sandblasting and repark. I do not like the Saginaw becuase the numbers/letter are a little washed out. I don't care what anyone else says on this site, I would rather have a rightous receiver with an import stamp on the barrel than one that has numbers/letters that are barely readable. The receiver is the gun! I guarentee that if a Irwin Perdersen came up for sale with a really clean receiver and an import barrel, the people on this site would bid it up to $2,000 in a heartbeat. My advice, buy the inland!!!! It's a good deal. (And no, I'm not the one who has it for sale either)

I am just a little tired of the "Blue Bloods" on this site sticking their nose up at anything that does not come from the CMP. Those guys are a bunch of Beauracrats anyway. I'm an honerably discharged vet and when they told me all of the rediculus hoops I would have to jump through, I said don't bother sending me any paperwork. I will acquire my Carbines through other means and GB is a good place to start. Enough Said.

[stickhauler]

I think the inland is a great buy, it's an early one, and the receiver is in real nice shape with crisp markings, not washed out by repeated sandblasting and repark. I do not like the Saginaw becuase the numbers/letter are a little washed out. I don't care what anyone else says on this site, I would rather have a rightous receiver with an import stamp on the barrel than one that has numbers/letters that are barely readable. The receiver is the gun! I guarentee that if a Irwin Perdersen came up for sale with a really clean receiver and an import barrel, the people on this site would bid it up to $2,000 in a heartbeat. My advice, buy the inland!!!! It's a good deal. (And no, I'm not the one who has it for sale either)

I am just a little tired of the "Blue Bloods" on this site sticking their nose up at anything that does not come from the CMP. Those guys are a bunch of Beauracrats anyway. I'm an honerably discharged vet and when they told me all of the rediculus hoops I would have to jump through, I said don't bother sending me any paperwork. I will acquire my Carbines through other means and GB is a good place to start. Enough Said.

For me anyway, that Inland, even with a import marked barrel is a good deal at the "buy it now" price. The guy is looking for his first carbine, if it's even a decent shooter, and the barrel isn't shot out, that's pretty much market price.

I check the CMP sellers forum regularly, and the "deals" I see mentioned here are fairly rare. And I'd wager the best part of them are rack grades someone bought out of the CMP, cleaned it up a little, added some BLO to the stock and put it up for sale at a couple hundred more than what they paid. Finding the "honorable" collector/sellers is getting a lot tougher these days. For the best part, I'd trust most everyone here that I'd get a fair deal on a purchase. Given the fiasco over Garand ammo that's been an ongoing thing since it was offered, and sold out over there, I question the integrity of at least a few folks over there now.

But I fail to see the "hoops" the CMP lists as requirements to buy from them that difficult to deal with. I too am an honorably discharged veteran. My use of a concealed carry permit as proof of recent marksmanship experience was accepted for that criteria. They ask for proof of citizenship, a copy of your birth certificate and drivers license or a copy of your passport satisfies that requirement. You can drop around $20.00 for a membership in the Garand Collectors Club, or around the same amount for membership in a couple of carbine collector groups to satisfy the group requirement. That can also be satisfied with a membership in most veteran organizations, I used my membership in the American Legion to cover that. The application has to be notarized.

So what outlandish requirements are there? I fail to see how it's that tough. I'd have to ask what people think would be "reasonable" requirements to order from the CMP? I'd wager the criteria set for buying from them was a part of the mandate set down by congress when the CMP was set up, first as the DCM and now the CMP. How should it work, should you simply be able to send in an order, write on it that you are a citizen, served in the military, and are over 18, with no proof to back that claim up?

Buy off Gunbroker, the profits made off the sale go to the seller, be them an individual or a company. Buy off the CMP, and any profit goes to continue the program and to fund shooting competitions and shooting education programs. Are the workers government employees? Sure, some of them are, some are volunteers who after retiring from their profession have extra time on their hands, and a love of military surplus rifles. This gives them something to keep themselves busy while getting the chance to work with stuff they love. What's the downside in that?

I have one carbine bought through the CMP, a rack grade Inland with an Underwood replacement barrel. Yes, it came looking a little rough, they'd ran it through the big "dishwasher" cleaner they have. A little TLC applied by me made it look like a pretty nice carbine, at a reasonable cost to me. I'd be glad to call any of the folks who work there a friend, they're good people.

[Tired Retired]

If I had the spare cash I would buy that Inland. But, alass, my ex- just got more money out of me. Well, she can have my money - BUT SHE AIN'T GETTIN' MY CARBINES!!! Sorry, lost it for a minute...

That Inland looks like a good "get started" carbine... A person doesn't need a high end collector for a first one carbine. They need something they can mess with and learn how to take a part without worry about scratching it. If I can find enough spare change in the sofa, I may get it for one of my kids if you don't...