Need M1 carbine barrel replaced

[imarangemaster]

I have to agree with the majority. I would hold off on replacing the barrel until you shoot it from a rest. (I do best by resting my hand on the bag, then cupping the stock in my hand with a mild, but firm grip) If you don't have 100 yards available, 50 yards will do just fine. If you get 2" groups + or - at 50, I would not replace the barrel. My current 6 digit Inland (with a new year only dated Underwood barrel put on in the 50s, with "0" for ME, will only do about 1.5" on a good day at 50 yards from a rest. At 75 yards, I can still bounce pop cans with it. I have had beat up carbines that swallowed the muzzle gauge, and still would shoot 3-4" at 100 yards. If possible, keep the original barrel as it is part of the weapon's history.

[imntxs554]

Just Like rangemaster said leave it alone he knows a lot about Firearms. I also have one that almost swallows the Gauge and it Shoots nice groups. Im not Competing or Hunting with it. Just like to Shoot it. Keep it Original or Just like the way you got it.

[DaveHH]

There are a couple of reasons to leave it: Some carbines, a lot of them, don't shoot that well when they were built. You can hold the black on an SR-1 at 100 yds, that's very good. Rifling on brand new carbines is very shallow, like a 45 barrel. The carbine will not wear anything close to what an M1 rifle wears round for round. So they can be used for thousands of rounds and still have plenty of life left in them. Some of the 6K shot test carbines were tested and cleaned and shipped out for issue. That shows how many rounds these things can shoot. Leaving the original barrel on the gun greatly enhances the value.

[imntxs554]

Nice Post Dave.

[INLAND44]

Do you have adjustable rear sight? If so, set it on '1.5-1' and don't move it. Use the windage knob to get on center. If the carbine now shoots to the vertical centerline at 25 but is, say, 2" high, that would have been acceptable in 1944. Moving to the 100, 6" to 12" high is okay too.



If the carbine shoots lower than POA, you'll have to file down the front sight blade. There are instructions for this in some of the manuals.

If the rear sight had been installed correctly, it would have been drifted with the aperture centered during sighting and then tightened up This gives you the maximum windage adjustment on either side. If you had a sight pusher you could do this yourself, or just use a hammer and piece of hardwood.

[jisco43]

Thanks for this info INLAND44. Very helpful! I shot 3 rounds Sat. in the rain just to get an idea on what I had and if it's capable of some decent groups. I have 5 acres so weather permitting, I'm already set up to shoot 100 yds. I have bedded barrels, free floated them and enjoy working on and learning all that I can about the different firearms that I've owned. I'm a newbie to M1 Carbines, but with help like I'm getting, I won't be for long. I want to keep mine as original as possible and with the parameters that you've posted, I know what to expect. I learned to shoot at Parris Island, years ago. Just needed info on what to expect from an M1 Carbine. Thanks for your helpful post!

[DaveHH]

The carbine doesn't respond to many of the known modifications that enhance the accuracy of the M1 rifle. For instance, bedding the stock does nothing. The metal to wood lock up cannot be improved since the trigger group essentially hangs off the receiver. The trigger, which is a major problem for accurate shooting, is not easily lightened simply because it is designed to be safe and not to be crisp and light. The way that the receiver mates with the recoil plate is apparently the key to the kingdom. I'm convinced that the few carbines that show great accuracy are ones that are low mile, have a great hook up at the recoil plate and ride well in the stock when using a type 2 or 3 band. I have one that holds the 9-10 ring at 100 yds with the SR-1. Beyond that these are without a doubt the most fun weapons to shoot in existence. If people don't think that certain guns can entertain simply by shooting them, carbines will prove them wrong.

[jisco43]

I agree about the recoil plate hookup and the trigger pull probably being key to accuracy. I just mentioned bedding because I'd had good results on some other guns in the past. Not military ones. Short of replacing a broken part, I won't be messing with my Underwood. Just shoot and play with hand loads later on.