Decision based quandry, thoughts from the audience?

[Sentryduty]

So the various discussions on this forum about the M1 Carbine have gotten my interest up enough to actively seek one out for my own use/collection.

Now I have some regional regulations to deal with that make this a bit of a not so simple decision. I have a couple of decisions to make regarding what to buy, and would be interested to know the opinions of M1 carbine owners here.

My goal is to have a shooter grade rifle that functions well, but with a small twist.

The standard M1 Carbine has a 18" barrel, which in Canada is a legal sticking point. Since the rifle barrel is shorter than the arbitrary 18.5" threshold it is deemed Restricted. Without getting into a firearms law discussion, basically for those not in the know, this means that any 18" barrel M1 is under the same regulations as a pistol. Limiting my transportation and discharge of the rifle to approved ranges only.

Going to the range is a slight inconvenience as it is 65 miles away and I get out there sometimes less than once a year.

There are two legal options to allow me to carry and use an M1 Carbine in more informal situations, enter the "Non-Restricted M1 Carbine"

1. Re-barreling an original M1 carbine to legal length, GI Carbines are available on the used market in Canada, they range from $600 for a poor one to about $1000 asking for a decent one. Recently I did find an IBM produced one asking about $900. There is a fellow that offers a rebarreling service for $350 which installs a 19" barrel and reuses the original gas system, sights etc, but he keeps the original 18" barrel as part of the deal. This process would allow re-classification to non-restricted and the "freedom to roam" as it were.

2. New production, the Auto-Ordinance M1 carbines are currently on the market with a Canada length 18.5" barrel which has them classed as non-restricted right out of the box. Pricing is between $850-$1000 new. However the discussion found here has me concerned as warranty service in Canada can take a year to resolve depending on the relationship with the dealer/importer/manufacturer chain.

My main issue is; Should I "butcher" an original or try my luck with an A-O? Bearing in mind that my end state is to have a good, serviceable, but legal .30 Carbine to follow me in the woods where appropriate to do so.

I am honestly 50/50 split on this one, I want the quality of the original, but hate to alter original historical firearms. As my collection is so far a one-way process, I an in no-way concerned about resale value changes.

Thoughts from the forum?

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