Good To Shoot? - Refurb '43 Inland

Hi everyone! I picked this Inland dated 7-43 up in December at a local gun store. Was there to buy a Hungarian FEG AK47 with a long gas tube/thumbhole stock (kind of an oddball combo) but saw this for a little bit more money and had to have it. My dad qualified on one in the Air Force in the 60s and we've both been looking for one since

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My understanding, looking at the features, is that it was a post war refurb. The gun is pretty clean though the finish is a bit worn on slide as can be seen, stock was perfect until I put a tiny mark in it putting the front band back on (stupid me). Came with what I believe is an original sling/oiler and magazine pouch (need to look back at them for the dates), 2 USGI 15 round mags (one in good condition, one that's been to hell and back but works) and 1 USGI 30 rounder (fair to good shape, works perfectly) along with a bunch of ammo (about 100-150 rounds Aguila, 50 rounds PPU JSP, 40 rounds Federal SP). I've taken it to the range a couple times since getting it, ultimately put a surplus recoil spring in the gun and USGI spring in the 15 rounders to get it shooting like new and love it.

What I want to be sure of is that if I shoot it and put a nick in the stock or scratch on it or something, I won't ruin the value of it. I plan to use it for shoots locally as unless the theme of the month (based on different historic events/nationalities) dictates it, my SKS and bolt guns are too heavy for me to use for the standing round. While not super competitive I'd at least want something I'm comfortable with.

Stock is stamped SA for Springfield, trigger group is BE-B for IBM. More than half of the parts I've looked at though appear to be Inland. The hand guard does have a hairline crack inside that runs the length of it but I figure a little wood glue should clean that up, right?

I'll be honest I didn't research a whole lot before buying but the condition seemed pretty good to me, had no import markings, and up until this one I'd only been seeing them at gunshows and auctions where I am hesitant to spend big money. I originally wasn't planning to shoot it much as for me right now close to a grand was a lot to drop on a gun but I love it and if it's a garden variety refurb unless I trash it (not going to happen, obviously) one or two little marks from use isn't going to really hurt the value will it?

Looks like a good solid carbine that's been through a rebuild. Your not going to hurt it by shooting it and unless you're going to drag it thru the mud, normal shooting will not detract from the value at this point. I would start to seek out a replacement handguard if that one is showing a crack. It'll only get worse. Or, wait till it finally gives out and then repair it. Enjoy

Agreed, this one has been through the rebuild and had who knows what changed along the way by whoever owned it. Nothing wrong with shooting it...

I have to comment on the FEG SA85M you mentioned - having a standard gas system and thumbhole stock is typical of the post-ban examples although you can find them with the short AMD65 gas system too. In any event, if you could get a mint SA85M for less than $800 it would be good. The pre-bans with regular stock are worth at least twice that.

Thanks for the reply everyone. It's not a little expensive to feed relative to other semi autos but it's my favorite to shoot. One possible solution for that is when I get into reloading but until then I've not seen much ammo in 500 round lots for sale (what I prefer to buy), it's either 1000 (rarely) or not at all. As a gun it just fits me really nice and I prefer the aperture sights. Felt recoil is a little greater than my SKS due to the lower mass but it's easier to control. I've since acquired more mags for it: two KeepShooting 15 rounders I'm not real pleased with (last round or two always fails to feed) and 2 Korean 30 rounders (which work perfectly though fit a little snug) along with a bandoleer and some stripper clips to load the mags. Only other accessory I'd really like is a bayonet but only if I find a deal on one locally by chance since it'd really just be to have.

INLAND44, it's funny you say that about the SA85M. It was priced at $675 which I felt was a good deal. I saw it on a Tuesday, went into buy it Wednesday morning after thinking on it over night and it was on hold, was told to come back Thursday to see it was back out. Came back Thursday and the M1 Carbine had come in on Wednesday! Sometimes things happen for a reason, I've been looking for a good one of these at a fair price for awhile and would have been kicking myself if I bought the SA85M on Wednesday then come in and saw this M1. It was in really nice condition but had a little mag wobble, not sure if it was common to the type. It's still there and if it lasts another month or so I might have to make an offer on it. I could not remember which was more unusual with the sporter stock, the long or short tube. I also passed on a Norinco MAK90 this weekend for $475 in a similar configuration which I kind of regretted but thought the quality of the SA85M was a bit higher overall. Communist Bloc stuff seems to sit in my area (can't believe a matching Tula SKS lasted a month elsewhere) so I'm willing to be patient.

Nice gun, looks pretty clean -- I have a similar post Korean arsenal rebuild.
For ammo, Cheaper than Dirt has .30 carbine for .31cents a round -- American Quality in 250 round cases -- buy two.
Your stock will get scratched -- go over any scratches with Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung Oil and very fine steel wool, then wipe dry.
Have fun -- the M1 Carbine is a high demand gun to this very day. Amazing!