New to the forum, but am impressed with the knowledge base here. I thought I would share the known history of this rifle within my family.
This well-loved M1 Carbine was a gift to my father sometime in the mid 60's. The original, (yes, I said original), stock was rumored to have bullet holes in it from a Japanese machine gun which had been plugged with some type of metal, maybe brass from what I can remember. It was rarely fired when I was a child, and spent most of its post war life in an upstairs closet at my grandparents house. I left for the service when I was 18, and didn't think too much about it until I saw a barrel of used carbine stocks in a gunshop in Oceanside, CA. I think they were 25 bucks at the time. Picked the best of the bunch knowing nothing of cartouche marks or the like, and sent it home to my dad. Flash forward a few more years and I am home again, going to school on the government dime, and spending time at the local range which I was a new member of. I dusted off the old carbine and noticed the new stock AND a type 3 bayonet band on the rifle. Again I, and apparently my father, did not appreciate the collector value of the piece, and proceeded to put many rounds downrange until the highly polished bolt and bolt face exploded when a round fired out of battery and sent shrapnel flying. (I DO appreciate ear and eye protection, so no harm to me, except for my shorts). I was able to luckily find a replacement Saginaw bolt in the venerable Shotgun News publication, and was back in business within a few weeks.
This went on for a while until the whole "boy meets girl" stuff happened and I settled down in VA. The carbine sat again in the closet now cellar gunsafe with other various weapons for almost 20 more years...
My dear father is now in the twilight of his run, and his faculties are not as sharp as they once were. During my latest visit, I was asked to bring all the firearms home with me, all of which are going through a deep cleaning due to years of being locked in a safe in the somewhat climate-controlled basement. It's funny how certain objects bring you back to another time and place, and cleaning these with my youngest son is now providing another memory for me, and hopefully him to reminisce on in his later years.
But back to the carbine... It seems to be all original EXCEPT for the barrel band and stock. I was hoping to find them stuffed in the rafters, waiting to be reunited, but alas, I think they are lost to time. Enjoy the photos, and thanks for having me.
