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Carbines are strange in some ways: you could have a pristine bore and it shoots so-so and a worn barrel that shoots great. I have two that are like new, one really low mile and a rebuilt NPM with original IBM barrel with some wear. The NPM shoots the best, holding an SR-1 9 ring. If I try hard it will hold the 10 ring at 100 yds.
Looking down the barrels, the Inland is the newest and lowest round carbine but has rifling that is so shallow it looks like a 45 barrel. The Winchester has nice rifling but doesn't shoot as well as the NPM. I would say that the Inland has maybe 1K rounds through it, probably less. It should be a tack driver, but isn't. I've finally just decided that the fun in Carbines is just shooting them. They are so light, so handy so pleasant to shoot that I don't care of they can't shoot like a Garand or AR. The NPM is what I carry camping and it lays beside the bag in the tent. I can shoot hit and kill a bad guy or cat or bear if I had to. That is saying something considering that the gun is as old as I am. New owners would be entertained by buying War Baby and reading the history and story of these amazing guns. 6M in 3 years by 9 companies most of them NOT gun makers. All parts interchange and they never made another one after WW2. No country on the planet except the US could do this and I fear that we couldn't do it today.
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True, you can never tell how good they will shoot. The best I have had in a long time is my 6 digit Inland with the undated Underwood replacement barrel. I have seen some really rough Korean import carbines that will still do 3-4 inches at 100 yrds.
I think, Dave, that we may have come close with the AR15/M16. H&R, GM, and Colt made them for Vietnam. FN joined in after Vietnam. Now, the AR15 is the most common and interchangeable American firearm, even surpassing the 1911. Except for Ruger, SIG, and H&K (and a few other minor players) basically are 100% interchangeable. Even those other three makes retain about 90 to 95% interchangeability. Not too bad for a firearm first made in 1957!
Still, the M1 Carbine was and is a premier achievement of American Industry. The venerable 1911, 106 years old, is another amazing design! Still popular today.
