M1 Carbine Power

First, all of my magazines are 15 rounders.

While the feeding issue happens more dramatically with the Koren Mags, I have also had issues with US GI surplus mags--just not as dramatically as with the two Korean Mags. The same Korean mags have no issues with FMJ. The GI mags comprise a mix of used and NIW 15 round magazines.

I have a spreadsheet of failures that I have maintained that list the firearm, the ammo, and the magazine with which it occurred. Of the 7 or so magazines that I have, only two used GI ones have ever exhibitted a feeding issue with FMJ ammo. I probably have between 1200-1700 rounds total fired between the two carbines.

I want to point out that the round illustrated--the older Remington 110 grain SPs with lots of lead exposed represents the most extreme case of feeding problems.

The newer Remington SPs that have less lead exposed feed much better--but still exhibit occasional problems--maybe one failure to feed out of 15-40 rounds with some magazines. It hasn't malfunctioned with every magazine I have--but has done so enough with enough magazines including some that were bought NIW, that I have to wonder about it. One malfunction out of 50 rounds can be a serious issue if it occurs within the first few rounds fired in a self defense situation--in other words before the situation is over.

The Speer Gold Dot Soft point looks to be the most reliable feeding ammo--as I have only had malfunctions with magazines that have had failures to feed with hardball. I also have not fired enough of these rounds to determine if they can be depended upon. The fact that I may not have encountered issues in some magainzes may only be because I have not fired enough rounds in those particular magazines.

At this point if I had to use either of my M1 carbines for home defense I would rely on FMJ rounds in magazines that have proven trouble free. Even though some soft points have only malfunctioned once out of 30 or 40 rounds--there is no telling if that malfunction might occur after the second round or the 30th round.

I think one real value of the M1 carbine is that it is light and easy to shoot and easy to hit with, while producing minimal recoil and blast. Also it is fun to shoot, so a new shooter would be more likley to practice with it.

I let some college student from Taiwan shoot one of my carbines after brief instruction at how to operate it and use the sights and he managed to keep an entire 15 round magazine in a tennisball sized group at 21 feet shooting from offhand. He was at the range having never fired any firearm before and was previously trying to shoot a handgun with much less accuracy than he achieved with the M1 Carbine. The size and weight of the M1 carbine made it a good match for him. The guy might have been 5'2" tall and weighed in at about 110 lbs. If you gave him a 12 gauge or even a 20 gauge shotgun to fire, you might have put him in orbit.

I would like take a minute to reflect on the carbine being a collection of parts which combine to become a machine. Any misfunction of any part may negatively impact the function of the next supported part...

I have one Type IV trigger housing which was original to an IBM I got from CMP. I immediately replaced that housing after the carbine's first trip to the range. The housing had several major issues. The mag well was so tight that the housing metal actually cut into the metal of any magazine which was inserted. Additionally any magazine had to be forced to be seated. I replaced the mag catch several times, tried several magazines, etc. The magazines all worked and the carbine functioned good, but you had to litereally jam each mag into the mag well and force it to lock in place. The issue was that the housing has a dimention or two out of spec. You can see how it is different at the top of the mag well and in the area of the housing pin when compared to other IBM Type IV's. Since then I have used several different housings on that carbine and all of them work flawlessly.

I would look at things like your mag catch because it holds your magazine up and in position. I would also look at your trigger housing itself. If it does not mate correctly (within the proper tolerances) to the bottom of your receiver, your mag may be sitting lower than it is designed. This, in turn, would misallign the bullets with the feed ramp.

Just a thought...

He told me that a very large bear (brown..grizzly) came onto their AO in Alaska and they jumped into a jeep and shot said bear with a couple of carbines killing it dead as a doornail. So yeah, it will kill a man....easily.

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Originally Posted by DaveHH

He told me that a very large bear (brown..grizzly) came onto their AO in Alaska and they jumped into a jeep and shot said bear with a couple of carbines killing it dead as a doornail. So yeah, it will kill a man....easily.

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I agree, I killed an almost 200 pound deer with one shot at almost 100 yards. It works!

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Originally Posted by Tired Retired

I would like take a minute to reflect on the carbine being a collection of parts which combine to become a machine. Any misfunction of any part may negatively impact the function of the next supported part....

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You may indeed be correct.

When I post here I am just reflecting my experience based on two M1 Carbines that I own--one I bought from a friend and the other that I bought from the CMP.

I'm not trying to suggest that my experience reflects on all M1 carbines out there.

My guns seem to work with FMJ and I will leave them as such, rather than try to make them work reliably with the soft points--since I honestly do not have the knowledge and skills to do the troubleshooting or even the super detailed disassembly.

Good clip from You-tube. M1 Carbine through 8 layers of frozen denim, an 6"x6" inch thick post, then demolishes a water jug

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7ktaTbgQsU

I think most shooters realize that the .30 Carbine round is a glorified pistol round, developed for a specific purpose, but it would be wrong to suggest it has anywhere near the same utility as it's big brother, the .30-06 Springfield.

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Originally Posted by Amsdorf

I think most shooters realize that the .30 Carbine round is a glorified pistol round, developed for a specific purpose, but it would be wrong to suggest it has anywhere near the same utility as it's big brother, the .30-06 Springfield.

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I would have to respectfully disagree with you about being a glorified pistol round. At the muzzle, it has 930 ft lbs, and at 100 yards, almost 600 ft lbs. The only "pistol" cartridge that approaches that is a 44 magnum. I have an S&W Model 29, 8 3/8", and it is nowhere near as handy or accurate at 100 yards as the carbine. 9mm, 45 ACP, 40 S&W have about HALF the energy of the 30 carbine.

No one is comparing it to the 30-06! If you compare it to intermediate cartridges like the 5.56, it runs the same at 100 as the 5.56 at 200 from a 20" barrel. From a 14.5", the 5.56 BARELY passes the 30 carbine. It is NOT a main battle rifle, BUT it is an awesome PDW. It is way better than the FN 5.7 or some of the specific PDW hybrid rounds.

I was surprised myself at the amount of damage the 110 JSP did to the 200 pound deer I shot with one heart lung shot at almost 100 yards. When I field stripped and gutted it, one rib was taken out on entry, the heart was blasted, and two ribs taken out on exit. I had been carrying it as an LEO trunk weapon for a few years before, but it made me a believer. Are there better choices for 150 , 200, and beyond, sure. Most of its bad reputation came from Korea where distances were long over open ground and undisciplined full auto fire where nothing past the first round hit. I have shot an M2 and loved it, but anything more than a 2-3 shot burst is a waste, even for an experienced shooter.

I am pushing 60 with a bad back and bad shoulder, and very recently had a mild to moderate stroke. Toting a 10 pound M1a or M1 Garand is not an option for me. I know that my Inland with Remington 110 JSPs will put just as nasty a hole in a goblin as it did in my deer.