Erma 22 M1 carbines - Anyone shot one?

With the cost of ammo, I find that I have resurrected my 38 year old Ruger 10-22 for more plinking. It feels much like the the M1 carbine (no accident) but the sights are nothing like it. I know this is a Mil-Surp collector forum, but does anyone here have experience with the out of production Erma 22 LR M1 carbine clone? It seems like it would point, sight, and shoot like an updated M1. I am considering getting the bucks together to get one for a cheap M1 Carbine shooting fix. I see them occasionally.

Hi rangemaster,

we shoot this carbine for fun it is a nice little rifle with a good accuracy and at our gundealers shop are 4 of them. The expensivest one for €80 in $ 114.

Regards

Gunner

I own two one I shoot which is great and performs excellent and I was lucky to find one new in the box that I want shoot. They are fun to plink with, and squirrels and chip monks in my yard fear it! LOL

Vielen Danke, Herr Gunner! Sind sie Bayerisch, oder Auslander?

Hallo, ich bin Bayer ! Und woher können Sie so gut Deutsch ?

Grüße

Gunner

Mine Grossvater und Grossmuetter war aus Oesterreich. Auch ich studeiren (sp?) Deutsch im Hochschule fur drei Jahren 1967-1970. Im 2006, ich fahren nach Oesterreich mit ein Reisengruppe.

Sorry, my spelling and grammar are terrible. While I was fairly fluent after high school, I have only used it occasionally when in law enforcement with German tourists or on several trips to Europe. Salzburg was the only place that the dialect was incomprehensible to me, though.

BTW, That is really inexpensive there. Ermas are now going for dang near as much as real M1s here. Probably because of M1 carbine adicts like me looking for cheaper shooting.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PBI

I own two one I shoot which is great and performs excellent and I was lucky to find one new in the box that I want shoot. They are fun to plink with, and squirrels and chip monks in my yard fear it! LOL

---

LUCKY!

I have a few rabbits in my garden every year. I want to do "rabbit clearing" with the Ruger .22, but my wife says my grandson will never forgive Papa for shooting his "Bunnies"!:surrender:

Your German skills are good. Law enforcement, interesting job. What do you do at there? The reason for the prices is that they changed the gun laws. In the 70`s everybody couldt buy a .22 rifle. Now you need a license and a safe. That is very expensive for rifles with them the most of the owners shot years ago. So they sell this rifles and my gundealer said " With the wood from those rifles i can keep my oven warm for the whole winter". I`ll look for a nice one and buy him. The ammo is also really cheap. The last offer was a 1000 rounds chest for $30.

Regards

Gunner

I was full time Law enforcement for 20 years, after 5 years military. I did patrol, tactics and training, rangemaster, armorer, field training Officer, and Criminal Investigator, My specialty was Sex crimes and Child Abuse, but also did robbery-homicide. I was at a Sheriff's Office not too far from Yosemite, and we had lots of German tourist there. I actually used my German to interview a married couple from Munchen that were witnesses to a suicide staged as a homicide to get insurance for the family. I could not think of the correct German word for Detective when I introduced myself, so I said "Ich bin gleich Sherlock Holmes!" They understood that.

I retired in 1998 after 20 years because of a severe back injury and surgery I suffered fighting an addict on PCP. My back is shot and my legs don't always work right. Oh well, I went back to school for 3 1/2 years to be a History Teacher, and now teach in an inner city North Saint Louis, MO school.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Thank you, for this really interesting details from your life. Its always nice to know a little from the persons you write posts and share the same hobby. Your Sherlock Holmes thing was a great idea. The word for Detective is Kommisar. I hope that i can visit Yosemite National Park someday, must be great at there. I was at the army in the Mountains Division and now i am responsible for the interiors from very expensive cars here in Bavaria.

Auf Wiedersehen bis bald

Gunner

I have an Erma EM1 22 that I have had for over 20 years. My dad gave it to me back in the early 80s. It does have the look and feel of a real M1 carbine, but does not shoot quite the same. However, it's is still a ball to shoot. 22 bricks seem to disappear with no reasonable explanation after a few hours at the range :)

Magazines are a little expensive but such is life, you will easily make up for it with the cost of ammo.

I have been trying to scratch together the $$$ for a CMP rack grade Inland to retro with repro parts (including an M1A1 stock), but with the ammo still being $19 for Aguilla and $20 for S&B, I am thinking of the Erma/IJ 22 instead. Besides, the 22 wouldn't raise as much attention from the neighbors (or cost as much) shooting 200-300 rounds in a sitting. Even though I live in the country, I have a couple close neighbors that comment if I blast away too much with the Carbine or the Saiga.:yikes:

Hey!
I have several M1 .22 Erma's they are great and highly accurate at 50meters range. They are very ammo picky so make sure you have HV solid point, i use copper coated cci. The original M1 wood can be used if you want it too be really nice, takes a bit of work, but can be done. Also watch out for missing mag and rear sight. Other wise just dont get a shot out one, lots of up / down movement on the cocking lever is not good . . . . .you will have to get the parts re made !!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by imarangemaster

With the cost of ammo, I find that I have resurrected my 38 year old Ruger 10-22 for more plinking. It feels much like the the M1 carbine (no accident) but the sights are nothing like it. I know this is a Mil-Surp collector forum, but does anyone here have experience with the out of production Erma 22 LR M1 carbine clone? It seems like it would point, sight, and shoot like an updated M1. I am considering getting the bucks together to get one for a cheap M1 Carbine shooting fix. I see them occasionally.

---

They're fun little toys. I bought two of them years ago.
They do seem to get dirty easily causing missfeeds and aren't as easy to take apart as a real carbine to clean, but its not a big deal.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...masLarge-1.jpg

If you do get one take care of that magazine. They're hard to find and when you do find one they're expensive!

Non original mags !!! I saw one fitted with a M1 paratrooper stock at the Bisley show over the weekend. Nice job and fit 90% ok a few gaps here and there but overal great looking gun. He had had a new slide made out out of ally, shame it was not blacked.

You guys are making me jealous! I am sure I will have to scrape the money together to get one of the Ermas instead of a rack grade Inland, since my Underwood is such a good shooter!

I have one also. Mine is stamped IVER JOHNSON US Carbine 22 LR.

I agree with the rifle getting dirty and mine likes the CCI Mini Mags the best.
I put a real M1 carbine flash suppressor on it and the extra weight helps with the accuracy.

Oh sure, I'm just getting used to my M1 carbine, and now you guys gotta wag these under my nose! My grandson really likes his 10/22 and my M1, God help me if he sees those Ermas.

At ten year of age in 1970, I saw an Erma for sale at our local Gibson's dept. store and had a fit for one. My mother decided I could have one and it was purchased by her for the sum of $49.95 + tax. Marksmanship and hunting skills were learned with that rifle and quite a few squirrels were taken. Mom would always cook them up for me. Several years later I wound up trading for a Remington nylon 66 that I thought I had to have. It proved a reliable .22 but was never as much fun or as special as the Erma. A trade I have regretted ever since. Fortunately I found an Iver Johnson/Erma LNIB at a gun show in my later adult life. It has a 15 round clip as opposed to 10 on my earlier one. It reminds me of the act of kindness my mother, one of the members of the greatest generation, could ever do for a son. She left this world this past March. This IJ/Erma will be passed down to my son, who loves it as much as me.

David,
We've all swapped or traded off something over the years we now miss.
Knowing your mother stepped up and bought that for you is a very nice memory. God bless her.
Too bad many mothers of today would cringe at the thought.
Times have sure changed.

Charlie

Your mum rocked!! Here in the Uk things like that Dont Happen!! We might get a air rifle (like i did) and that started it all off for me!!!
Currently convertiing a Erma E M1 to real M1 stocked rifle, we cant have M1's in the UK as they are semi auto, the limit is .22 rim fire here. Every thing else straight pull or bolt action and no conversion from semi are aloud. No SLR, M1, AR15's etc

Got one for my birthday :D.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/deleted.gif

With three mags, a bag, a spare stock and a box with some misc parts.

Well, not exactly my birthday, I just happened to celebrating my birthday, the same day I went to the police station to add it to my license.
I got it from a pal at the gun club, apparently he bought a whole collection from someone for a small amount of money, and he only needed a couple of things from it, so he started to give away the rest... Except for the Erma, since noone was interested in it (too small caliber for most, I'm the only one who loves smallbore). He was just thinking of scrapping it (selling it to the gunstore doesnt really bring some money, they're selling them here for 160 euro tops), when I walked in..

Alright, I tested it out.. First try: tight groups (out of 5 on 25 meters, 2 went through the 10).
Second try: ammo jammed.
Then I checked the mags out, and I noticed that 2 of 'm have a sort of dent on the back, near the opening. Somebody knows where that is for?
The mag without the dent worked flawless (shot 50 rounds without a jam).

What ammo are you using ?? THe ABSOLUTE best for these is CCI MINI MAG Hv copper coated rounds. I have found Remington thunderbolts work well too but jam a tiny bit more. Any waxed rounds will jam every other cycle. These rifles are very mag dependant too. ANY damage to the lips will cause it to miss feed. Often when a round is chambered it will flick up if those feeding lips are not 100%
I have found over loading the mag is what buggers them the quickest, you are better loading 9 rounds in a 10 or 14 in a 15 etc. . When you first clip it in if its full it flattens those lips, then it starts to feed poorly. . . Post some pics of the mags. I get mine from Numrich they will send them to me in the UK. I just picked up a .22 WMR E M1 even more fun and more like a real M1 BUT it only has a 5 round mag. Anyone know where there are any other magnum mags ??

The alternative to an Erma would be to add Tech-Sights to your 10-22. Could be the same price as the sights are $70 for the set. I have them and they are great.

Tech-SIGHTS Precision Shooting Accessories

Wineman

10-22 are great if you get a good one ! Some new ones really aint! They still dont have "M1 fun factor"! I am shooting a competition next week for .22's but they wont let me use my Erma i have to use a 10-22 to keep it fair. Tells me smething that does . .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by neal455

What ammo are you using ??

---

CCI Standard..
Works fine, except that when it jams, it usually damages the bullet horribly.
As long as these rounds work perfect, I'm fine.
Not to mention my ammosafe is not large enough to contain a whole bunch of different ammo's ;). (aside from the fact that CCI standard are the cheapest and me being Dutch and all)

Quote:

---

I have found over loading the mag is what buggers them the quickest, you are better loading 9 rounds in a 10 or 14 in a 15 etc. . When you first clip it in if its full it flattens those lips, then it starts to feed poorly. . .

---

I usually shoot in rounds of 5.. Haven't even tried how many rounds would fit in the mags, but 5'll do fine.

Quote:

---

Post some pics of the mags.

---

I will... After I found the USB cable of my camera.

Found the USB cable.. :D

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...rma_mags-1.jpg

The one on the right is the one that doesnt jam..

And here, the differences between the ones on the left, and the one on the right:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...s_detail-1.jpg

Ok the left and center i have not seen before, they by not be original.They have ERMA .22 stamped on originals on the aluminium body you can see and the copies tend to have it stamped on the steel part that goes up inside the rifle.
if i can find my camera charger lead i will post up some pics of mine

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by neal455

Ok the left and center i have not seen before, they by not be original.They have ERMA .22 stamped on originals on the aluminium body you can see and the copies tend to have it stamped on the steel part that goes up inside the rifle.
if i can find my camera charger lead i will post up some pics of mine

---

Hmm... altough the 'non-original' ones indeed look very different, they also have the 'ERMA EM1 .22l.r' stamped on the body..

Mmmmm . . . Interesting
Found my lead tonight so will do some pics tomorrow for you !

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by neal455

What ammo are you using ?? THe ABSOLUTE best for these is CCI MINI MAG Hv copper coated rounds. I have found Remington thunderbolts work well too but jam a tiny bit more. Any waxed rounds will jam every other cycle. These rifles are very mag dependant too. ANY damage to the lips will cause it to miss feed. Often when a round is chambered it will flick up if those feeding lips are not 100%
I have found over loading the mag is what buggers them the quickest, you are better loading 9 rounds in a 10 or 14 in a 15 etc. . When you first clip it in if its full it flattens those lips, then it starts to feed poorly. . . Post some pics of the mags. I get mine from Numrich they will send them to me in the UK. I just picked up a .22 WMR E M1 even more fun and more like a real M1 BUT it only has a 5 round mag. Anyone know where there are any other magnum mags ??

---

i just bought one of these! E model, iver johnson? how many models /types were there? arent they the same thing? mine is an E model with a 5 round clip. steve.

Tator,

Erma made them for I.J.
There's a ton of info here:

Erma Werke


I have an Erma-Work and an Iver Johnson.
They're fun and inexpensive to shoot.

Erma top, IJ bottom -
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...masLarge-1.jpg