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I'm sure a lot of that happened when guys could buy a carbine for $20. It wasn't looked at the same as it is today.
I hate that he did it, but he did a nice job. On a high wood stock of course.
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Sorry, I looked again ,it's not a high wood stock.
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$649.00 really?????
The top of that receiver is interesting - was probably a lot of work. That checkering job has my recent Inland beat! Lots of other carbines on that site, too. - Bob
Oh the Humanity!!!!!!!!
I want to ask "why?" but i know the explanation will never make sense to me....
Ah yes, in 1964 if you were a member of the NRA you could buy a Carbine through the DCM for $17.50 plus $2.50 shipping and handling. I believe they were all post-WWII rebuilds (mine was). They came with a sling, oiler and one magazine too.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimF4M1s
So what is the big deal? Something you wet behind the ears purists need to get through your skull is that there was an era where these firearms, be they Mausers, Carbines, Krags, Enfields or whatever were a drudge on the market. They were plentiful and cheap. Pages of information weren’t a Google away. You had to have or have access to a library of very specialized material and collectors/experts to know much about these items. Many of the collectors of the era simply collected one of each type they could find, upgrading as they went and learning through the experience. A lot of other folks simply bought them because they were cheap and so was ammunition. They would then alter them to suit their taste/personality/intended use. There was more than one good gunsmith that perfected his trade on these firearms. There was also more than one amateur that struggled and sometimes successfully converted them into something to cherish. Others did a passable job and there were the ones that truly screwed things up. There isn’t a damn thing Bubbaish about the carbine in question. Someone spent THEIR hard earned dollars altering THEIR gun into something that fit THEIR needs and desires. Like it or not, quit castigating the individuals that did it. It was theirs to do with as they pleased.
Thaine
Thanks for the reminder. In fact I have some old American Rifleman magazines from the mid 1960's. You could mail order M1 carbines or K98 rifles for around $35-79 depending on what you wanted. Some carbines were commercially produced, while others were genuine USGI. The commercially produced ones were higer priced. lol
Unfortunately there are quite of few ads also promoting "customization." It obviously was the thing to do back then.
Relax Thaine,
Williams Gun sight, Not far from me, made a lot of their income selling Frt and Rear sight set ups for carbines. Also many different stock set ups, scopes...etc.
In the above posted link to the RMC, I was trying to show how much work the guy (I called Bubba) had put in to his shooter.
Cheers,
Charlie-painter777
I have a book here from Paul Wahl called the Carbine Handbook that details the way to do up one of these guns. Also how to make a pump rifle out of one. It was a 1964 printing with a copy in 1974 and I bought it in 1984 or so. I personally created a couple of these pump rifles for people and they were thrilled. I was part of the time when these guns were cheap and plentiful and not really desireable. I could tell the difference in them and knew some were better to hold on to then others. Unfortunately I was making about $4000 a year so this wasn't an option. I miss those times but one can't turn back time. All the same, the one pictured is neat...just not my thing.
You would see this stuff all the time. They would sporterize Johnsons, any Mauser, Arisakas, Garands, anything. As David points out, there were many publications, some from the NRA on how to do it.
Commercial hunting rifles were expensive. I recall when we got our first 22 magnums, I was maybe 19, I bought a new Mossberg bolt action $37, almost a weeks pay. My buddy bought a Winchester 61 for about $125 (in 22 mag, today worth about a grand). People sporterized military arms so they wouldn't get laughed out of camp. I didn't care and used a byf44 box stock, the older guys made fun of me, but I outshot their 264s and 270 all the time.
In those days a military rifle was just that. I shot my first carbine in Boy Scouts I had no idea who made it and didn't care. I can't tell you if my M14 in basic was a Win, TRW, SA or H&R. In Vietnam, I remember it was an H&R because it was new in the box. Carbines like these are part of the history, not a travesty.