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I've really enjoyed my M1 carbine since I bought it 2 years ago but I sometimes think what it would be like to shoot the Select Fire M2 carbine. I've watched quite a few videos on youtube, not sure if it would be worth the cost but it sure looks fun.
They're OK but you don't hit lots. Unless you're real close. Fun for a minute though...
I have one , and it is fun . They are light and have a very fast rate of fire . Very hard to hit anything in FA beyond point - blank range , but the closed bolt semi option is far more accurate at longer ranges than the open bolt SMGs . I have found that after the thrill of Full Auto , it maintains to be fun only if you can hit what you aim at. This is much easier in FA with guns that tend to be heavy for thier caliber or have a slower rate of fire. I shoot my Thompsons and Greaseguns far more than the Reisings and M2 for that reason. The Merlle / Blackdog .22 conversion for the Thompsons allow for cheep , controlable FA fun.
So .... I'm glad I have one . I do shoot it . I would not recommend it if you could have only one , unless short range blasting is your only goal. I live in the deep open desert , so longer range shooting is available and the norm.
Chris
It does seem like the thrill would wear off pretty quick and I wouldn't be able to hit anything..... from watching youtube videos. I guess I'll stick with my M1 carbine and be happy with that.
I fired couple back in the day as an LEO and AF SP reserve afetr the Army. I really liked it. as long as you use burst discipline (2-3 shot bursts), it is as good as Uzi or MP5 (both of which I have fired), but more firepower. It is more accurate in full auto than an M3 "grease gun" or 1928 Thompson. I wish I could have one.
Well , I disagree . I have the hammers , vice , clamps , prybars , punches , and rolls of protective tape to adjust those non-adjustable sights on the greasegun and M1 thompsons. If they are sighted in to hit , at across-the-room to 25-50 yds I shoot far tighter groups with the M3s , M1928s , and M1 Thompsons over the M2 on full auto. As you pass 25 yds , the short sight radius of the M3 causes it to drop out . The semi-auto open bolt accuracy of the Thompson is also not good . I can do pretty good , but not at any speed . So after 25-50 yds , the M2 carbine on semi wins hands down. That's been my experience anyway .
Chris
In Vietnam my boat had .50 cals. But in close to the river banks, or when doing an insertion or extraction of a team, we were off the big guns and using our small arms. In 1968 I had an M-2 carbine and a .45 acp pistol. Granted, we are talking no more then 30 or 40 yards and under some stress, but the carbine in full auto will hit and take down a target. What percentage of hits, I didn't stop to count. Wrapping the sling around your hand up at the band, then pulling your elbow towards your body can hold down the muzzle rise to be controllable factor. My next tour we had M-16's, they were easier to keep on target.
Shooting an M-2 in the 80's without being shot back at was a lot more fun. But this time I was paying for the ammo ($8-$10 a box), that was not fun. Had a Thompson and M3 in the 80's also. The Thompson was the most fun to shoot for me. I liked the wood stock of the Thompson over the wire of the grease gun. Sad to say now restrictions have stopped that in my area. But it was a blast. No pun intended. I envy emmagee1917 having that fun today.
Oh my. Thank you for your service and I'm glad you made it back!!!!!!
Did you ever have problems with reliability with your M2, more than any other weapon system? Just curious. I guess I should ask that about the M-16's also.
I've wanted to build a short barreled M2. That should shunt some of the muzzle climb.
Lost an extractor, not at a critical time. Broke a lug off on a bolt, again not at a critical time. Plenty of spare parts at the depot. Otherwise no feed issues. Only went through either five or six spam cans on that tour. Three crates, don't remember if we finished off the last or not. But it started my fascination with the carbine. Could afford to buy my first in 1974, by chance it was a Rock-Ola.
Jim
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABPOS
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimF4M1s
I could see losing an extractor, but a busted lug on a bolt??? Wow, that's heavy. Either a bad part or it was beat to death. Used a hammer or something. Hehhehehe. I'm glad it didn't happen at the worst time. God is good. Thank you for sharing. Do you have Kuhnhausen's (not sure how to spell it) book?
Closely inspect all bolt lugs.Quote:
Originally Posted by ABPOS
Bolts are known to be one of the weak links on GI carbines.
Busted/cracked lugs are more common than many would expect.
CH-P777
I'll do that. Thank you!Quote:
Originally Posted by painter777
I have launched and misplaced a lot of small parts and I have replaced springs and extractors just because . The only part that has ever busted on me in all my years of shooting was a slide while shooting the M2 . The arm left the box , and the spring pushed the box part forward , leaving the arm and the bolt back. Took me several seconds to figure out what happened.
Years later I had the same type of thing happen on an M1 Garand . The piston came free of the op-rod when the op-rod was back . Spring pushed the piston to the front of the gas cylinder leaving the op-rod and bolt to the rear.
Chris
In my experience with FA fire, In service and after with M2's ,Tsmg's,M3's, M16's is: Hold the trigger down and you have a spray gun, control bursts and the target goes down! If you ever get the chance to fire a M3 with the curvred barrel, you are in for a surprise.My unit in Germany [1972-1974] we had 2 of them for are recovery vehicles.GK
I have fired a M2 a few times and know they are hard to hold down. Usally the first shot will hit what you are aiming at. The next one will be about a foot higher and to the right. I'm just talking standing shooting freehand. If you really lean into it over something it's alot better. M2s are much harder to hold down than a MP5. You see alot of photos of Vietnam of ARVNs with carbines that have the barrels cut down. Most look like the bands were cut from type 3 to type2. Then the barrel cut down all it could be cut back and still get the band moved forward behind the front sight. To get the action out of the stock. I would like to try one like that. It looks like it may be easier to hold down. But I don't know anybody that has one and I'm sure not going to do it to one of mine. I don't want to find out how they shoot that bad.
Iver Johnson and Universal made the enforcer. They are still around.
enforcer carbine - Google Search
The big thing wrong with an M2 carbine with cut down barrel is the muzzle blast. Sure lights up the neighborhood in the evening and night time hours.
Allegedly favoured by Patty Hearst.
I've owned M3s, M16s, Ruger AC, and M2 carbines, 4 of them.
I still favor the M2.
Still own one 7199xxx, Inland (barrel dated 4-1945) and Ruger AC.
I shoot the M2 more than The Ruger.
I LOVE those M2s.....
DJ
I was born in 1963. We lived then in northern Virginia. VA had recently changed their law and no longer had capital punishment. There was an escaped murderer/rapist on the loose from Norton penitentiary. We lived on the edge of the last 900 acres or so of undeveloped land in that area, just south of the capital beltway, I-495. One of my dad's friends was a Korean war vet. He had a "bringback" M2. My mom carried it as she was pregnant with me, and had to walk my two sisters up the block to the nearest neighbors house. The neighborhood ladies would gather at a certain house and spend the day together until the men got home that evening. The local police sgt instructed the ladies to shoot to kill this mongrel, and call him personally and he would take care of it. I have never fired an M2, but I guess I was up close with one for a while anyway!
FWIW, I found the M3A1 greasegun to be quite easy to shoot. Our mechanics typically had them in mechanized units into the early 1990s. One day just south of the DMZ in the ROK some friends and I got to shoot a few thousand rounds with these. We were infantry, but got them from our HHC armorer for the day. Other than the CAR-15, and later, the M4, I have no frame of reference to compare. But like all full autos, I have to agree that proper firing technique is key to maintaining rounds on target. One can get quite good with them.
Speaking on Korean War bring-backs.... I mentioned this before several years ago, but when I was a cop in Ridgefield, (a small town in SW Washington State, on the way from nowhere, to nowhere) 1979 to 1981, I had a call to a house about tools stolen from a garage. I was chatting with the victim, a Korean War vet. He showed me his bring-back M2 Carbine that was stashed in the garage. It had a little surface rust patina, but was oiled and ready to go with a 30 round magazine. It still had the happy switch. I told him not keep it stashed, and not to show it off to anybody, especially cops!