Just got an M1 Carbine, Tell what I have and what its worth

As the title states, I just acquired an M1 Carbine but do not know anything about them. I have done some research and have a fair idea what the components are and their origination but not any overall idea as to value or desirability, so if you could help me out that would be great.

What I have figured out: Blue Sky Barrel, no stamp damage, Underwood receiver with flat bolt Serial 2906xxx (early 44'), low wood stock with cartouche (underwood maybe), late band with bayonet lug (circle A), Rear sight stamped with H inside shield.

Like I said any help would be appreciated.

M1 pictures by itmustbeslim - Photobucket

I will delete this thread

This is weird.

I looked at all the pictures late last night. Quite a mix of early and late parts - nice patina and doesn't look like a recent "put together." The stock is an Inland.

-Bob

No need to delete. It looks like you have a nice post war rebuild, a shooter for sure. Nice :thup:

I put in the link to the photo's.

Jim

What kind of barrel/date? Check behind front sight on top of barrel. It looks to me like it has had some newer parts added but did not get refinished. I'm seeing the Type III barrel band and possibly the Type V slide and stamped adjustable sight that most likely were added later. Hard to imagine that it never got a refinish after WWII and Korea plus being sent to another country, but it sure looks original. I guess it could have been re-Parkerized after WWII and then used heavily in Korea and the foreign country before being brought back in by Blue Sky in the early 1990s. The bolt, however, may indicate original finish (hard to tell, looks more blued than Park'd), and they were usually Parkerized along with the rest of the parts in a rebuild. It's an interesting carbine and certainly has a tale to tell.

You have to remember that Blue Sky as far as I know was the only importer who rebuilt many of the carbines they imported from Korea here when they got them. Many were parkerized by them as well as the Garands they brought in. Some of them looked almost new and many of them looked not so new. I also wonder if like the CMP Italian returnes the bolts were shipped seperate from the rifles. So very many of the Blue Sky's had mixed bolts in them.

In the late 80s to early 90s when I was an active FFL doing gun shows, I got Blue Sky import Carbines for as low as $119 in multiples. Usually if I bought 4 or 5 at a time, at least one would be a re-parked one. The only bad thing I found was that some had stocks made of an almost black "spongy" wood. Most were very decent little weapons. The reparked ones, put in a new stock looked really great.

Where did the photos go?

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Originally Posted by imarangemaster

Where did the photos go?

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Jim changed the link, but it still works for me. - Bob

For some reason not all of the photo's were opening for a few people. I am hoping that link works better.

Thanks so much for your interest and help! This site does not give automatic notifications when there are replies so I checked today on a whim and what a find!

So this is a mixmaster with some early and late war components huh? The guy I got it from said he put less than half a box through it since he got it from his dad and his dad put just a little more through it, which seems to be the truth looking at the woolworths boxes.

What would you place the value on this rifle? Would you spend time to make it "correct"?

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Originally Posted by itmustbeslim

This site does not give automatic notifications when there are replies

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Near the top of the page, look for "thread tools" to set up for getting notifications. Usually though, you don't have to do that if you have any posts in the thread, and you were the original poster. Maybe some of your "preferences" aren't set quite right? Nice carbine! - Bob

I would love to see pictures, but I keep getting a photobucket page with an error message!

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Being an import, it would be fruitless to try to correct it but I might refinish it using the existing parts, just to have a good-looking carbine. Depends on condition; bore, muzzle wear, receiver wear in slide track, slide wear on lugs, etc.

I think it is a great candidate for re-finishing. For probably less than $100, you could have it completely re-parkerized. If the stock is collectable, you may sell it for some decent $$$ and get a new walnut stock. I'd just refinish the stock, though.

I think if you want a nicely finished original carbine they are out there. By the time you refinish this one, get some parts, new stock, you will be close to that price range anyway. Use this one for what it is, a shooter. When you find what you are looking for, if need be, you sell this one. Original carbines are not fragile, they can be shot as much as a beater.