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Well, i am new to these forums but i have a question and i want to know if anyone here can answer it.
I have a Quality Hardware M1 Carbine made in 1943. I bought it a few years ago at a gun show, and when i was cleaning it the other day, i notice a crack on the receiver. I have shot this gun on several occassion and I was wanting to know what i should do with it.
Would it be best to have it repaired or to just get a new one?
First off I.H. welcome to the forum. Longtime and newer members abound.
Do you have a picture of the crack? Where is it located? There are re welded receivers. And I'm sure varied opinions on them.
exclusively, it is not uncommon for the shroud over the spring tube to have cracks. It was the same on Winchester Spring tube receivers. Quality did some subtle changes and eliminated most cracks.
I don't have a picture, but i can show where it is on the receiver. the crack goes all the way through.
I want to know if i can get it repair and still have it safe to shoot, or if i should trade it in for one that is in better condition?
It doesn't have a shroud over the spring tube. it's actually detatchableQuote:
Originally Posted by DaveHH
If it is cracked right through in the location you indicated on the thumbnail, then it is basically scrap. USGI receivers are made from forged 4140 Cr-Mo steel, and for any welding at all you have to use pre-heat. The only area recommended to weld (TIG) on a receiver is a repair of broken ears on the dovetail cut for the rear sights.
USGI receivers have a Rockwell C hardness spec of 38-45, and the high temperatures associated with welding will significantly reduce the strength in the welded area (called heat affected zone or HAZ). Your particular cracked area is a high stress region, right behind the bolt locking lug.
Brazing will not reduce the hardness as much, but the brazing filler metal (brass or bronze based) doesn't have the strength required.
Retired metallurgist.
Thanks for the info. Will most WWII carbines have that same problem or is mine a special case. Also, does my carbine still have any collector value?Quote:
Originally Posted by manteo97
Never seen one cracked in that region before. Have seen crack-right-thru on the receiver ring (scrapped too) on a Rock-Ola....a shame
You may want to think about parting out your carbine, that is, selling individual parts. There are a few spots to do this, gunbroker.com being one. Your barrel will even bring in some $$$ but I would remove the broken receiver (hard to do without right tools) or just hacksaw the receiver in two leaving the receiver ring attached to the barrel.
You can get some good advise on this forum about part ID.
Good luck!
i actually made a mistake on the location. i'm on a military base so i can't actually have it with me to properly place it, but the crack is actually in the notch where the bolt would fall in on the receiver.
I don't think there's much you can do with the receiver in this case. You better not weld it like the above description tells, it could be a parts source at best. Unless It's a perfect example of some stage of manufacture, it won't be valued as a collector item as is.
Replace the receiver, but there are none available as far as I know. Check on Gunbroker every day. Have a gunsmith familiar with rebarreling the carbine do the work.Quote:
Originally Posted by I.H.1989
I would also check for a receiver on the CMP Carbine forum. They have a want to sell for Carbine parts, IIRC. Most of the stuff listed there is a fair price.
The first thing you need to do is to take pictures of the damaged area first and post them here. If it's a spring tube then the damage may not be bad or a problem. It is still cheaper to get photos and post them then to have work done on the carbine if it turns out not to needed. If it's takes awhile that's OK as we are not going anywhere and will always be glad to advise you.
It can be fixed if you want to spend the money?
Shawn 1941 M1 Garand Lend Lease Restoration video 2 Vulcan Gun Refinishing - YouTube
Here's a thread about receivers for sale on CMP forum.
Receivers for sale - CMP Forums
Such a nice job but he didn't do the stainless treatment on the gas cylinder. Close but no cookie...Quote:
Originally Posted by FTD1167
The receiver is scrap; however you can part it out and probably make enough to buy another good shooter carbine if you're lucky. A good barrel is valuable, as are the trigger housing and internals if they have the right markings. Just be sure to find somebody with the proper receiver and barrel wrenches to remove it., or you risk damaging the gas cylinder. You can list and sell everything except the receiver on Gunbroker.com without an FFL. You can scan that site to get an idea of prices. You can also list parts in the WTS column of this site.
The barrel can be removed with ease by padding and holding it by the flats. The receiver doesn't matter in this case. It can be grabbed by a pipe wrench for that matter, anything will do because it's not being re-used...
thanks for the input. i guess i have been lucky with this thing not blowing up in my face. If anyone can keep an eye out for m1 carbine recievers at a decent price, i would appreciate it
Here is a most recent Sale.
M1 carbine quality hardware stripped receiver 6/43 : Semi Auto Rifles at GunBroker.com
i actually bid in that auction, but i was at work when it finished so i was unable to place anymore.
i want to find a couple WWII receivers so that if i get this problem again, i can have a buck-up ready. if anyone can find a place where they are selling some at a good price i would appreciate it.
When you can find a receiver today the prices are not good at all. In fact well over priced for what they are.
It is basically unheard-of to crack a carbine receiver by shooting. The round just doesn't put much of a strain on the receiver. Your receiver was most likely cracked while installing or removing a barrel.Quote:
Originally Posted by I.H.1989
I had a Winchester crack on the top left side over the groove the bolt lug runs in. The whole top of the left side cracked from the receiver to the back. That was that...now it works, now it doesn't. Just like that. It does happen.
You got that right!! Deep pockets are in the game. You can almost buy a whole carbine for what some of the bunged up receivers seem to be bringing now. The west coast repro parts are being aged to look pretty good now to a neophyte and selling high on-line in places too. I think maybe a whole bunch of folks saw Band of Brothers, grabbed a CMP carbne cold and now want to make it look more 'correct', at whatever $ it takes. But, maybe not. Whatever is happening, it certainly is making the hobby a lot more expensive than it was just a year ago. Good for some, bad for others. That's life.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce McAskill
i found this on gun broker. it's a receiver and barrel that they put up for auction. anyideas on how much i should go for this before i start giving more money than it is worth?
Quality Hardware M1 Carbine Receiver and Barrel QH : WW1 & WW2 Collectibles at GunBroker.com
Personally, I think the starting price is more then it is worth. It is only three parts, condition looks terrible. I noticed there is not a good picture of the barrel to look for a type three band shadow. It may not matter to you, but does if you are going to put on a type 1 or 2 band. In your case you already have the other parts. Though not knowing for sure that the headspacing with your bolt will be good to this receiver.
It has been proven that selling the parts separately will return more money then selling the carbine complete. That's the way it is good or bad depending on if you are the seller or buyer.
I might haunt the want adds and pawn shops up there in the Seattle area. Most likely finding a decent carbine in the $850-$1000 range. Then sell off your parts. I'm driving the 800 miles up to the Sequim/Port Townsend area next month to check out a possible move. I'll most likely be doing that while I am there.
i managed to get the guy tpo lower the proce to $390. think i should go for it?
Just my opinion, but I would go for it. The supply is finite and under heavy demand. A ME of 2 is not bad, and you can sell your barrel to pay for much of it. It is already head-spaced, too.Quote:
Originally Posted by I.H.1989
well, i lost the auction. someone got it for 600+. anyone have suggestions of what is a good price for a m1 carbine receiver?
For $600 you can buy a whole carbine if you look around.
i've been looking, but everyone seems to be trying to go for top dollar. lowest that i've seen was $900Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce McAskill
Well, i managed to find a receiver at a decent price. Does anyone here know of a good gunsmith near Whidbey Island that could replace my old one?
Bob Barnes in Sedro Wooley should be able to do it. He should be in the phone book under Barnes' Rock and Gun shop.
thanks. i might go by there this weekend. do you know how much he would charge me for it?
Sorry, I don't. Call before stopping by, he may be closed for fishing or gun shows.
I just had a barrel put on by DGR in Tenn. Here where I live no 'smith would return my calls so screw them I sent it across the nation to Tenn. They had it back to me in about a week. Michelle who works there is pleasant to deal with and answered my e-mails promptly. I had a barrel put on (there was no old one to remove so the pricing might be different) and head spaced for 135.00 plus UPS and a 3% CC use charge. 174.17 total being sent here to Calif.
I might look into that one. I also found this guy who is in Georgia: Military Small Arms - Gunsmith - Gun Sales - Arms Sales - Rifle - Gun - Receiver - M1 Garand - M1 Carbine - 1903 Series - AR-15 Rifle. He replied pretty quickly and said that he would replace my receiver within a week. I'm just wondering if anyone here has done. said he would gie me a discount since i was serving in hte military.Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmolinekid