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hi guys i have a chance to get a blue sky marked m1 carbine which looks in great shape. guy wants to trade me for a old tractor i have for sale.got tractor listed for 400.00, what i need to know is this worth it. i do know most m1 carbines are not cheap. but this one is not orginal when its marked blue sky right. what do i need to check out on piece. thanks mike
Blue sky is probably the least desired marking on a carbine. I'm sure it is a mixed parts gun, most likely not worth even considering restoring. That being said, if it is only on the outside of the barrel and doesn't show on the inside it should be an OK shooter quality carbine.
You say you listed your tractor at $400. Most listings still have some play in their price. Will you take less if someone offered it? Whatever that number might be is what you will have invested in this carbine.
Without seeing pictures of condition, even at $400 I think that is a good price.
$400 for any M1 is a great deal unless it is beat up, busted, etc. Blue Sky has a reputation because a few of their import marks were made too hard and they affected the barrel. The vast majority are fine. That is one thing I would check however before completing the deal. Not all are mixmasters either but they were used by the Koreans for many years and repaired, rebuilt, etc. I have an Inland that is either Inland or subcontractors used by Inland. No Korean parts.
thanks for the info guys. from what i rember it was only marked on end of barrel near frount sight. I only have some fuel an time invested in tractor so it is a win win for me. gent bringing it over today an if i make deal will post pics latter. thanks mike
At $400, you did VERY well! Welcome to the forum.
The Korean Army didn't make their own parts for carbines. When US-supplied parts ran out, the armorers did their best to keep them running. They did some repairs that we would consider unsafe; e.g., they would weld a cracked/broken bolt lug. At the least, I would field strip it & check for signs of less than professional repair.
Neal
When I was selling a lot of Blue Skies in the early 90s when I got the as a dealer for $139 each, I would occasionally find some that had M2 trigger guard, mag catch, slide, sear, and hammer (using a washer as a spacer). By now, I would say, most carbines have been thoroughly stripped of M2 parts and had them sold at crazy premiums...
HI GUYS MADE THE TRADE TODAY IT IS MARKED INLAND WITH BLUE SKY ON BARREL. L.R.CO IN SIGHT SIDE. A NUMBER 59 ON TRIGGER GUARD. A NUMBER 10 IN SLING WELL ON BUTT STOCK. PLUS 3 CLIPS A COFFEE CAN OF AMMO, AN 2 BOXES OF NEWER AMMO AN A WOODEN BOX OF HANSEN AMMO ABOUT 10 BOXES OF THOSE, HERE ARE SOME PICTURES, THE TRADE WAS FOR A BOLENS TRACTOR WITH DECK, AN PLOW, I ONLY HAD COST OF FUEL TO GET TRACTOR.
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---------- Post added at 06:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:46 PM ----------
The "10" in the sling well is probably "IO" for Overton for Inland. Both my Inland stocks are "IO". Heck, if I understand, you got 15 boxes total of ammo, plus a coffee can full, you got $400 worth of ammo alone!. As for the Blue Sky, it doesn't look like it is stamped too heavy.
The metal looks good. I would strip it down and soak the metal down in mineral spirits or acetone (I prefer acetone) and take a tooth brush to it to clean the gunk off. Then I would wipe everything down with a rag soaked in Breakfree CLP, or Mobil One. Check your recoil spring. It should measure 10 1/8" to 10 1/4" long. If it is shorter than 10" or 10 1/8", I would replace it. (about $6-$10.).
The stock looks decent, definitely a candidate to clean up. Here is an article from CMP (Civilian Marksmenship Program) on how to clean and refinish a carbine stock:
CMP Help: Stock Cleaning, Ammo, Mag ID Accuracy - CMP Forums This article is a "must read" for a new carbine owner!:D
You did VERY VERY well!
$260.00.......12 boxes of ammo at around $20 each plus what looks like 50-100 loose rounds.
$45-$50.......3 used mags
That means you have about $100 into the carbine. I'd say that was a good deal.
Excellent trade. Welcome aboard!
Here is a good video on Youtube about total disassembly and re-assembly: I would not worry about disassembling the bolt, if not having any problems with feed or ejection, especially without a bolt tool. It usually suffices to saturate the bolt face and firing pin channel with Kroil or WD40, using an empty case hooked under the extractor and rocked back and forth to work it in the ejector channel. Blow it out and put a couple drops of oil on it.
M1 Carbine Complete Disassembly/Reassembly - YouTube
One big tip . Get a cheep brass punch , a pin , old drill bit , or whatever the same diam. as your trigger pin . Cut it off as long as your trigger is wide. Assemble the trigger / sear / spring group outside the triggerguard using your short pin to hold it together . Drop it in as a unit , line up the pin ( that's why I use a brass punch tip , so it'll stand out ) and push it through with the trigger pin . Keep one of those Garand grease pots handy to store your assembly pin in so as not to loose it between uses.
Chris
well it cost me about 30.00 for gas to pick up tractor an equipment. an about 2 hours of my time, so maybe i had 50.00 invested in tractor. did run bore thru few times an it looks like a mirror. with check out the things you guys tell me to do thanks alot
mike
Holy cow, that was painful to watch. I wouldn't let him work on any of my carbines. I don't recommend his procedures at all. He had to do things off camera because they didn't go right. Probably hunting down parts that went flying.Quote:
Originally Posted by imarangemaster
Jamming a screwdriver into places and scratching stuff. Who wants to take pliers to your bolt and damage a $50+ item. Take that money and buy a few tools that will make your life a lot easier. You can use the operating slide guide rod for pins, hammer spring, mag catch plunger assembly, stuff like that. Buy or borrow a bolt tool, for about $45. What took him 20 minutes can be done in two. Trigger spring tool about $8, but you can use other things for that, even the front end of a ball point pen. As emmagee1917 suggests, make a pin for the trigger/sear. Assemble it outside the housing, drop it in and push the normal pin in place.
You can save your time, finger tips, parts, and frustration, with a few helpful tools.
Jim
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../M1tools-1.jpg
The bolt tool compresses and holds the extractor spring and plunger, and the ejector spring and ejector in place. The extractor then come right out as does the firing pin.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo..._zps370d-1.jpg
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Trigger and sear/spring. Make a small pin the width of the trigger. Assemble the trigger sear and spring outside the housing using the shorter pin. Drop it in the housing, line up the hole and push the normal pin into place. Done deal, a minute or two and no jammed fingers.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...Housing3-1.jpg
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https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...Housing2-1.jpg
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thanks allot for the info i really appreciate it. this is first carbine i ever had do have a m1 i got from dcm years ago an i do know there is a big difference between them. bore does look great even bolt face looks like it was not fired much very little signs of rings or brass markings. not sure if i want to refinish stock or leave it alone it looks kinda neat right now as is. beside i am working on a smle stock an dont want to many irons in the fire at once. thank you again.
OOops, that wasn't the youtube video I thought it was! I thought it was the same one I watched a couple years ago where the guy uses a bolt tool in a gallon bag... DON'T watch it!
A good tip is that if you disassemble the bolt, do it in a gallon zip lock bag. Keeps everything together.
An empty shell casing works for removing/installing trigger spring! GK
I don't think the carbine or the ammo are safe! You better send them to me for proper disposal. I'll pay for the shipping.....(just kidding) You made a "killing" on that deal!
got a few clips run thru it today i dont think its any good all the ammo went off an at 50 yards all the bullets went in the black area maybe i should give it away. no way i think i will work on it awhile thanks for all the info guys
Sounds like you got a decent carbine. I personally would not use Acetone on it. I prefer a milder dry-clean solvent. Even regular Mineral Spirits will clean it fine. Then oil all metal surfaces, inside and out. For the stock, get you some good Nitrile gloves and wash the stock/handguard in lacquer thinner. It probably will come out a lot lighter in color, and you can then steam out the dents. After all that you can start the oiling process using raw linseed oil, flax oil or boiled linseed oil. The processes are different depending on what you use. Raw Linseed oil is applied sparingly over many treatments and soaks in. Boiled Linseed Oil is more like a varnish. Raw Linseed oil is what the military used. With either one, if you cut it 1:1 with Turpentine or Mineral Spirits, it will speed absorption.
thanks so much for the info guys i really appreciate it. not sure what i am going to do yet, weather i leave it as it is or re-do it. but i do love to shoot it. will kep you informed. thank you again mike
Since it seems to be a good carbine in its current configuration, I would suggest to not 'do anything to it' as far as changes - simply clean/oil it and clean up/oil the stock. Don't sand the stock if you don't have to. Every particle of wood you take off is irreplaceable. Also, I forgot to mention, don't remove the gas piston or try to loosen the retaining nut. Many barrels have been ruined when the nut is cross-threaded and/or over-torqued, resulting in a cracked gas block. Don't oil the gas piston either. Clean it with dry-cleaning solvent. You can use one of a very few products on it to protect from corrosion without being too oily, like Amsoil 'MP' (spray metal protectant). Oil in the gas system tends to burn and gum up the gas port and piston. I like it when I retract the slide and rock the carbine to hear the little 'plunk' of the piston moving freely. When you get a stuck piston, like on a carbine just out of storage, the treatment is simply to shoot it loose. Never put any kind of gripping tool on the piston.
hi thanks for that info i didnt know about the gas port stuff i thought it was like my M1 which has a special wrench to clean it out. i use alot of GI bore cleaner as a friend gave me case an if its good for the troops its good for me
had a wrench for the gas piston nut built into the trigger housing. the manuals said to remove the nut and clean it as a matter of course. Actual use proved that it does not require cleaning on a regular basis. Having a jet of super heated high pressure gas shot into the cylinder pretty much keeps it clean and carbon free. The ones that are trouble are carbines that had significant amounts of water in the bore which leeches down into the cylinder and caused rust. It is common to see carbines with pristine barrels which have a small spot of pitting right at the point where the gas hole is located. I have removed and cleaned the piston but it was always a waste of time. As Inland 44 says, if it is free and moves well, leave it alone. Bore cleaner and solvents are not really an issue either, I think that when that hot gas hits the piston, it burns up any solvent that is left inside.
The 6 digit Inland I just got, the prior owner was a collector and never shot it. It was very dry and the piston was stuck. While I don't generally oil the gas piston, I hit it with a little WD40. I let it set overnight, and shot a box of ammo the next day. It work fine. I have only had one Carbine I had to remove the gas piston on. The barrel was rough with pitting and the gas port was obstructed. I used a drill bit with friction tape on it, turned by hand, to clean it out. The muzzle swallowed a gauge and was not counter-sunk, and it shot a pie-pan group at 25 yards. I sold it to a re-enactor who was going to plug it for blanks.
Considering the prices people are buying carbines for now a days - import or non import. I think you did very well.
I bought a Blue Sky imported carbine back in the late 80's and it came with all Inland parts except the triggerguard which was and IBM. I feel fortune as it not only looked goos but shot amazingly well.
Over the years I have owned and sold several carbines but my Blue Sky still shoots the best. I guess it was hit and miss with Blue Skys as some received correct rifles while others received mix masters.
well i am please with the groups i am getting with it with ball ammo i got with it. my father loaded up some cast an shot nice group with it also. was supprised with how well it handled the cast reloads
not on hang up or jam. i had a few with old ball ammo which was my fault i didnt check all cases an a few had some rust type marks on them. still thinking on just leaving it as i got it, kinda grows on you when you handle it like an old friend. will keep you posted thanks mike
Hi Guys got the carbine out to range today 1st target at 50 yards benched with LC-52 and 2nd target is 50 yards benched with WRA-55
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You must be careful of LC-52 headstamped ammo. There is a lot of Chinese manfactured corrossive berdan primed ammo marked LC-52 floating around (faking good USGI Lake City '52 ammo) that can really mess up your carbine if not cleaned properly. Look in a fired case - if there is one priming hole in the bottom (boxer primed) you are most probably OK, but if there are two holes (berdan primed) you probably have corrossive Chinese ammo. ALL USGI carbine ammo produced was non-corrossive primed. I would pull the bullets and dispose of all the rest of any corrossive Chinese ammo if it were my carbine, or lawfully dispose of the whole batch of bad ammo intact.
If you shot corrossive ammo in your carbine you need to clean all parts exposed to gases thoroughly in hot soapy water, hit it with WD40 to displace the pore water, oil it up good and then keep an eye out for any future signs of corrossion. Some WWII bore cleaner was made for handling corrossive M1 Garand ammo but Hoppe's No. 9 (or equal) won't cut it. Others here may have further suggestions but you have to get all of the residual salts out of the metal joints and crevices or it will rust. I would also wash the stock inside where it might contact the metal.
You did 'steal' that carbine. Congrats and welcome to the Forum. ChipS
hi thank you so much for that info on the ammo. i did check out cases an they are all boxer primed. i also clean all my firearms with the old stinky gi bore cleaned as i have about 10 quart cans of the stuff from the estate i picked up. it works great on alot of different items beside firearms too. still tring to decide weather to clean up carbine or leave it as it sits. i was worried that the import mark bent the barrel but i think it shoots great.
I do too! Look like good groups to me. :thup: - BobQuote:
Originally Posted by mmppres
That old G.I. bore cleaner is water-based (milky) for neutralizing the residues of corrosive primers, but it was used in all small arms including the carbine which never had corrosive ammo. However, if you were to use some Chinese LC52, it would be ideal for cleaning afterward. Probably the only WWII U.S. small arms that used corrosive ammo were the pistol and sub-guns in .45ACP, so the anti-corrosive bore cleaner certainly came in handy when it could be used. The Army typically used an oil drum full of water heated over a fire, into which some lye soap was diluted, for cleaning small arms after an action. The hot parts dried quickly and then were dipped in oil while still warm. This definitely worked and incidentally took care of any corrosive residues. Unfortunately many parts were mixed up in that process, but the only thing that mattered was a reliable weapon. With such cleaning methods and the rigors of wartime use, you can easily see why so many carbines had to be rebuilt/refinished during and after the war.
those groups were shot off the bench with bags an rest at 50 yards with aim point at bottom edge of paper so i think side group was my fault. going to try an go thru all the ammo that came with rifle an put all same head stamps together. dad sent to midsouth for a set of dies so waiting on them to arrive. thanks for all the info an help guys
If my memory serves me, virtually ALL USGI WWII 30-06 M1 Garand ammo produced was corrosive primed, maybe with few exceptions at the very end of the war. See website noted below to confirm this and that M1 Carbine ammo produced was non-corrosive. I know, you can find anything you want on the web but this site is by Dick Culver and confirms information from other sources I can recall. ChipSQuote:
Originally Posted by INLAND44
http://www.scribd.com/doc/29753049/U...ry-Head-Stamps
The .30-06 ammo was corrosive up until the mid 50s with some makers dropping out of the corrosive stuff a little before that. After the mid 50s, no US manufacturers used corosive primers.
I obviously did not know that the .30-'06 was corrosive. That is the first time I've heard that since getting involved with guns in 1992.
i was told that when dont shoting any military ammo to always clean right away just to make sure that nothing was corrosive. an if any was to re clean next day just to make sure all was gotten in every nock an craney. i have seen a greenish color in side muzzle from not cleaning right away. so better to be safe than sorry
While the stock looks rough It should clean up nicely. Steam out as many dents as you can and put a coat of stain on it and a little tung oil.
