Bought my first M1 Carbine and have questions...

[lthilsdorf]

Hi everyone, I've been collecting mostly Mosin Nagants for awhile, but I've been really wanting to get a US surplus rifle. I ended up deciding upon the M1 Carbine.

So I bought this National Postal Meter Carbine at the Rochester gun show on December 5th for $600. This was one of the cheaper ones there, plus it was made right around this area which I thought was cool. Import marked by Century, bore seems OK, and overall pretty nice to me. Just a few questions/concerns about it:

1-The serial number is marked on the stock. From what I read I know this isn't a US thing, so anyone know which country may have done that?

2-The rear sight is kind of odd. Someone seems to have welded it around the 100 yards point, and I can't move it at all. I also noticed that ring on the right side is ground off as well. Could this have been a bubba thing or did the country that imported it maybe do it. I didn't notice till I got home (not knowing a whole lot about M1 Carbine sights) so I'm a little concerned about it.

Overall I can't wait to get some ammo and shoot it. The guy who sold it said that a friend of his is selling off this collection due to old age and bad eyesight. Anyway hopefully I didn't do too badly on this purchase (not as good as CMP prices probably but I'm happy)

Information

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[imarangemaster]

If the serial number is on the left side of the stock in front of the sling well parallel to the top of the stock (half way between top and bottom) it was probably an Israeli Mash Az Civil Guard weapon. Century re-imported some a number of years ago. The sight is a Bubba thing, NOT Istaeli.

[lthilsdorf]

My serial number is basically in the exact same place, though I do not have an Israeli marking on the other side of the butt though. Is there anything I can do about that rear sight though? Should I leave it or get a new one, if that's possible? It's at the first slot point (100 yards) and I've read these aren't that accurate past 200yards anyway, so I'll probably just leave it how it is.

[imarangemaster]

That's not Israeli markings on the other side, but the original cartouches from when the stock was made in WW2. You may find traces of black paint in some nooks and crannies, as they would sometimes paint their firearms black like Sten guns.

I would replace the rear sight. My sight is dead on at 150 with the 200 yard setting, and since that is the limit of useful range, I haven't changed it. It is nice to be able to adjust windage.

It needs to be driven out from LEFT to RIGHT when looking at it from the butt end. A sight installation/removal tool is best. If you are handy, though, you can find a tutorial on how to do it with a padded vice. You have to be carful, though, not to mess up the sight bridge.

[lthilsdorf]

Alright cool, that sounds like a good idea then. I found one of the flip sights for $20 online but that removal tool was $99! How risky is doing it yourself? Haha!

Oh, and thank you for the help! That's interesting to know that it was probably sent to Israel at some point.

[imarangemaster]

I AM NOT RECOMMENDING THIS: BUT HERE IS HOW I DID IT:
I securely anchored the receiver in a padded vice, not too tight. First I soaked it with liquid wrench. I used a 1/8 inch brass drift and a brass hammer and placed the drift on the bottom of the sight on the dove tail portion. I tapped straight left to right, drifting it out. Used reverse process to drive in.

It is a good idea to make an index mark on the front of the bridge where there peep sight is center, so you have a reference. Most carbines I have seen tend to have the sights just left of center to be on.

Anyone else, PLEASE feel free to come up with additions, alternatives, or caveats!

[frankderrico]

Go on gunbroker or e-bay and get a type 2 or 3 sight about $35.00 and do the sight job like rangemaster suggested. Just remember it goes out left to right and in right to left. Also lube it up good, you will have a good adjustable rear sight.....Frank

[imarangemaster]

The tool is nice if you have the $$$. If I keep acquiring carbines, I will get one. You should be alright, though, if you do it slowly and make sure you are driving it straight out, left to right. Soak with liquid wrench for 24 to 48 hours, lube well, then FIRM TAPS a little at a time, not big whacks with a BIG hammer! I have replaced one this way, and adjusted several that were drifted too far to one side.

[ramit]

Nice looking carbine.
Being from NY, I too have a couple of NPM.
Both great running carbines.

From the photo it looks as if the ramp site if push all the way forward, not back at the 1st notch.
( I could be wrong, little hard to see with all the snoot of solder there).
If so, there isn't a notch to hold the ramp all the way forward, from my experience on my carbines.
When we plink at 50yds, I find this position to be great, but since there is no notch , the sight keeps clicking up to the 1st notch/ 100 yd position after every shot.
So maybe bubba decided he liked it all the way forward, and soldered it into position.

For plinking I found the ramp sights are great.

So as others have said , maybe just get another and replace.

I have an all original inland, with flip sights. They work well, but who wants to drift the sight for windage.... so for a shooter I prefer the ramp style.

[imarangemaster]

I agree that adjustable sights are best for shooting. With my Underwood, different ammos have different impacts. Remington JSP is one to two clicks off to the side of Lake City, etc. When I had the original Winchester with the flip sight that I let get away in the early 80s, all I had was GI ammo at the time, and the flip was perfectly regulated for that. It would have been a pain to drift it for other ammo.

I will probably leave the adjustable on my CMP Inland I am getting, too. I thought of restoring it, but I have probably decided against it. I'll think I will leave it un-messed with as it came from the government.

As was said earlier in another thread, CMP ARE correct in their own right. They were arsenal upgraded with improvements like round bolts, bayonet lugs, and adjustable sights (which were planned from the beginning, but not implemented to get the carbine into production faster, as I understand it). These are correct for Korea and Vietnam era.