Question On Mixmaster Carbine

[tpelle]

I bought my first M1 Carbine a few months ago - drove up to the North Store and picked it out. Glad I finally did it, as I've wanted a Carbine for as long as I can remember, and I guess I waited almost too long, as now they're all gone!

Anyway, it's an Inland #9363xx with an Underwood 2-44 barrel, a Rock-Ola fabricated trigger housing and Rock-Ola slide. It has an IRCO stamped adjustable rear sight, what I think is a cast replacement front sight, a front band with the bayonet lug, a Winchester flat bolt, an M2 mag catch, a swivel safety catch, and a Jewell Brothers wartime replacement stock.







The barrel guages at about a 2 to 2.5 (using the ol' M2 ball guage), and with the rear sight centered and set to '1', she shoots right to point of aim - even using that crummy Aquila ammo.

I know these rifles were rebuilt after the war, and possibly repaired as necessary during the war. This accounts for the mix of parts. My question concerns the barrel.

What is the likely scenario that accounts for a 2-44 Underwood barrel being hung on an Inland receiver? I read that Underwood had a contract to overhaul rifles after the war, but would there have been a 2-44 barrel just laying around by that time? Do you think that perhaps at the termination of Underwood's wartime production contract any unused barrels could have been shipped to manufacturers that were still building rifles - i.e. Winchester and Inland?

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[painter777]

Your Inland receiver was made quite a bit earlier than the 2-44 Underwood barrel.
Barrel is a replacement. Looks like you got a nice shooting grade carbine for your first. It has some pricey parts...Enjoy it.
I can't tell from your pictures if the Recoil plate is cast. Could you find any markings on it?
We'd enjoy seeing some pics of the internals next time you have it opened up.

Cheers,
Charlie-painter777

P.S. I don't recall ever seeing a Birch Jewell Bros stock.
Could you show a slingwell marking?..... Thx

[painter777]

Jewell Bros Walnut replacement stock.
Slingwell J stamp...
Relief/support cut for Recoil plate......
Barrel Channel.....
Wood Bridge.....






Hope these help,
Charlie-painter777

[tpelle]

Slingwell marking is exactly like that shown by Painter777 above. There are no crossed-cannon cartouches or any other markings on the stock or handguard other that the P on the front of the pistol grip.

The Universal (small diagonal checkering) buttplate appears to me to be stamped - it's kind of wavy around the edge, but serviceable.

Is that a birch stock? In the photo the "flames" are much more prominent than appear in person. And since I've rubbed in several more coats of BLO are just about invisible except on the bottom surface of the forend. The grain is very close, and perfectly matches the 2-rivet handguard, which I guessed to be walnut. But honestly I am not real good at differentiating one type of wood from another.

So this gun was probably built up at some arsenal in a rebuild, and was assembled from a bunch of serviceable components (barrels, trigger housing and parts, bolt and parts, stock, etc.) that were disassembled from other rifles and grouped together randomly?

[INLAND44]

Slingwell marking is exactly like that shown by Painter777 above. There are no crossed-cannon cartouches or any other markings on the stock or handguard other that the P on the front of the pistol grip.

The Universal (small diagonal checkering) buttplate appears to me to be stamped - it's kind of wavy around the edge, but serviceable.

Is that a birch stock? In the photo the "flames" are much more prominent than appear in person. And since I've rubbed in several more coats of BLO are just about invisible except on the bottom surface of the forend. The grain is very close, and perfectly matches the 2-rivet handguard, which I guessed to be walnut. But honestly I am not real good at differentiating one type of wood from another.

So this gun was probably built up at some arsenal in a rebuild, and was assembled from a bunch of serviceable components (barrels, trigger housing and parts, bolt and parts, stock, etc.) that were disassembled from other rifles and grouped together randomly?

That's exactly what happened. All parts were cleaned and inspected. Any parts needing replacement were discarded and new or used parts installed. The used parts installed were gauged and certified as serviceable. Since all carbine parts were 'standardized', manufacturer of various parts had no meaning during repair/maintenance. Usually the mechanically-serviceable carbine was then refinished in Zinc Phosphate for the required military low-glare finish. Stocks were also cleaned, repaired, stained and oiled if necessary, or just replaced. Service pistols and other small arms were similarly overhauled. The depots and arsenals were all around the country, and a huge carbine overhaul program was started in 1949. This is when many rebuilt carbines were last overhauled, and coincidentally prepared millions of them for service just in time for the Korean Conflict.

[painter777]

The stock I pictured is Walnut.
Yours sure looks to be Birch.
90%+ of M1 carbines were rebuilt. Could have been at the Field Depot level, Arsenal, Post WWII rebuild, etc.
They weren't worried about the same makers parts. Like you said Good serviceable parts was the key.
That's why the parts were made to interchange.
Who knows...... Your carbine could have seen late WWII action in that exact condition. Possibly Korea and Vietnam.
Welcome to the mystery.

Cheers,
Charlie-painter777