Ode to the lowly M1 Carbine...

[DaveHH]

Before I was drafted in 1965, I had not had much if any contact with the carbine. The folks who had purchased them through the NRA sales were hanging on to them at that point. In Vietnam I was exposed to what a handy little weapon they were. In the Army, you are married to your weapon and if the "wife" weighs 10-11 lbs and you could get one that weighs 5-6lbs, that is a lot less to carry around. I used to drive convoys on Hwy1 and the VC tax collectors would be hanging in their hammocks at the bridges always with a carbine. We'd wave, they'd wave back. The Koreans used a lot of carbines and I got to handle and shoot them a lot hanging with the ROKs. When I got home I made a point to find and buy a carbine. Used it for decades as a camp gun. It was powerful enough to take out a bear or cougar to protect the kids and a great deterrent for prowling humans. They remain my favorite weapon to shoot to this day. I guess a Ruger mini 14 might be close, but the carbine is more accurate and lighter yet. They are a timeless example of American industrial art that will never be made again. We are lucky to have a few of the 6M they made.