First ever M1 carbine

[DaveHH]

Carbines are strange in some ways: you could have a pristine bore and it shoots so-so and a worn barrel that shoots great. I have two that are like new, one really low mile and a rebuilt NPM with original IBM barrel with some wear. The NPM shoots the best, holding an SR-1 9 ring. If I try hard it will hold the 10 ring at 100 yds.
Looking down the barrels, the Inland is the newest and lowest round carbine but has rifling that is so shallow it looks like a 45 barrel. The Winchester has nice rifling but doesn't shoot as well as the NPM. I would say that the Inland has maybe 1K rounds through it, probably less. It should be a tack driver, but isn't. I've finally just decided that the fun in Carbines is just shooting them. They are so light, so handy so pleasant to shoot that I don't care of they can't shoot like a Garand or AR. The NPM is what I carry camping and it lays beside the bag in the tent. I can shoot hit and kill a bad guy or cat or bear if I had to. That is saying something considering that the gun is as old as I am. New owners would be entertained by buying War Baby and reading the history and story of these amazing guns. 6M in 3 years by 9 companies most of them NOT gun makers. All parts interchange and they never made another one after WW2. No country on the planet except the US could do this and I fear that we couldn't do it today.