Something Wonderful My Way Cometh....

[deldriver]

Thanks! I guess the reason I wasn't "going along" with that idea is that I've not seen much evidence of that with Inlands that I've owned, or in data from Carbine related websites. I have most of the books, but even those are 10 or more years old now - I never did have the CC Club newsletters, though. Dan Pinto (and Bill Moore ) wrote a good article in 2019 on some Inland "oddities" that's available over on the CC Club Forum.

Inland Mis-stamped Serial Numbers - The Carbine Collector's Club

I've always had the idea that Inland was turning out Carbines at such a rate in those days that barrels were being used nearly as fast as they were being produced. I sure wish I had started this hobby when I was young enough to remember more details! That carbine looks really nice - just noticed what appears to be a Type 5 slide on it, too. Now, I can't wait for more pictures. - Bob

That's because they were. I know some collectors get hung up on FIFO, but it doesn't explain every anomaly seen by today's collectors. Some guys use FIFO to justify their carbines, in this case, to be original even though it's no more than a leap of faith to think that way. If you really want to know if that barrel is original to that Inland, take the stock off and pull the slide back, then look for a slightly bare area just in front of the gas cylinder. Inland finished their carbines as a unit, so in the case of barrels, they would pull the barrel band all the way back to the gas cylinder and apply finish, this would leave a bare area (maybe a shadow is a better word) just forward of the cylinder. How wide is you bare spot or shadow if you will-that will be the answer to an original barrel on this Inland.