Took my Inland for a walk today

[imarangemaster]

Well, my wife and I had to go to my daughter's 5 acres in the country to do some tractor mowing, so I decided to mix work with play. Since there is a great place to shoot there (into a steep bank on the far side of the pond) I planned on taking my Inland, a "J" 30 rounder, and an old box of WCC "USA" white box FMJs. (I have 200 rounds set aside for plinking, only using the R-P FMJ for target/practice and the R-P SPs for serious work). I was like a kid waiting for Christmas last night, knowing I get to shoot.

Well, let me tell you... brush and grass sure grow fast in northern Mississippi! It has only been 5 or 6 weeks since we pulled the horses out of there and moved them in closer to town. Instead of a pasture of short grass with bare spots and a bare pond bank, I found a jungle of knee to waist high brush and a pond so overflowed it made the lower pasture a swamp. There was not a bare spot to be seen.

From the open barn door, I did a function fire to check feed with the 30 rounder, firing 7 or 8 rounds from a full mag off-hand at a knot in a big tree about 60 yards away. It was hitting where I aimed it, so I was happy. I decided to save the ammo for another time and put it away.

It was like going to a baseball game and being rained out in the top of the first inning!

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[Bill Hollinger]

It was like going to a baseball game and being rained out in the top of the first inning!

How about looking at it this way: It was like going to a baseball game with my kid and being rained out in the top of the first inning but I was still with my kid!

[imarangemaster]

Ahh, Bill, you are wise beyond your years! True, I got to take it for a walk, and check function and ejection with the new bolt/ejector combo. I guess it was a good day after all! Even just firing a few rounds, I felt the same great feeling I did 45 years ago when I shot my cousin's DCM carbine for the first time.

[Bill Hollinger]

Hum, I was five years old then.........

[imarangemaster]

I was about 11 or 12, so it was probably 1963 or 1964. I haven't been the same since....

[DaveHH]

I got used to the feel of a rifle on a sling in the war, but that M14 was heavy. The carbine is just a treat to pack around. When I camp up in the Warner Mountains, it is rugged country with a lot of cats about. When my kids were little, it was just a good idea to always have a weapon along whenever we'd go anywhere. The carbine was the first choice with one 15 rounder and that's all. If I got into a jam with a lion or human, that weapon was perfect. Light handy and accurate and everyone loves to shoot it. Kind of like playing war when we were kids, only after being in the real deal, it is just comfortable knowing that its on my shoulder if I need it. 6 or 7 rounds out the back into a tree is better than looking at it in the house.

[imarangemaster]

Amen and thanks. Very true. As for the 15 rounders, you are right. I always had a 30 in the weapon and two in the stock pouch when I carried it as a LE trunk gun - so I had 60 rounds when I snatch and grab it. That ended 12 years ago when I retired from LE (ugh, that long ago?????) I now use the carbine as a house/farm weapon. About a month ago, I actually switched frorm a 30 rounder to a 15 rounder in the weapon full of R-P JSPs, and two 15s in the stock pouch. One mag in the pouch is also loaded with JSPs, and one is loaded with FMJ for hard targets (old habits die hard..) Initially, it was motivated by the realization I had not checked the Inland for function with a 30 rounder, JSPs, and this round bolt (leave nothing to chance). Besides being absolutely reliable, I found the 15s really are handier, especially in a house. If I need more than 45 rounds, I guess I am in deep doodoo!

[DaveHH]

Here in Kalifornia you can't buy or sell anything over 10 rds, Since I've had this since 1969, I had the good luck to have some magazines before they decided to ruin everything and make felons out of law abiding citizens. The 30 round magazines make a handy light weapon into a heavy, clumsy weapon. Without being an M2, I can see no reason for having all that weight hanging down. The other aspect is your head is up there another 3-4" when firing prone, a real concern if you are in a gunfight. The carbine is a nice accurate little rifle and 15 rounds is plenty for whatever needs to be done.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

Sometimes I think these things are only happening to me, and it's nice to hear others are the same.

I agree.
We forget about not having the correct dog leg hammer, the rebuild stamp on the left side of the stock, questions if the barrel is original, etc. etc --
There is nothing that compares to the passion, history, or just plain 'coolness' factor of actually shooting an M1 carbine, even if only shooting a pop bottle from the back porch.

The gun still lives.