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M-1 Carbine in Local Pawnshop For Sale - Worth the Price?
Last edited by Badger; 09-18-2018 at 08:18 AM.
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09-17-2018 06:56 PM
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Looks ok on out side as a shooter grade but what about inside bore condition, bolt face, mags could be from number of places, Folding stock could be one of the re-pops from the 70's What are markings on barrel, import nane?
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Stock is repro. mags/bayo are junk. What you're buying is the carbine itself with no stock. Maybe $300 if in good condition but judging by what I can see I would want to take a real good look. Actually while the fake stocks aren't valuable, this set-up with a good working carbine is great for a home-defense or truck gun.
'Really Senior Member'
Especially since I started on the original Culver forum. That had to be about 1998.
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Originally Posted by
INLAND44
Stock is repro. mags/bayo are junk. What you're buying is the carbine itself with no stock. Maybe $300 if in good condition but judging by what I can see I would want to take a real good look. Actually while the fake stocks aren't valuable, this set-up with a good working carbine is great for a home-defense or truck gun.
OK, thank you. I heard you recently passed your "really senior" 50th birthday, youngster!
---------- Post added at 05:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:33 PM ----------
Originally Posted by
mmppres
Looks ok on out side as a shooter grade but what about inside bore condition, bolt face, mags could be from number of places, Folding stock could be one of the re-pops from the 70's What are markings on barrel, import nane?
Don't really know as would have to take down to check for more specifics. Imported by Blue Sky, Virginia. Thanks a heap!
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Yeah, I passed 50 so long ago its funny. ha, ha.
The 'Blue Sky' carbines were from Korea. Somebody probably got rid of the old stock and bought that repro - they sold for about $120 20 years ago. Most 'Blue Skys' were heavily parkerized but that one seems to have escaped that fate. Actually looks like original finish, heavily worn. Its an IBM receiver but no idea what barrel is on it. They're fishing at $600 - just not worth it and you really don't know if it is a useable carbine. However if you could get a couple hundred off, it probably would be worth the risk. One of the more important checks on a carbine is the muzzle. You can't clean it from the breech so G.I.s rammed their dirty steel cleaning rods down from the muzzle without the benefit of a muzzle guide, with corresponding wear. The government used to back-bore the barrels about 1/4" to restore accuracy. You can check it with a .30-'06 standard ball cartridge - put the bullet in the muzzle and if you still see some bullet before the brass, you're good. If it swallows it, then you have to determine if its eroded or counterbored. Counterbored is okay but you'll have to feel for it if you can't see it - use a very small screwdriver to see if you can hit the ridge just inside the muzzle. Look at the bullet feed ramp to see if it has a groove from each side of the magazine; it wasn't made with grooves but many carbines that were converted to M2 select-fire are so 'shot-out' that the feed ramp is actually grooved. Grab the slide handle and work the slide while pulling out - it should not come out of the receiver except at the take-down notch in the slide raceway. Wiggle the trigger guard; ideally you want the trigger housing fairly tight but if very loose it can be fixed. Hold the stock and try to yank the carbine out of it by the barrel. Should be tight and once again, looseness can be fixed. Basically any fix you may need to do is covered in the armorer's carbine manual that you usually can find at the gun show.
'Really Senior Member'
Especially since I started on the original Culver forum. That had to be about 1998.
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Its got a chunk missing from the rear peeps left slide tab there is a bit off it left on the front but I guess its an easily obtained part
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If you parted it out you'd get your money back somewhat or maybe pretty easily. The NVS mags are Japanese made and unless I missed something of good quality. I have seen Blue Sky imports sell for at and even over 1000 on Gunbroker, if that even matters to some. Personally, I wouldn't have bought it at price or any other since it's a rebuilt import, that's just my carbine taste speaking though. Now, if it were mine I'd ditch the reproduction paratrooper stock, find a good USGI one and shoot the crap out of it.
Hmm, just noticed the push safety, that makes me wonder about the other trigger parts and their values...just another thought I remembered late.
Last edited by deldriver; 09-18-2018 at 07:30 AM.
Reason: added a word or two
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Originally Posted by
deldriver
If you parted it out you'd get your money back somewhat or maybe pretty easily.
...
Now, if it were mine I'd ditch the reproduction paratrooper stock, find a good USGI one and shoot the crap out of it.
That basically sums up my thoughts as well. I've gotta wonder if anyone has seen any Carbine going at $300 in the last five years. You can't even buy a Universal for that price.
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There's so much wrong that it makes it not worth starting, buy one that's ready to go. If it's a paratroop you want, then prepare to pay a reputable source. A pawnshop won't be the place to find one. Why buy that to part it out? Why bother...?
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First off, can you get a few days inspection period to look it over inside and maybe take it to a range?
IBM made 346,500 out of 6,117,XXX carbines. About 5.6% of the carbine production. This example's serial number was about 1/3 of the way through their producton.
The receiver would need to be cleaned and checked. Heck, just the receiver could sell for $250-$300.
The mags and bayonet (and the bayonet can be cleaned up) will sell for about $100
The repo stock should fetch $80-$100 A GI average grade stock, maybe no cartouche would cost about the same, so a wash.
Rear leaf could be broken from vibration, $35-$40 replaces that. But might be ok to shoot as is.
A GI D clip sling and oiler runs about $45
One of my best shooters has a Blue Sky stamp. They are ugly, but do not always ruin the barrel.
So:
............. ....$600
................-$100 for sold parts
....................$0 stocks a wash
.................+$45 sling and oiler
And you have a shooter GI carbine for $545 that doesn't seem bad to me.
Gun shows around me sell beat up imports starting around $850. Us older guys remember the days. My first was $60 in 1976, and many between $100-$200 late 80's. Those days are gone.
Maybe not a good purchase as a first carbine until one gets some experience. But you could wait you whole life for some granny to sell one from her husband that has been sitting in her closet for less. And an original M1A1 will run about $3500.
Last edited by JimF4M1s (Deceased); 09-18-2018 at 12:52 PM.
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