Was someone looking for Carbine Drawings and Specs?

[painter777]

Seems like I recall someone was looking for M1 carbine Drawings and Specs a while back.
If so, Here's a link to a auction of some.....

M1 Carbine Measured Drawings, Blueprints, 22 pages! - eBay (item 150493196578 end time Sep-20-10 19:24:50 PDT)

HTH,
Charlie-painter777

Information

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[CrossedCannons]

I remember that post. I've also bought those very same ebay drawings. What they contain is good, but they aren't complete. The ones in Kuhnhausen's book are far more complete as to parts, and in some cases, more legible. Unfortunately, while for dimensions, Kuhnhausen is great, he includes no metallurgical data from the original ordnance drawings.

[firstflabn]

CC, if you haven't already, look at Kuhnhausen p. 82 and 92 for some of the metallurgical data you seek. It's in the narrative, not the drawings.

Also, Carbine Club newsletters 17, 22, 26, 28, and 31 include considerable specs info for receiver, barrel, trigger housing, bolt, and slide, respectively.

I am curious about Kuhnhausen's statement that barrels were changed to WD4140 (same steel the other major parts had used) somewhere past midway in production. Does anyone know why the change was made and a better idea of when it occurred? The info in the above two sources is incomplete, but I can't help but wonder if the change in barrel material affected wear resistance in any meaningful way. Would probably take a metallurgist to even say which way the tendencies went without trying to quantify. The original WD1350 for barrels has quite different alloying elements than the WD4140.

[CrossedCannons]

FF, I can't speak to the barrel as my set of RIA drawings (from ebay) do not include the barrel, but just looking at another part, the bolt, its drawings (dated 18 Nov 1943) provide EXTENSIVE metallurgical detail re steel type (4140), heat treatment (both global and localized), and finish, in much more detail than the artist's representations anywhere in Kuhnhausen's description. As noted above. I haven't seen a complete set available

[manteo97]

I was looking for those drawings and specs a few weeks ago, and posted the request here on milsurps. I am doing research on the metallurgical specs of the M1 carbine, and don't necessarily need the drawings, just the metallurgical specs, such as alloy, heat treat requirements, and hardness. Article is for the Carbine Club (I'm a member), so if anyone out there wants to donate their time to supply me with some of this data, (again, I not looking for the drawings to be given for free). If you PM me, I can send you a Table of parts, specs and alloys I already have, just need confirmation. I have the Kuhnhausen book, and it's not 100% accurate.

I also need a screen capture of a small part the receiver dwg, showing steel type, and heat treat required , this is usually in the lower left corner of the dwg.

Regarding the change of steel for the barrel, Winchester wanted to switch from WD1350 to WD4135 in mid 1943. Their metallurgists cited this steel as having "better hardenability and relative freedom from heat-treating difficulties". I have seen a copy of minutes of a meeting of the Carbine Committee of Metallurgists (Nov. 1943) that addresses that. Others, including Underwood the BIG barrel maker, said no to the change, but an Ordnance revision to the Cr-Mo steel spec of the time allowed WD4140, and was approved at a later date (mid 1944) as an alternate steel for barrel making.

manteo97

[firstflabn]

M97, thanks for the info - and I'll look forward to your CCNL article. If it's as helpful as what you provided above it'll really help advance our understanding. Maybe I should go stand by the mailbox now. I have just enough knowledge of metal working from the distant past in structural steel fabrication to be dangerous. What that gives me is an appreciation of yet another element that went into producing these little marvels. Good luck on finding the source material you need.

[manteo97]

Thanks firstflabn. I've have a PM with more info coming, so I expect to revise the draft article that has been submitted. It usually takes a few months to get an article in the CCNL, so don't wait beside your mailbox yet.

[manteo97]

Correction to steel alloy alternate to WS1350 for M1 carbine barrel, should be WS4150, not 4140.