WIRE STOCKED M2 CARBINES

[dirty doc]

Hi guys & Gals. Among other things, I collect M1 Carbines. Got to know Marshall Williams in the late '60s. I never considered looking for a civilian made carbine with a collapsable wire stock till a Viet Nam vet showed me the picture of HIS M2, which had the wire stock. I bought a semi-auto one of these since then and it did have the M2 cut on the stock. Can anyone fill me in on this oddball?? Many thanks, Mark Zachary, a.k.a. dirty doc. (email removed. For contact use the PM feature)

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[shadycon]

Common on commercial made stocks.

[RCS]

Your photos are not available to view ? Years ago commercial carbine stocks were found with M3 stocks and the Universal stock which worked like the MP-40

[USGI]

More recently, Auto-Ordnance and New Inland Mfg. have marketed M1Carbines with wire stocks - not sure if they have the M2 cut, though. - Bob

[painter777]

I don't know if the OP means a M1A1 or one of the post War commercials like this Plainfield??

http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/PMCVietnamApr%201966.jpg

[browningautorifle]

I want a pic of what he calls a "Wire stock"...

[painter777]

I never considered looking for a civilian made carbine with a collapsable wire stock

Like these.... ?

1
Universal:
http://www.imfdb.org/images/7/72/M1_..._Universal.jpg

2
Plainfield:
http://www.imfdb.org/images/a/aa/M1C...nfieldPM30.jpg

3
USGI Commercial Copy:
http://www.imfdb.org/images/8/81/M1A1Carbine.jpg

Best I can do. Never was much of a mind reader.

[browningautorifle]

Never was much of a mind reader.

I'm with you there Charlie, I want to see what HE considers...what's he referring to? An M1A1 stock? Like the Legion Etrangere? Didn't they have some in 1954 in RVN?

[painter777]

Like the Legion Etrangere? Didn't they have some in 1954 in RVN?

Yes they did. The M1 Carbine was introduced into Vietnam by French troops during the late 1940s in their war with the communist Viet Minh forces. A large number of M1 carbines were captured and used by Viet Minh troops. After the First Indochina War ended in July 1954, M1 carbines filtered from the North into the hands of the developing Viet Cong guerrilla forces.

Then in 1956 the Americans started handing them out like candy. In the end ~1975 it was estimated that 1.5 mil carbines were left behind.

In reading about The French Foreign Legion units and Paratroops that fought in Indochina, during the 56-57 day Battle of Dien Bien Phu caught my attention. I knew few details of this before the searching I've done the last few days. I don't want to 'Waste' the details in this thread..... If you know what I mean. I'll try to follow up and post a new topic on the board.
But that battle has it all, Heroes, Cowards, Deserters and a French version of the American Bataan Death March. Est 8,000 French POW's to include wounded were force marched some 400-500 miles during 40 days. Many of them wouldn’t survive the punitive march.
These prisoners spent several months in the Viet Minh POW camps on the border with China. It's estimated that only 3,290 men (including legionnaires) would survive the imprisonment. This battle ended that war, no telling how many more POW's would have died had it gone on longer.

There is so much to this Battle, but this isn't the place to follow up on it.
I'll follow up when I can, If interested Stay tuned for Battle of Dien Bien Phu.

Captured French:

[jimb16]

And here I thought the stock was tubular steel! (Tongue in cheek)