first carbine unboxing

[USGI]

My Underwood has mixed parts, but the slide has the "bomb" just like Jim describes. - Bob

Attachment 118121

[Joseph457]

Am so glad you got one, Congrat !

[ssgross]

going to get some pictures of the bore posted today, then scrub and take some more pictures.
My lee 3 die set came in. Can't find any 110gr bullets in stock anywhere. I have several thousands of 308 in 150gr and up for all my other milsurps - but no help for my carbine. I guess I have some time to wait for brass to be available to.
Looking up load data - I'm well stocked in powder...but for all my other milsurps. I have a boat load of Accurate No. 7 on hand and, depending on what order the shortages start ease, I may give it a go. Found this post (#8 and #10) https://www.thehighroad.org/index.ph...arbine.572269/. I will try to confirm with my own email to accurate before trying.
It may be a while before I hear this rifle sing. I might try some trading in the WTT forum - what I need for what I have in bullets and brass at least.

[Ben Cartwright]

I cleaned my bore today, it is great.

[ssgross]

Here is the bore as it came out of the box.
crown
Attachment 118122
midway
Attachment 118123Attachment 118124
throat
Attachment 118125

looks like plenty of carbon and copper, but no rust, and the crown doesn't seem worn out by metal cleaning rods. The birds-eye lens shows how filthy it is.
muzzle
Attachment 118126
midway
Attachment 118127
chamber
Attachment 118128

I'll take pics again after scrubbing. looks very promising. I've seen worse filth clean up to like new.

[ssgross]

after a good scrubbing. Came clean with little effort.
crown, and inside muzzle
Attachment 118129Attachment 118130
midway down
Attachment 118131Attachment 118132
throat
Attachment 118133Attachment 118134
clean and bright the light shows the frosting in the grooves.

I saturated the receiver with mineral spirits while I scrubbed the bore. All the old grease dissolved away leaving....lots of sand! My toothbrush just moved it all around. I'll spray it out with hot water in the sink.

[floydthecat]

going to get some pictures of the bore posted today, then scrub and take some more pictures.
My lee 3 die set came in. Can't find any 110gr bullets in stock anywhere. I have several thousands of 308 in 150gr and up for all my other milsurps - but no help for my carbine. I guess I have some time to wait for brass to be available to.
Looking up load data - I'm well stocked in powder...but for all my other milsurps. I have a boat load of Accurate No. 7 on hand and, depending on what order the shortages start ease, I may give it a go. Found this post (#8 and #10) https://www.thehighroad.org/index.ph...arbine.572269/. I will try to confirm with my own email to accurate before trying.
It may be a while before I hear this rifle sing. I might try some trading in the WTT forum - what I need for what I have in bullets and brass at least.

#7 is a slow burning pistol powder and might work, but I have never tried it in a carbine load. You will need to secure some rifle powders like W296 or H110. There are others as well. I’d just go to the powder manufacturers web site for load data.

Search out “Xtreme” bullets. Myself, as well as others here, have used these plated bullets at speeds not-to-exceed 2,000fps with satisfactory results.

[ssgross]

#7 is a slow burning pistol powder and might work

I use it in 9mm and 45acp in full size pistols. works great. once the shortages ease I'll get some of the go-to powders for 30 carbine. Couple years ago I used some berry's plated bullets in reduced m1 Garand loads for the my kids. Worked well. kept the velocity way down below 2000, using data from my Lyman cast manual, and I had no problems. Kids loved it.

[Singer B]

What is on the trigger guard is an ordnance bomb. Very often they are only partial stampings. That is usually a clue to look for the .U. in the mag well. Underwood also put that ord. bomb on the top of the slide handle right beside the slide lock pin hole.

It is amazing what you can learn here. I have handled my Underwood hundreds of times and had it completely apart once. I never noticed that flaming bomb stamp on top of the slide handle. I went and checked tonight and sure enough, it is there. Thank you for that information and adding another piece of evidence to my belief that this rifle is in original issue condition.

[ssgross]

Finished cleaning and reassembling the trigger group. Getting all the dried-grease-locked-sand out reduced the trigger pull significantly! While I had it all apart I took inventory and markings of things not clearly NPM...
Trigger housing: -U-
Sear: W
Hammer: HI
Mag. release: EI
recoil plate: DI

Rear sight was locked up with crud pretty bad. I drifted it off without damage. Good thing I did as there was some rust under it in the dovetail. I did not disassemble the rear sight since everything is peened and riveted, so it was soaked in brake cleaner and brushed/q-tipped until all was clean with no more sand or dried grease anywhere.

serial number 1959xxx. http://uscarbinecal30m1.com/ProductionMFG.aspx?mfg=NPM shows sometime between January and October 1943, likely closer to the end? Does anyone know of any other production records?