Something Wonderful My Way Cometh....

[Singer B]

That gun for $1,300 in California is a great deal. Congrats!

[USGI]

Barrel maybe a year too early, but that is not necessarily true, as they would just put new incoming barrels on top of the barrels left.

Bernie, I'm not seeing your reasoning there, but know that just about anything can happen with M1 Carbines. I just checked the CC website and looks like Spring of '44 would be the usual barrel date for your S/N. - Bob

[imarangemaster]

Bob, I am sure you are right that it was the wrong barrel. My reasoning, though, is that possibly, as batches of newly made, dated barrels came in to the assembly room, they are put in a bin on top of what is left of the last batch. Then put on a receiver. Older ones could be covered up, then eventually end up at the top of the pile months later, and finally put on a receiver.

I ran into a situation like this on a 3rd generation S&W semi-auto pistol . A couple years ago, I got one with the large, hooked trigger guard. When I contacted customer service for a BOD, the told me it was two years after the change to a smaller rounded trigger guard. I pursued it with them, and was told that sometimes one would be at the bottom of the pile when assembling.

Maybe after I pick it up, some good close-up pics of barrel and receiver will give a clue.

[rcathey]

Older ones could be covered up, then eventually end up at the top of the pile months later, and finally put on a receiver.

This is a very common problem in manufacturing plants even to this day. The proper process is called FIFO — first in, first out.

For durable goods (like rifle barrels!) it’s not a huge problem, honestly.

For perishable goods, it can be a serious issue. This is why they stock milk from the back of the display case.

Edit to add: this type of mindful production processes were super widespread in just a handful of manufacturing plants prewar. Ford and National Cash Register come to mind.

Postwar it became even less common as American manufacturing essentially had a global monopoly. Why bother with minutia like that if you’re the only game in town?

Eventually, while rebuilding their economy, the Japanese embraced Ford’s (specifically) ideas on continuous improvement and brought them back into the mainstream. This is why you don’t hear about these ideas today without also hearing about Toyota.

[imarangemaster]

I remember seeing a video of a WW2 movie about rifle or carbine production during the war. barrels were stacked in a wood sided bin or open front and top box that was counter top level. There were hundreds of stripped barrels in the bin, apparently newer ones just piled on top of earlier ones. The assembler would grab a barrel and fit it to the receiver, then put it on a cart to move a batch to the next station.

[browningautorifle]

The assembler would grab a barrel and fit it to the receiver, then put it on a cart to move a batch to the next station.

Exactly, and when making a wartime consumable it doesn't matter.

[USGI]

Bob, I am sure you are right that it was the wrong barrel. My reasoning, though, is that possibly, as batches of newly made, dated barrels came in to the assembly room, they are put in a bin on top of what is left of the last batch. Then put on a receiver. Older ones could be covered up, then eventually end up at the top of the pile months later, and finally put on a receiver.

Thanks! I guess the reason I wasn't "going along" with that idea is that I've not seen much evidence of that with Inlands that I've owned, or in data from Carbine related websites. I have most of the books, but even those are 10 or more years old now - I never did have the CC Club newsletters, though. Dan Pinto (and Bill Moore ) wrote a good article in 2019 on some Inland "oddities" that's available over on the CC Club Forum.

Inland Mis-stamped Serial Numbers - The Carbine Collector's Club

I've always had the idea that Inland was turning out Carbines at such a rate in those days that barrels were being used nearly as fast as they were being produced. I sure wish I had started this hobby when I was young enough to remember more details! That carbine looks really nice - just noticed what appears to be a Type 5 slide on it, too. Now, I can't wait for more pictures. - Bob

[jimb16]

The more we learn, the more we find that there is to learn!

[imarangemaster]

Yep, the Type 5 slide, I believe, is correct for that serial number.

[DaveHH]

Digging into Ruth's book, you see Inland going to Ordnance and getting permission to use rejected barrels that will work. Guaranteed that the bin was down to the bottom. My 5.4 has a 8/44 new barrel that has rifling like a 45 automatic, shallow as hell but it would work. The barrels were always the problem and the cause of production issues. Look at NPM...they were using anything they could get and IBM gives them thousands of new hi quality barrels at the end of their run. Please look into Chris Albright's articles they go through the carbines part by part and you'll see what you've got.

I'm just not a great fan of Inlands. The finish is some odd black stuff that scrapes off mine when you move the band back and forth. The top HI handguard is new and yet you only see about half of the front sight when aiming. You just wouldn't see this kind of stuff on a Winchester or NPM. You can tell that Inland made good car parts.