M1 Carbine Gas Piston Abnormality

V

Vic6

Inactive
Hey guys, back with another question. I picked up this M1 Carbine a few months ago. I am going to take it to the range soon and I was doing a complete disassembly and I noticed the piston on mine looked different from photos of ones on the internet. I will add pictures. I just wonder if it's safe, cause it almost looks welded on to the damn thing.

Thanks for any advice given.

Photos: http://imgur.com/a/XegS2
 
I cannot get over the excessively heavy tool marks in the receiver.
Also, that is brazing not a weldment on the gas piston housing.

Other than that, it looks like a fine weapon.
 
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The excessively heavy tool marks indicate something home made. Even Universals were made better than that.
Some commercial gas housings were brazed, but not like that.
What marking's are on the receiver?
 
It's an Underwood Carbine, I can't get a pic of it because of the Korean war era sight that was added. As long as the gun functions safely, I could care less if the thing was brazed on. But, the barrel does looked replaced as the receiver, front sight, and trigger housing look like a different metal. According to the serial number, this was made between July, 1943 - March, 1944.

Pics of the gun: http://imgur.com/a/XegS2
 
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No idea about the tool marks, but it has its bayonet lug removed and the shaft looks lacquered. That's typical for carbines used in Germany or Austria after WWII, as they were issued to police units they weren't allowed bayonets. And many of those got rebuild locally, explaining the different color finish and, maybe, the odd repair.
 
When GI parts started to dry up, a number of companies made carbine parts, some of them at best marginal, at worst dangerous. That mishmash appears to be in that category. If I could not return the gun for a full refund, I would replace the barrel with a GI barrel (they are still around and some of the new repros are to GI spec). At worst, I would remove the stock* and test the heck out of that gun under controlled conditions to make sure that if the gas cylinder, piston or piston nut did fly off there would be no injury.

It might work OK for many years, but it just doesn't look right to me.

*To keep it from being destroyed if the barrel or cylinder does let go.

Jim
 
So I did some more digging and I found that it is a Plainfield M1 Carbine barrel that replaced a bad USGI barrel (I assume so, because why replace a perfectly good barrel). It looks like a bad job, but it's very firm on the gun

I found another thread: http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=127717

This person however has a crack in the piston and I don't. I am looking into replacing it with the correct barrel though.
 
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