Universal M1 Carbine

Had a universal. Was not reliable. Definitely not mil-spec. 15rnd mags only, the 30s did not feed reliably. S&b ran well, armscore was filthy abd under powered. I would not do it again.
 
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Looks good to me

Hdonly,

I think you should stop teasing us about your lucky purchase and shoot it with some fresh ammo and report back here. Save the old peters ammo for nostalgia. It's a nice looking gun for sure and I would bet if you don't shoot it a lot, it will be fine as a home defense carbine for many years to come. I would bet the ones that broke down had a lot of rounds on them before something went wrong. I have read the GI mags were pretty flimsy on M1 carbines so if you have any issues, I'd try a different magazine which should be easy to find. Its too bad these don't take all GI parts.
 
My new to me Universal M1 Carbine shoots like a dream. I bought an extra magazine (Promag CAR-A1) that I am disappointed in. The way it's made, it will not hold the bolt open after the last round fired like the original Universal magazine does. Why would they do that?
 

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Universal is the least authentic of the various commercial brands. I have owned several and yes they function, but they are not worth the money folks are asking. I recently sold two of the Universals for $800 each. Plainfield and other commercial brands like Iver Johnson are better made. Most, if not all the commercial carbines had cast, or rewelded receivers.. The modern reproductions are pretty well made, but they just don't have the appeal.
 
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Glad it worked well. There are GI and south korean mags out there. The WWII GI mags are the ones you want to buy. Pro mag is mehhh in terms of quality. You could pony up and buy a Kahr/auto Ordnance mag and be fine. There are 30 rounders out there too.
 
luck

Sounds like your off to a good start with it.
When Universal carbines were at their peak in popularity , carbine ammo was pretty cheap too. Some got shot a lot with subsequent wear and tear and when they came unglued, the stories started. Such notables as Massad Ayoob were pretty critical of them.

Yeah, they are not GI, but if yours is running and you don't shoot the snot out of it and keep it lubed and clean hopefully it will run for a long time. If it's running with a GI mag, go and get another.

Best of luck with it.
 
Also get the double mag pouch for the butt stock so you can have 45 rounds on board as a grab and go kit. If you ever are confronted by 3 or 4 armed bandits you may need a tactical reload or two with the gun. If you can't take care of a home invasion with 45 rounds of 30 carbine, you probably aren't going to be any better off with 46:)
 
The Promag is working fine, just no hold open on last round. I couldn't help myself. Had to go tacticool. It is a fun gun!
 

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I recently sold one of the Universal carbines and one by Iver Johnson. I got $850 apiece. The Universal carbines were fairly reliable, but you could never have any 'pride of ownership' having one. The first one I owned was purchased in the early seventies from JC Penney. Gave that one to a lady who still uses it on her farm for pest control. I guess 50 years of reliable service speaks for itself.
 
I hae to think how much I could get for my Universal. It would probably be more than double what I paid in 2012. I won't sell it unless I'm able to ge a nice old USGI rifle to plink with. The .30 carbine is just plain fun to shoot.
 
I've got one my dad bought new in 1969. I don't remember him ever firing it but I shot the snot out of it when I was a teenager and a good bit since I inherited it in 02.
 
I picked one up at a Pawnshop about 16 years ago .. for $200 it was a good little carbine .. being I was overly vested in SKS’s .. so I traded it off several years ago .. I still regret letting it go … should have kept it
 
Most of the people who will tell you how bad Universal M1 Carbines are have never even held one, then there's those who have owned them and maybe shot them informally, then the <1% who have owned and fired them enough to appreciate them and know how well they shoot.

I will start by saying the newer they are, the worse they are. I helped a friend with a late production example and I nearly gave up on it. It was in a cheesy folding stock and didn't shoot too bad, but shot very low. By doing some serious massaging (bending of the barrel) I finally got it where it would shoot POA at 100 yds. with the sight set on 300 yds.

Not long ago I bought an early (s.n. 30xxx) 1st Generation. It was in a beautiful stock and shot lights out with the sights being regulated perfectly, at least at 100 and 200 yds.

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Since falling in the black hole of M1 Carbine collecting about 4 years ago, one of the first M1 Carbine's I bought was a 1st Generation Universal (s.n. 70xxx). Of the more than a dozen M1 Carbine's I've owned, it is THE most accurate and the very last one I would sell. I put mine in a Choate folding stock so I could easily carry it on trips. It will shoot cast bullets right up to 1900 fps, as accurately as jacketed.

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Judging from the serial number of yours, it's an early 2nd Generation. I'm betting it will be a good shooter. Someone mentioned the proprietary slides like yours has as breaking, which they can do. Someone is producing runs of these because I've seen new ones on GunBroker and eBay off and on.

So enjoy your Universal and let us know how well it shoots!
 
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